St Catherine's School, Bramley GSG Review

S T CATHERINE’S, BRAMLEY The Good Schools Guide

The Good Schools Guide is often written by parents, but always for parents. The Guide doe no take advertising from schools nor are there any fees or retainers paid. Thus, it is able to be impartial. The authors visit all the school themselves and talk to pupils, staff, heads and boarding staff. They also research schools from a variety of external sources including parents.

Their reviews are intended to be portraits of the schools and not inventories of their assets and achhievements. They are, however, subjective and there is no guarantee of factual accuracy.

“If you want convincing that girls only education is the right and modern way for your bright and motivated daughter, go and look. This is as good as it gets.”

Head Since 2000, Mrs Alice Phillips MA Cantab (50s). First teaching post was at the Royal Masonic School, Rickmansworth, where she rose to being head of English. Thence to deputy headship at Tormead in 1993. Mrs Philips is president of the Girls’ Schools’ Association. She impresses at once as being full of brisk common sense, good humour and get-up-and go. But she is also super-bright, super-articulate and super-focused on the highest of standards for her staff, her charges and herself. ‘She is utterly determined for her girls,’ one mother told us. And this blazes forth in her dedication to the job of equipping girls for the future - ‘girls need to be in an environment which demonstrates that there’s nothing you can’t do’.

Mrs Phillips relishes the process of turning her ‘rough-cut GCSE diamonds into highly polished gems’ – and the process needs the St Cat’s sixth form to be complete. ‘We hit the wall of hormones together,’ she says, ‘I love the wall of hormones,’ which she sees as an essential stage in becoming an adult. And she is not interested in turning out demure young ladies. ‘We teach them to challenge every darn thing.’ Neither is she a petty disciplinarian; ‘you pick your fights with teenage girls. If you pick on something trivial and make a fuss about it they will hate you forever.’ Parents are universally impressed - ‘Her speeches are very entertaining and she devotes her whole life to the school.’ ‘She is very fair and very good at sorting things out.’ A few parents – and girls – can find the intensity of her commitment ‘scary’, but one’s impression is that her uncompromising concern is for the ‘whole’ of each girl. When her pastoral care is praised, she responds, ‘but we do also seek to get the girls into the best possible universities and to do that you have to get them to aim high and target improvement+s all the time’.

One awe-struck mother summed her up: ‘She is amazing.’

“We saw nothing but quiet and attentive classes and teachers who kept order by being interesting rather than via sanctions.”

Academic IGCSEs in almost all subjects now. No plans to move to the Pre-U or IB - Mrs Phillips is that rare thing, a fan of the AS year (now an endangered species). Success relies on traditional good teaching alongside the best that modern IT can offer – so keen to keep abreast of all that is innovative and helpful.

‘The apps for learning languages are fantastic,’ enthuses Mrs Phillips, who tells us that her classics department has always led the way when it comes to embracing good new IT. So iPods/iPads allowed in class with an emphasis on ‘learning to discriminate’ between reliable web info and the rest – we applaud; in fact all girls up to year 10 now required to have iPads. We saw nothing but quiet and attentive classes and teachers who kept order by being interesting rather than via sanctions. Results excellent across the board – no weak areas.

Ninety-one per cent of subjects taken at A level in 2015 were graded A*-B, 67 per cent A*/A. Good to see Greek and German surviving alongside business, economics, history of art and photography. At IGCSE in 2015, 90 per cent A*/A grades. It cometh not much better than this. Lots of options, lots of opportunities – real education takes place here.

Disquiet among some parents and girls on the subject of ‘SCAGS’ (St Catherine’s Assessment Grades) – the St Cat’s method of assessing and tracking progress. It’s designed to support girls in the pursuit of improvement in their different subjects but some are confused or unconvinced. Mrs Phillips – an ardent believer – concedes, ‘we are mindful that it is complex and try to inform parents as best we can.’ She is lightning quick to react when we report concerns raised with us - ‘it is not the St Catherine’s way not to listen to parents – we will expand the explanation and make it more

user friendly.’ And recent results support school’s contention that the scheme works – the first group of girls brought up this way achieved 17 per cent more A* grades than their predecessors.

