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At St Catherine’s we understand the importance of the individual and the community.
We foster curiosity, creativity and resilience and our excellent pastoral care helps each girl to find her own gifts and talents. In turn, the girls are inspired to contribute whole-heartedly to the school community and this creates a very special place, where girls and staff feel they belong.
In 1914 the Sisters of Mercy founded this Catholic school and named it after the great 14th century reformer and saint, Catherine of Siena. Although we are now fully independent, we are proud to continue the sisters’ emphasis on strong, all-girls’ education, which blends easily with our commitment to academic success for girls of all faiths and backgrounds. Our school motto ‘Non Verba sed Facta’ (Not Words but Deeds) emphasises our focus on action and can be seen in the girls’ enthusiastic commitment to all they do.
Throughout the Preparatory School, Senior School and Sixth Form, St Catherine’s girls engage passionately in their learning. Experienced and energetic teachers promote personal, spiritual and academic growth which leads to success and self-confidence. The girls are encouraged to develop knowledge of themselves and others, and it is this openness to deeper values that helps them to find their place in the world and to be people of courage and compassion.
St Catherine's has an outstanding Art Department. Over the years all our girls have established a track record of creating extraordinary works of art and exceptional academic success. In Public Examinations our girls have uniformly achieved the highest grades possible for many years. Fine Art, Painting and Photography are long established courses offered at examination level. Over the last five years we have also offered Textiles at GCSE and A Level, alongside Graphic Design at A Level.
We aim to teach the joy of art, both in creating and investigating and we take great pride in celebrating the achievements of the individual artists. Examples of the girls' work are displayed around the school and contribute to its aesthetic vibrancy. The work regularly draws complimentary comments from visitors and parents.
The Art department has two specialist rooms, one predominately a Fine Art studio with easels and an old style printing press and the other a Photography studio equipped with Photoshop workstations. We also have facilities for ceramics, which are enjoyed by both our Prep and Senior pupils.
In the rapidly changing environment of technology, pupils need to have a secure understanding of the computer and the necessary software skills for all their academic work and for life beyond school.
Our Computing curriculum has been designed to teach students a wide range of skills that modern day organisations look for in their employees and aims to stimulate interest and enjoyment in the study of Computing.
Wider Learning Opportunities
In Year 7 pupils attend a robot programming workshop at Legoland, Windsor. Year 8 pupils take part in a workshop at Chessington World of Adventures where they learn how rides work and how IT is used at the theme park. GCSE pupils in previous years have visited the Headquarters of Google and Rackspace as well as attending talks on emerging technologies.
Year 8 pupils can take the Cyber Security First Competition online and a team of 12 pupils from Years 9 and 8 take part in the South West London Science and Technology Challenge Day. in June. Last year the school won 2 of the 4 challenges.
The school runs a Computing Club where pupils practise their coding, use HTML to build websites and use CAD software to print out their designs on a 3D printer.
Drama is a popular subject at St Catherine's. It is taught in form groups as an academic subject from Year 7, and is available as a subject choice for both GCSE and A level. The department is committed to encouraging all girls in aspects of their dramatic journeys, both on stage and backstage. Girls practise different styles of acting, plus scriptwriting, costume design, lighting and sound design, and directing, amongst other things.
The department aims to encourage girls to be creative, collaborative and confident, and to foster a love of theatre and storytelling. All girls are encouraged to get involved. Trips are undertaken to build on pupils' enjoyment and understanding of live theatre. There are a number of other extracurricular opportunities, including clubs and productions, to allow pupils to explore.
Wider Learning Opportunities
Extra-curricular Drama is extremely popular at St Catherine's. In recent years we have put on The Lion King, Sister Act and Bring It On! The main school production, performed in the Spring Term, is open to all girls from Year 7 to Year 13. Pupils make up the cast, the backstage crew, the costume designers and the technical crew, so there is a chance for girls to get involved in elements that interest them. This year, girls will be singing their hearts out to Dolly Parton's ‘9 to 5', which promises to be yet another show stopper.
We also put on a non-musical play in the Summer term for Year 9 upwards. Last year, it was Terry Pratchett's ‘Wyrd Sisters' at The Exchange, Twickenham. This allows pupils to explore some more challenging pieces, and perform in a real working theatre. Again, pupils can participate both on stage and as part of a backstage team.
A cast from Years 6 to 8 also participate in the Shakespeare Schools Festival, performing an abridged and hilarious version of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The link between the Prep and Senior school is something which we really enjoy exploring through Drama.
We also run Drama Club between productions, so there is always a way to be involved.
The study of English has never been more important than in our digital age. Communication, clarity, understanding and the ability to ‘read between the lines' enable us to negotiate our fast-paced environment in a safe, enjoyable and informative way. And the wide range of literature available to us in all forms offers an exciting journey into other ways of thinking, doing and living. From their very first English lesson in Year 7, our pupils enjoy innovative teaching that is inspirational, compelling and fun. They are engaged and interested as they begin their journeys of self-discovery and academic excellence. We aim to develop confident, resilient learners who are ambitious and can be proud of their abilities, potential and achievements.
