Overview
Full, weekly, flexible and fun! Boarding at St Catherine's School can be all of these things according to a family’s needs. We have 160 boarders throughout the school who all benefit from time gained by not needing to travel, a very wide range of on site activities and facilities and the great community spirit that characterises St. Catherine’s boarding. Your daughter will learn how to manage her time within a supportive structure and a wide range of social skills that will stand her in very good stead for university as well as enduring friendships for life.
Come and see how boarding at St Catherine’s can support the family in the 21st century.
Organisation
There are 3 boarding houses. Bronte is for girls aged 11-13 who sleep in dormitories of 5-7 and have two large vary well equipped common rooms and a wide range of after school activities, supervised prep and boarding activities.
Keller is for girls in the 2 years up to GCSE and they are accommodated in smaller study bedrooms to provide for their increasing academic needs. They also have a very comfortable common room with well equipped kitchen.
6th formers have their boarding in a separate building and have twin study bedrooms and 2 large comfortable common rooms. They are all able to access the wi-fi network and the house has dedicated Scype facilities.
Each house has a dedicated Boarding Housemistress supported by a range of other staff.
Weekends are punctuated by a wide range of activities from go-karting to Ballet in London and all boarders are welcome to join in.
Come and see for yourself on a Boarding Open Evening – details from Mrs Corben, the school registrar.
Bronte - Year 7-9
Miss White looks after Bronte House, where U3, L4 and U4 girls live and work together to create a vibrant, positive and friendly community. The youngest girls enjoy sharing their large, light and airy dorms with six or seven friends. The older girls share smaller dorms in threes and fours and have desks for independent study. At the start of each term the dorms are brought to life by the girls with posters, photographs and bright bedding from home giving the rooms a personal and homely feel.
Bronte girls are always on the go, and they enjoy optional evening activities in addition to the full range of School Clubs. Boarders activities this term include 'Gappie Games', Diary Club, Swim Sessions in the splendid new pool, X-Factor and Popcorn Marathons in the common room and Baking in the house kitchen.
Miss White’s flat is next to the Medical Centre and very close to the dorms. This allows the girls to come and see her at anytime night or day or just pop by for a chat and a catch up. Miss White’s dog Grace has been adopted by the whole of Bronte House and is almost always available for a game or a cuddle.
Every new boarder into Bronte makes her contribution in many ways to the whole community. To celebrate this she makes a colourful handprint on our wall and we have built up quite a display. Bronte girls love the opportunity to make their mark!
Keller House - Years 10-11 (L5/U5)
Keller is one of the three boarding houses at St Catherine’s and was named after the inspirational Helen Keller. It occupies its original site in the main school building of St Catherine’s School.
It occupies 35 girls who are very lively and lots of fun to have around. They have large dorms which house two, three or four girls depending on the size of the room. They have a big common room which they enjoy watching TV and movies during their chill out time. This age group do their prep. in their dorms from 7.00 – 8.50pm. There are many activities for the girls on offer after school or in the evenings such as aerobics, bell ringing and yoga club.
Dee Solomon has been the Housemistress of Keller since 2005. She teaches in the PE department. She is married to Martyn who also lives on site.
Sixth Form - Years 12-13
6th Form Boarding is accommodated within a group buildings which are mostly modern but also include a beautiful listed building called The Warren with magnificent windows and staircases. The 6th Form House is run by the Housemistress, Mrs Leitner, along with her Assistants, Miss Nevin and Mr Brunn, and a team of resident House Tutors. Every member of the team teaches in the Senior School and therefore has an excellent understanding of the academic side of the girls’ lives.
Many girls choose to board in the 6th form in preparation for independent living at University. The girls organize their own work, leisure and activities’ schedule and this extra personal responsibility brings with it extra freedom. Girls can, for example, visit Guildford or London at weekends, or go out for meals to celebrate special occasions during the week.
There are two large Common Rooms – one each for Upper and Lower 6th – which are used throughout the day. Each Common Room has a kitchen equipped with cooker, fridge, freezer, microwave and dishwasher. Lots of big comfy sofas provide the perfect place to sit and chat with friends over coffee and toast, or to watch a DVD or favourite programme on the big TV. Apart from their study bedrooms, there are other nooks and crannies for girls to sit and work – the Warren kitchen is a favourite area for a few girls to sit and work together at the big kitchen table (with more coffee and toast!). The skype room helps the girls to keep in touch with their friends and family, and our international students in particular enjoy using this facility.
The buildings are covered by a wireless network, so that girls can use their laptops anywhere and at any time. The girls are responsible for dealing with their own laundry in separate rooms which house the washers and dryers. Nearly all the bedrooms are twins, and there are a few single rooms for U6 girls. Girls change rooms every term.