Library open all hours and well-stocked – the only one we have so far seen with a section on ‘feminism’. Sensible system of sixth form subject mentors: you’re 12 and struggling with physics?

– find the sixth former who understands! Overall, the best of trad with the slickest of innovative in matters academic.

Girls with only mild dyses likely to be able to stand the heat. ‘We pride ourselves on our tracking system,’ says head, ’and on spotting any lateemerging problems’ and monitoring, academic mentoring and clinics are more the way here than a busy special needs set-up.

Games, Options & the Arts Lively art in many media – photography especially strong but ceramics, DT, life-drawing – all thrive and all run clubs for those who aren’t taking them as curricular subjects. A sense of vibrant life and colour about the studios. ‘The drama in the senior school is really good,’ we were told and the new building has given drama and the technical side of production an immense boost. Music also lively and productive – just as you’d expect with this calibre of girls and encouragement.

Excellent sports facilities and sport now seen as more inclusive – lots of opportunities for those less than Olympian in their prowess. ‘My daughter is

in C and D teams’, said one mother, ‘and she has lots of matches.’ The Olympians regularly reach the heights – county and national finals places in several sports and stellar showings in swimming, lacrosse and tennis. Range of sports on offer. Riding club run by parents. D of E thrives and everyone is productively busy all the time.

Excellent outside speaker programme, sixth form lectures – and PTA lectures - and lots of stimulating trips.

Boarding Fifty per cent of boarders from overseas. Bedrooms and dorms are spacious enough, welcoming and homely. Most in two-bedders, often with a third bed for flexi-boarders. Even sixth formers mostly share: they in their own separate and muchappreciated block with common rooms – possibly the messiest we have seen – most refreshing!

Most full boarders – normally between 50 and 70 girls - remain in school each weekend and are offered a ‘full and varied programme of activities’.

Background & Atmosphere Established in 1885, this is a school with a proud tradition and, unusually, has grown and developed all on the one site. Located 10 minutes south of Guildford in a quiet leafy village, it is unremarkable architecturally apart from its striking conference room plus Arts ‘n’ Crafts fireplace, its memorable gothic style chapel – splendid stained glass windows celebrating notable female saints,

“Success relies on traditional good teaching alongside the best that modern IT can offer – so keen to keep abreast of all that is innovative and helpful.”

“Now boasts a ‘fantastic’ £15 million complex the ‘125th Anniversary Halls’ arts and sports building with an unrivalled auditorium ...” fabulous rose window and Willis organ. Boarding and most of the school areas are functional, a little tired in places (upgrading in process), with the emphasis on practicality rather than opulence. Useful ‘chat-rooms’ for one to-one sessions – a good idea but the one we nosed into was freezing!

Now boasts a ‘fantastic’ £15 million complex - the ‘125th Anniversary Halls’ arts and sports building with an unrivalled auditorium (seats 300 and has ‘better acoustics than the Barbican’) plus other studios and backed by the sports hall, gyms, dance studios etc. All carefully, thoughtfully and skilfully integrated and an exceptional new resource with which the girls are clearly thrilled.

School buildings mostly abut big central area used for car parking though pitches and courts stretch away on the perimeter. Latest addition is ‘university style’ sixth form study centre, designed with input from the girls, plus refurbished lecture theatre that now hosts chamber music recitals, talks, presentations etc..

Immensely strong house system – everything done in the six houses to which loyalty is unflinching – underpins virtually all school activities. Strong ethical dimension to energetic charity work – extends to water vending machine which supports pumping system in Africa. Food seen as improved – salads particularly praised – though ‘it can get a bit monotonous for boarders,’ we were told.