Wider Learning Opportunities
Our studies across the year groups are frequently supported by visits to local theatres and the West End, the riverside, important local landmarks, and a range of other locations. We work closely with the School Library on further and independent reading as well as author visits, workshops, World Book Day and the annual Readathon. Our Creative Writing Club offers girls the chance to explore their talents more widely. Pupils enter a range of national and local writing competitions, and contribute to our school newspaper, giving a ‘real world' context to their craft. We love to read their work and celebrate their successes!
Learning about and putting into practice healthy eating has positive implications for a student's physical well-being. Studies have shown that food habits learnt at an early age are hard to influence and change. Our Food and Nutrition curriculum allows pupils to develop knowledge and skills that will help them to acquire life skills in cookery and understand their importance in establishing a healthy lifestyle. In addition, pupils will gain an understanding of the principles behind food science.
Students study the subject from year 3 and learn increasingly complex processes as they progress through the school. Special dietary needs are catered for and we are a nut free school. A variety of multicultural dishes feature in all years.
Wider Learning Opportunities
Wider learning opportunities within school include House Ready Steady Cook competitions and a kitchen garden by the Science block from which we source vegetables during the summer months. Outside of school, we encourage students to enter regional and national cookery competitions, visit food shows/exhibitions, read current media publications and newspaper articles as well as watching television programmes relating to food preparation, diet and health and environmental issues.
Geography is a subject for our times; not just interesting and valuable, but providing all the skills and knowledge needed to understand and navigate the challenges the world faces in the 21st Century.
Geography at St Catherine's aims to reach a balance between Physical and Human areas, so that students understand how the natural world works and how it interacts with human actions. We teach a range of skills from essay writing, to roleplays, from poetry to statistical analysis, with the aim that all our students have the skills necessary to critically analyse important issues such as climate change, pandemics, poverty in the developing world and species loss and extinction.
Wider Learning Opportunities
The department has run trips to Naples in Italy and Iceland in the past and would hope to travel to Sicily in the near future. All GCSE students spend the weekend in Swanage, Dorset completing fieldwork for their GCSE exams. A Level students visit the Olympic Site in Stratford and the sand dunes of Rye in Sussex.
The Geography Department also runs the School's Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
The History department at St Catherine's aims to inspire in its students a love of the subject through historical enquiry of a breadth of topics. The department believes strongly that History is a subject that is widely valued by many and should therefore be accessible to everyone. The department seeks to equip students with the skills required to reach their full potential that teaches students of all abilities, through to Oxbridge level historians.
At St Catherine's we provide a wide range of vibrant and stimulating courses with an emphasis on combining enjoyment with examination preparation. Both structured and independent learning of British and European/ World history aims to prepare students with the knowledge and skills to create lifelong Historians.
Wider Learning Opportunities
We strongly believe in extra-curricular experiences and trips. At KS3 we run History Club which is focused on “bringing History to life.” We have visited The Black Country Museum, and the Weald and Downland Museum in Years 7 and 8. Our future plans include visiting an Anglo-Settlement, where we will learn to build Saxon walls, as well a plan to see the Mary Rose, to complement our Year 8 curriculum.
At KS4, we hold a History film club to support the GCSE content, which enriches the study of our subject. We have visited Berlin on several occasions in the past few years, and our next trip is to Russia. There is History book club held during lunch time. This year we have looked at the role of the graphic novel when learning History, and have investigated Maus and Persepolis to widen our understanding of the History of Germany and Iran. At Sixth Form, the girls are also invited to come to Russia, and they frequently attend the wonderful lectures that are given by the Historical Association, as well as specific lecture days for their A-Level studies.
Mathematics is taught to all girls in Years 7 to 11 and is a compulsory core subject at IGCSE. The department is a central focal point in the school in its commitment to excellence and high achievement. We aim to share our enthusiasm for Mathematics whilst aspiring to present the subject as exciting, stimulating and relevant; one which has a natural elegance and beauty.
The department aims to ensure that all pupils are challenged to attain their full mathematical potential and, to meet this need, we feel that pupils make the best progress when taught in ability sets. Girls are set in accordance with their performance in the Entrance Exams but frequent movement takes place between sets if we feel that it would be of benefit. We provide a wide range of teaching and learning experiences and strive to develop mathematical knowledge and understanding in a way that encourages confidence and self-belief showing our depth and awareness of the skills and needs of individual pupils.
Underpinning the department is a sound structure with a thorough assessment programme providing an excellent data resource which follows the pupils throughout their time at the school. The department firmly believes that pupils should be fully involved in their learning and should be aware of what they are to be taught, how well they understand it and what they need to do to make further progress.
Wider Learning Opportunities
Mathematics also extends beyond the classroom. We offer considerable support to our pupils on a one to one basis, in lunchtime clinics or in dedicated revision classes. Pupils participate in the annual Maths Challenges organised by the UKMT, with many Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates being awarded each year and pupils in Year 8 and 9 have the opportunity to undertake code breaking activities as part of an organised trip to Bletchley Park.
