Welcome
Whether you are visiting the site as a prospective parent, or an existing or past member of the School, we hope you will find everything you need and will enjoy looking in on a thriving School Community.
St Catherine’s is an academically selective Church of England School with a strong focus on roundedness. It offers all its pupils access to a first rate education in the broadest sense. There are approximately 900 pupils, aged 3 - 18, including some 240 in the Preparatory School, 170 boarders in the Senior School (boarding is from 11+) and 175 in the Sixth Form.
Founded in 1885 as a girls’ school for day and boarding pupils, the School’s traditions are well established. The first hundred and thirty years of its history reflect the School’s steady evolution into a forward-looking educational establishment for girls and young women which still retains the best values of the past whilst embracing new educational approaches and committing to preparing young women for their ongoing education and lives beyond School. In September 2015 the School celebrated its 130th Anniversary and remains proud of its past and optimistic for its future.
In 2014 we were proud to welcome the then Duchess of Cornwall, now Her Majesty The Queen, on a visit during which she officially opened the 125th Anniversary Halls and the refurbished Speech Hall Library. Her links with the School go back to her great, great grandfather, Lord Ashcombe, one of our Founders, and in 2015 we were delighted that she agreed to become our Patron.
Set in the beautiful countryside of the Surrey Hills, 3 miles south of Guildford, the School’s 25 acre campus in the village of Bramley, boasts up-to-date facilities - all on site - as well as attractive boarding accommodation for Senior School pupils.
Our pupils enjoy outstanding success in every field - academic, sporting, cultural - and we are proud of all that we help them to achieve. We then watch with equal pride the many things that our alumnae go on to achieve in their lives and professional careers beyond School, and welcome them back warmly as lifelong members of the St. Catherine’s Association who provide invaluable careers input and networks for our current pupils.
By creating an environment in which their confidence can grow, we ensure that our girls thrive. How do we create such an exceptional environment? By treating each girl as an individual, by constant encouragement and by striving to ensure that every pupil is happy at school.
Alice Phillips
Headmistress
The School Houses are at the heart of the pastoral structure of the School. In the Senior School, dedicated and experienced House Mistresses ensure that girls truly belong. House staff nurture those in their care and build a strong understanding of each girl as they watch their journeys through the school with interest and pride.
In the Prep School, the Form, House and Tutor group systems provide highly successful pastoral structures which support the younger girls’ as they grow and mature.
Excellent teaching, first rate facilities and a caring pastoral team combine to make St Catherine’s a vibrant and highly successful school for both boarders and day girls. Above all, we aim to give our pupils both the opportunities and the confidence to develop fully their own individual talents and abilities.
Visitors to the school have been kind enough to confirm what we claim and we are proud to quote some of them:
A place where heavyweight academic expectations truly are balanced with robust pastoral care, at the heart of which is a strong house system through which girls quickly bond.Good Schools Guide
Are they happy? Brimming over with happiness, I should say. The House system, with a myriad of inter-House competitions, is great fun, they enthuse. You're all part of a big community.School House Magazine
