St Dominic’s has provided post 16 education in Harrow since 1979 and over that period has developed specialist teaching and support that is recognized for its excellence in the local area and beyond. In our last inspection, we were judged to be an ‘outstanding’ College and have been awarded many national accolades over recent years. The campus gives us a university feel and allows students to concentrate on their studies and to make the very best use of our superb academic facilities.
The two years of study post 16 are the most important of any to date in a young person’s educational journey. Post 16 courses remain a benchmark qualification. When students arrive with us in September each year I expect that they will work hard from day one to fulfill the demands of their courses. The support both in and out of the classroom is exemplary and providing the partnership between student, College and home are right then they will be successful with us and achieve highly at the end of the two-year program. We provide all our students with the best opportunity to achieve the highest possible examination grades as well as to develop spiritually and personally.
We are a confidently Catholic institution, clear in our beliefs and values and the importance of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. We are also welcoming of other faith groups and believe that our diverse faith community is enriching and makes us the very distinctive community that we are. We give priority to students from our two partner schools, Salvatorian College and Sacred Heart Language College. We then offer places to Catholics from the local area and to other faith groups who wish to pursue their sixth form education in a Christian context and who will support the ethos and mission of our College.
St Dominic’s came into existence initially as a Convent School for Girls on the Mount Estate in Harrow-on-the-Hill in the 19th century. The school was established in 1879. The Dominican Nuns led by Mother Catherine Philip Bathurst OP were carrying out a direct request by Cardinal Manning, the Archbishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, to have a Catholic Girls School in Harrow. The Dominican nuns were committed to creating the opportunity for girls to have a good education and access to higher education.
The College is the holder of several national awards. With the establishment of formal National inspection systems, St Dominic’s rose to the challenge of achieving outstanding status by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster for the delivery of Catholic Education. The 2008 OFSTED Inspection too judged it to be Outstanding, a distinction it has held on to ever since. Indeed the College is now at the very top of the league of Sixth Form Colleges for ‘Excellence’ in its educational provision and its A level results.
Teaching and learning are at the center of our work at St Dominic's. We have an incredibly strong record of academic success, but as well as achieving excellent results, we want to have a positive experience of learning. Our teachers, as expert practitioners, continually seek to develop their practice and equip you with the skills to learn independently. St Dominic's has a very strong tradition of enrichment and you will benefit from a wide variety of educational visits and outside speakers in addition to your normal lessons.
You will develop your skills in ways that help you to learn as individuals and to prepare you to continue your studies in Higher Education or to move into employment. We frequently seek your views about teaching, learning, and assessment and we use these to continue to improve lessons and other aspects of learning.