The day we visited the choices included ‘deep fried battered pangasius’ and ‘oven roasted pangasius’. (We had to look it up too – it’s a type of catfish.)

Pastoral Care, Well Being & Discipline ‘Lovely dedicated staff,’ universally praised.

A sense that all girls can fit in and do well here – whatever their aptitudes, enthusiasms, personality – something to which all parents we spoke to attested. ‘It can be a bit full-on for some of them,’ one parent admitted – and others agreed: ‘the girls themselves push themselves to the limit – the atmosphere makes them want to be the best of the best.’

‘They do the best they can,’ another said,

“A sense that all girls can fit in and do well here – whatever their aptitudes, enthusiasms, personality – something to which all parents we spoke to attested.” ‘but they do it while looking after each other.’

‘They are very supportive of each other’s differences,’ another agreed. School divides the girls into houses, sets, classes – lots of mixing up to encourage friendship and to discourage cliqueyness – and it works.

Serious misdemeanours off the radar.

Preventative and common sense approach.

‘We do some very robust woman-to-woman talking with the girls about our expectations and what is and is not acceptable,’ says Mrs Phillips and a sense of friendliness, mutual support is tangible. Some of the most approachable staff we know.

Pupils & Parents St Cat’s ‘Association’ founded in 2004 – now a 3000 strong membership of alumnae, parents, former staff – makes a real community of the school, past and present. Head’s PA one of around a dozen alumnae now on the staff. Lots of parental involvement and unquenchable enthusiasm. Mostly local-ish families. Lots of Old Girls’ daughters. Middle class and comfortable backgrounds, in the main. Notable Old Girls include Francine Stock, Juliet Stevenson, Elizabeth Beresford, Zena Skinner, Davina McCall, Fay Maschler, Joan Greenwood, UA Fanthorpe, Dorothy Tutin, Elinor Goodman, two ambassadors and legions of academics and other high flyers.

Entrance Entry by academic selection, using St Catherine’s own assessment. Eleven plus candidates take papers in English, maths, science and verbal reasoning. Few places at 12+, 13+ or 14+ - papers in English, maths and reasoning. Reports from existing schools.

Sixth form general paper, verbal reasoning and predicted GCSE grades – As expected in A level subjects. Interview for potential sixth formers. Roughly 1.3 applicants for each 11+ place – so not too daunting for a bright girl; for those who try for places in higher years, date of registration is important so register as early as you can. Around 70 apply for the

10 or so annual places in the sixth – they can afford to be very choosy. School flexible and helpful – happy to interview via Skype if you’re abroad. Locals come from everywhere but mostly the school’s own prep and from Haslemere, Midhurst, Farnham, Guildford, Godalming, Cranleigh, Woking, Esher, Oxshott, SW London.

Overseas pupils predominantly English with some EU nationals. Full boarders from Turkey, Moldova, Nigeria, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine, Malaysia, Korea and Singapore. Not a school for anyone with less than fluent English.

Exit Around a quarter leaves after GCSEs – mostly to co-ed sixths or to have a change. Sixth form leavers to top unis – six to Oxbridge in 2015.

Exeter, Bath, Durham, Birmingham and Edinburgh popular - aeronautical engineering and chemical engineering two choices. Unusual number of geographers. Good number of medics. All do proper subjects.

Money Matters Around a quarter leaves after GCSEs – mostly to co-ed sixths or to have a change. Sixth form leavers to top unis – six to Oxbridge in 2015.

Exeter, Bath, Durham, Birmingham and Edinburgh popular - aeronautical engineering and chemical engineering two choices. Unusual number of geographers. Good number of medics. All do proper subjects.

“School divides the girls into houses, sets, classes – lots of mixing up to encourage friendship and to discourage cliqueyness – and it works.”

St Catherine's Schoo Station Road,Bramley Guildford Surrey GU5 0DF 01483 893363 admissions@stcatherines.info www.stcatherines.info

Registered Charity Number: 1070858