Mayfield Grammar School, Gravesend is a selective school with Specialist Science and Languages College status.
The school was founded in 1914 as the County School for Girls, taking as its motto “Per aspera ad astra” (Through adversity to the stars), and moved to its present site in 1926. The original building with its bell tower, central quadrangle and walled playing fields remains today much as it was then, however the school has enjoyed many modernisations. Throughout its history the school has remained selective and was known successively as Gravesend School for Girls, then Gravesend Grammar School for Girls, and now Mayfield Grammar School, Gravesend to reflect the fact that we accept boys in our Sixth Form.
The school benefits from a loyal, stable, well qualified and experienced staff who work together as a team. Staff-student relationships flourish in a relaxed and caring environment, where students are encouraged to achieve their full potential. The calm friendly atmosphere, combined with acceptance of the need for hard work, provides a high success rate in public examinations. This gives the school its good reputation and continues the tradition of excellence which began in 1914
Specialist Status
MGSG was designated a Specialist College for Science in 2004 and for Modern Foreign Languages in 2009. This has helped to build on our strengths and develop further the specialist facilities and teaching within the sciences and languages. We have already seen how having a specialist status in one area has helped to enhance teaching and learning in all areas of the curriculum. It has also helped to develop links with the wider community in Gravesham. Many additional school trips have resulted from the desire to extend awareness of the many ways that science contributes to everyday life. Our Sixth Form Science Officials have an increasing role in encouraging participation in the events organised through the specialism.
Being a Specialist Science College has strengthened and extended our already enviable academic reputation. We have broadened our curriculum with the highly successful introduction of Triple Science at GCSE, GCSE Statistics, and A level Further Mathematics. Being a Science College has also allowed us to invest across the school to enhance and develop our ICT resources
We have a residential programme across the school which enables students to develop cross-curricular skills and concepts including Leadership. We organise excursions to places of particular scientific interest and hold lectures highlighting the opportunities available in Science as a career.
Locally we have established a leading role in the development of ICT in the teaching of Science as well as delivering the Triple Science curriculum endorsed by the Government. This means we hold regular training sessions for other schools in order to share good practice. We are also taking a lead in the introduction of the Kent Primary Science Scheme of Work, supporting other colleagues in Primary Schools to develop an exciting programme of study in Science for primary school pupils.
Aims of the school
- To promote an educational culture that is scientific, technological, enterprising and vocational and which values all subjects equally
- To provide a broad and balanced curriculum which is sufficiently diverse to meet the needs of individual students and which enables each student to realise her/his full academic potential.
- To stimulate our students' curiosity and imagination, to stretch and challenge their intellect, to encourage their independent thought and develop responsibility for their learning.
- To encourage our students to develop confidence in their own abilities and to acquire the skills, aptitudes and competencies needed for a fulfilling life without regard for traditional stereotyping.
- To promote our students' awareness of spiritual, cultural and moral values and to encourage a sense of trust, respect for and tolerance of others, in order to prepare them to live in our multicultural, multi-ethnic society
- To encourage our students to make a positive contribution to the life of the school and to the wider community
- To stimulate in our students a global awareness and to encourage them to take responsibility for their environment