St Catherine's School

[EduCativ]

St Catherine’s in Twickenham combines over 100 years of experience in Independent education with a modern curriculum that prepares our students for success in the 21st Century. We are a Catholic girls’ school where every person is a valued member of a happy, vibrant community, comprising students from much different faith and ethnic backgrounds.
We need to be a caring and supportive community in which students are happy, confident, and inspired to meet challenges.
Our school motto ‘Non-Verba sed Facta’ (Not Words but Deeds) is the bedrock of who and what we are: words are important, but they are not enough it is ‘doing’ that so often shows that we mean what we say. St Catherine’s girls are certainly ‘doers’ they involve themselves enthusiastically and wholeheartedly in everything, which strengthens them as individuals but also deepens the community spirit which is tangible when you walk through the school gates.
The usual ages of entry are 3, 11, and 16. Occasional vacancies occur at other ages. Early registration is advised for entry at all ages. There are Open Afternoons and Evenings throughout the year to which we invite prospective pupils and their parents. Visits can also be arranged at other times. The school can accept applications from any area and is happy to accept advance registrations for younger children at any time. Pupils of other ages may also be accepted into the school, particularly if their family has moved into the area.
Parents and pupils are invited to visit the school and meet the staff. Arrangements are then made for pupil assessment, which will become more formal depending on the age of the pupil. Information regarding the pupil's current education is required before an offer of a place being made and the school will request a reference from the pupil's current school.
Most pupils from our Prep department will proceed into the Senior School. For all candidates, entry to the Senior School is by written examination in January, before entry in September. Applicants take one-hour papers in Mathematics and English.
All papers are designed to bring out the skills and potential of the candidates, whatever they may have covered in the past. Places are offered based on performance in the examination, a report from the girl's present school, and an informal interview with the Headmistress.
Central to everything that we do in Prep is our belief that every child is an individual with different curriculum strengths and talents. Our broad, balanced, and challenging curriculum ensures that all our pupils make excellent progress academically while ensuring that our pupils thrive in a nurturing and caring environment.
We pride ourselves on our reputation as a school where academic, musical, sporting, and creative abilities are enhanced and celebrated and where our pupils are provided with opportunities to develop all their talents.
The Sixth Form at St Catherine’s is a place of academic rigor, where girls are encouraged to develop their thinking and to stretch themselves. At the same time, we offer a supportive and nurturing environment, enabling each girl to feel confident in moving outside of her comfort zone. Our Sixth Form is a real community a place where each girl can come of age, both intellectually and socially.
The Sixth Form experience has been tailored to meet the needs of young women in today’s society. It has been well-proven that girls thrive academically in a single-sex environment. With the company of other like-minded individuals, they can pursue their academic goals free from distraction. The uptake of STEM subjects by girls is much higher in single-sex schools, and girls are also able to have the confidence to speak out and be heard.
The Senior School has three forms each year, with a maximum of twenty students in each form. A third of the girls who join the Senior School in Year 7 come from our own Prep Department, which has one form in each year, while two-thirds come from other preparatory and primary schools. Some students are admitted into other year groups at different times, depending on availability.
Teaching is organized in academic departments, the heads of which report to the Headmistress and the Director of Studies. Student's academic progress is closely monitored and parents receive four grade sheets and two detailed reports throughout the year as well as having a formal opportunity to meet their daughter's teachers every year to discuss progress. Higher Education and Careers advice is provided throughout the Senior School, with more focused guidance leading up to and during the process of selecting and applying to university.
The School has an extensive extra-curricular program, encompassing sport and other physical activities, the creative and performing arts including music, drama, and community service. Experiences outside the classroom allow our students to learn, have fun and develop new and productive relationships with their peers, their teachers, and other adults.
The activities offer an important opportunity for our students to develop their skills and to experience competition and teamwork. Activities may vary from season to season and from year to year and depend also on the interests of the students and teachers at the school. Every student belongs to one of four Houses which compete regularly in a variety of activities.

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