In today's increasingly globalised and connected world, the importance of effective communication has never been greater. We believe that being able to speak a foreign language is a vital skill for the future of our country and, most importantly, for your children.
French, German and Spanish are taught throughout the school. All three languages are offered at GCSE and GCE A level and we use AQA exam board.
We have language assistants for each of the three languages, who work with students in small groups to focus on their speaking skills. Sound and video recordings are frequently used to give pupils access to genuine language sources and to highlight cultural aspects of our Target Language countries. Students are encouraged to use a variety of computer programmes and internet sources for reference, research and language practice.
From Year 9 onwards, pupils have relevant textbooks and workbooks which they keep.
Wider Learning Opportunities
All pupils are offered the chance to go on residential visits to France, Germany and Spain. Recent trips have included German Christmas Market trips to Cologne and Koblenz, KS4 trips to Paris and Madrid.
In addition, we regularly take students on study days (e.g. BFI foreign film study days) and run cultural activities in the school (e.g. interactive theatre, salsa/flamenco/ballet workshops, etc).
Music plays a vital role in the life and community of St Catherine's. Our vision is to instil a love of music for life and to give our girls every opportunity to take part in and experience music making.
Wider Learning Opportunities
There are many choirs and ensembles on offer, including the St Catherine's Singers, the Orchestra and the woodwind ensemble. There are formal and informal concerts given throughout the year. The Music and Drama departments collaborate closely on the yearly school production and there are musicians involved in the singing and in the production band.
We have a highly dedicated and professional team of peripatetic staff. All orchestral instruments, voice, piano, guitar and percussion are available to learn. We act as a centre for Associated Board exams once a year and many pupils enter, achieving excellent results. The music department has 3 practice rooms where girls are welcome to use in small groups in their free time and create a band, pursue any musical interest of their own or simply practise. Concert visits are organised as well as master classes by visiting professional musicians and singers.
The personal portfolio for Photography is split into three units, the initial two in Year 10 and the last in Year 11. Unit 1, ‘A Place You Know' introduces the pupils to look at their local world with a new eye. Unit 2, ‘Overhead and/or Underneath', a previous examination theme, encourages the pupils to explore different viewpoints to express different ideas. Unit 3, ‘Force' can be interpreted in any manner, from physical structure to expression of will.
In these projects the students experiment with photography in black and white, colour or a mixture of both. They explore the creativity of digital manipulation which leads them to create finals that can be a single image, one or many series, built in collage or relief, and on range of scales.
We believe that providing a wide range of opportunities in sports for students of all abilities is important for health, fitness and well-being, as well as creating the sense of achievement and value that active participation and successful competition bring. We encourage students to be the best that they can be. The best will be a very different experience for each student, which is why we strive for a Sports for all ethos, coupled with the pursuit of excellence and development of pathways; opting into recreational or competitive clubs, undertaking GCSE PE, A Level PE, representing the school/borough/regional/national level.
Wider Learning Opportunities
All students are encouraged to engage in extra-curricular sport, whether before school, at lunchtime or after school, which supports them in representing the school, borough, county, region, National and English Schools' etc. Our facilities enable most clubs to be based on the school premises, in addition to utilising local facilities for athletics, cross country and hockey.
Religious Education at St Catherine's is at the centre of the curriculum and school life. RE is taught by 3 specialist members of staff in 3 lessons a week for each year group following the requirements set out by the Diocese of Westminster. We use a range of methods and resources designed to engage and challenge interests and stimulate discussion leading to well rounded religious literate students who flourish. The St Catherine's curriculum allows our girls to “to reflect spiritually, and think ethically and theologically” (Religious Education Curriculum Directory). RE is a core subject with every girl taking RE at GCSE and following a non-examined General RE course in the Sixth Form. There is also a very popular A level course offered following the AQA specification of Religious Studies.
The Science Department at St Catherine's is located in a dedicated block with excellent facilities and resources. The Department is staffed by specialist teachers and technician support.
The Department aims to stimulate curiosity, interest and enjoyment in Science and its methods of enquiry and develop skills and abilities that are relevant to the study, practice and application of Science, which are useful in everyday life and which encourage safe practice. Pupils develop an understanding of the technological and environmental applications of Science and of the economic, ethical, social, moral implications.
Wider Learning Opportunities
Science week in March is one of the opportunities to extend science beyond the exam curriculum. Visits, project work and competitions are used to enrich the experience of the girls.
The personal portfolio for Textiles is split into two projects across Year 10 and the beginning of Year 11. Unit 1 is ‘Colour'; this project introduces the girls to working through the journey of Textiles. They will learn to experiment with a series of techniques including; printing, dying, machine embroidery, Batik, Dye sublimation and embellishing. Students will also cover contextual research of Fashion and Textiles. For their first outcome they will create a cushion or bag and for their second make a garment. Unit 2, ‘Natural forms and Shorelines', they are free to produce a personal outcome that is either for Fashion or Interiors
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