Address: Station Road, Bramley, Guildford, Surrey GU5 0DF
Website: stcatherines.info
Founded: 1885
Pupils: 791, all girls
Ages: 3-18
Termly Fees:Day: £8,760; Boarding: £15,380
Head Teacher: Ms Emma Watson BEng, MBA
Religious Affiliation: Church of England
Entrance Procedure: By St Catherine’s own entrance examination at 11+
Contact: Clare Woodgates; [email protected]
School Visits: Visit school website for details
The Curriculum
In the first three years of the senior school, girls follow a broad academic programme that allows them to experience a variety of subjects from which they then select options to study at IGCSE/GCSE. St Catherine’s offers 28 A level subjects, providing girls with a perfect platform for higher education. Thinking skills, a PPPE programme, a vibrant and relevant careers programme and regular lecture slots complement the curriculum. All pupils have iPads.
Games & The Arts
Exceptional facilities include a sports hall, fully equipped fitness suite, dance studio and indoor pool. In addition, there is a large assembly/performance hall with superb acoustics for music and drama productions. The school promote an ethos of ‘sport for all’, encouraging every girl, whether she is an elite player or playing for the sheer fun of it. St Catherine’s also has an art and makerspace facility, which brings all of the creative arts under one roof.
Pastoral Care
Girls are welcome to join the school as day pupils, or as full or weekly boarders. Six school houses underpin the pastoral provision where girls feel valued and supported. House spirit is strong, as is a huge sense of fun and loyalty to the school and each other. A new award-winning sixth-form boarding house, The 6, opened recently.
University Places
85 percent of pupils secure their first-choice university place, with five percent going to Oxbridge, 80 percent to Russell Group, and five percent overseas.
Head Teacher’s Philosophy
Our commitment is to walk alongside each girl as she becomes the author of her own story, with confidence, resilience, and joy. And if there isn’t an opportunity she’s looking for yet, we’ll help her build it. This is a place to be curious, to be kind, to live fully, laugh often and love learning – together.
Outstanding Characteristics
St Catherine’s pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary and they enjoy a strong rapport with their teachers and peers. Staff create an ambience of encouragement where learning thrives. By the time girls leave St Catherine’s, they are able to think critically, have high aspirations and the self-belief that there are few things they cannot achieve. The ISI recently awarded the accolade of not one, but two significant strengths: firstly, for the school’s extra-curricular programme and its positive impact on the girls, and secondly, for the breadth of the careers education and powerful association community, supporting girls’ career ambitions.
