Sixth Form

The 6

The 6 is a brand new space dedicated to the Sixth Form.  It provides modern boarding accommodation for 88 girls but is home to all girls in our Sixth Form.  Here you’ll enjoy a huge common room equipped with a full kitchen, comfy sofas, plenty of fresh fruit, tea, coffee and toast!  It is your space to relax and recharge at break times during the School day.  The Head of Sixth Form and the Sixth Form Boarding Housemistress will be on hand as needed.  In the Summer you can also enjoy a special Sixth Form only garden space.  The 6 as a social space is a great addition to the St Catherine’s Sixth Form experience and complements your private study space in the Speech Hall Library.

How The 6 has changed Sixth Form life – click here

Boarding

Boarding gives you time to cement old friendships and build new ones, to balance work and extra curricular commitments, to develop your time management skills, and to take on leadership roles.

Above all you will develop your independence, supported by staff and peers, and you will be prepared for whatever awaits you as you move on to life after school!

Boarding at St Catherine's

Libraries

In addition to the Speech Hall Library - a dedicated Sixth Form only space - the Senior School Library also provides excellent support for pupils in the Sixth Form. The library takes a selection of national newspapers and magazines including the Economist, The Week and Spectator. We also subscribe to an impressive list of online services. The library also has a school membership to Surrey University Library for all Sixth Form students.

Sports

There are many opportunities to participate in sport at different levels of competition in Sixth Form. Girls are able to represent the School in various sports for the Senior teams. Practices take place weekly and with extra frees in your timetable, you are able to manage your time more effectively.

Every week an afternoon is devoted to physical activity. The whole Sixth Form comes together to take part in activities which include yoga, trampolining, badminton or a session in the fitness suite. The PE staff also allow girls to take part in a chosen sport outside school if it is not offered during the allocated time; for example, rowing, golf or horse riding.

The D of E award

Gold 'D of E' is not only a fantastic achievement but also an amazing experience. If you have completed Bronze and Silver already you should have no problem with Gold. You still need to have a skill, a sport and a service, two of which you need to do for one year and one of which you need to do for six months. For Gold you also have to complete a residential trip, which can range from cookery courses to foreign exchanges.

D of E Award

Young Enterprise

Lower Sixth students have the opportunity to set up and run their own company through the St Catherine’s Young Enterprise Programme.

Students elect their own management team and allocate roles and responsibilities; design and produce a product of their own; raise start-up finance and finally, wind up the business, producing an end of year balance sheet and profit and loss account. The programme is designed to be run over a school year and, in this time, students improve their understanding of enterprise and business whilst learning to work collaboratively.  Typically, students meet once per week and help is provided by both teaching staff and business professionals.

Music

There are many opportunities to continue with or take up a variety of instruments and play in musical ensembles. Girls are able to take on roles of responsibility, whether that is leading Camerata, our elite strings group, or coaching orchestral groups in the Prep. School. This year the Chamber Choir and Camerata went on their biennial summer tour to Vienna. A highlight of the Lower Sixth year is the Sixth Form musical, which is directed, produced and choreographed as well as performed by members of the Sixth Form after their AS examinations.

Music at St Catherine's

Jennifer Bate Organ Scholarship

This is an exciting and valuable opportunity for a girl who plays the organ and would like to develop her all-round performance expertise. Jennifer Bate is an internationally acclaimed organist and a world authority on organ music.

The JBOS is open to any student who meets our academic standards for Sixth Form entry and who can show she has the potential to maximise her talents through this Scholarship which is awarded in conjunction with Guildford Cathedral. A full bursary place may be available to support the Scholarship.

From making fresh pasta to mastering mille-feuilles, from cooking fish to perfection to creating delicious sauces, Culinary Arts at St Catherine’s will provide your daughter with the confidence and the enthusiasm to cook for and impress the most discerning guest.

A course for the Sixth Form, Culinary Arts at St Catherine’s offers your daughter the opportunity to learn elegant classic and contemporary cooking. She will be able to create impressive dinner party dishes, showing an appreciation of global tastes and dietary preferences. The course is ideally suited for girls who have good cooking experience and are eager to take their cookery skills to the next level.

Culinary Arts Flyer

Charity Involvement

Raising money for good causes is a very important aspect of life at St. Catherine’s.  To this end we have two groups of students that focus on charities and philanthropy.

Aims:

• To promote an awareness of the international links we have as a school in Africa and Afghanistan and any other links we form in future years.
• To attract funding for specific projects through fund raising activities.
• To be a focused group as a catalyst for 2 or 3 major fund raising events bringing together Upper and Lower Six girls and developing their skills and strengths in leadership and organisation.

students:

Approximately 60 sixth formers - coordinated by Mrs Jean Arrick - who are selected from written applications.  Girls who are invited to join these groups are required to come to weekly meetings and have the commitment to get involved in all the fund raising activities.

Activities:

1. Fund-raising: various major events per year; including: Sixth Form Dinner Dance, Father-Daughter Dinner, The Big Cat Walk Fashion Show, Jumble sale, Film Fest and Music Fest.
2. Annual Fun sports day organised for our link school, St Peter's Walworth Grove, London.
3. 6th form trips to various overseas destinations to complete projects which are supported by the charities board fundraising.  

Community Involvement

This group's aim is to make links with the local community.  They meet weekly and offer assistance to various projects within the village and local schools. 

Recent projects have included: small groups regularly picking up litter within the local village, creating an interactive mural at a local school and setting up stalls at the local village fete. 

Discussion & Debate

We host regular discussion evenings within the 'Dialogue' programme where the Sixth Form choose and introduce topics which are as far ranging as they want them to be. There are also opportunities for debating inside and outside school. Eminent speakers are invited to address the Sixth Form on important issues of the day.

Gap Year

Some girls decide to take a gap year and apply for their studies under a system which is known as PQA (Post Qualification Application). St Catherine’s provides extensive support via the PQA Tutor for these applications including drop-in-sessions during the Autumn Term after A Level examinations.

As a member of the St Catherine’s Association, you will benefit from extremely valuable opportunities for life. We offer networking opportunities as you start thinking about university and future careers. We work closely with the Careers Department and have an impressive list of contacts. The Association’s database comprises over 8,800 members and we are able to put you in touch with alumnae and community members who are already in employment or quite senior in their careers. We have helped with work experience and internships in areas ranging from pharmaceuticals to fashion or with advice on specific careers options. 

Through our Uni Buddy Scheme when it comes to choosing your degree course or university we can put you in touch with recent leavers. We regularly invite young alumnae back to school to talk to you about their choices of degree subject and life at university. 

Sixth Formers may also apply for three types of Travel / Project Bursaries, worth in total over £3,500, to assist in gap year or summer holiday projects. 

Members of Sixth Form are encouraged to apply to attend the St Catherine’s Association London Network events which are held twice a year and focus on Business sectors.  This is a fantastic opportunity for girls to develop their networking skills and meet alumnae and parent working in a sector in which they are interested.  

Frequently girls make connections at the event which lead to work experience or further opportunities to gain guidance on their career choices. These events give you the opportunity to grow in self-confidence and broaden your career options and aspirations. We received an email recently from a City company, about one of our Sixth Formers, applying for one of their scholarship opportunities which she had discovered as a result of her involvement in the London Network.

"It was her outstanding ability to look the panel in the eye, to express herself fluently, clearly and with confidence and, above all, to speak persuasively about herself and passionately about her subjects. We believe that she is a credit to herself, to you and your colleagues and to the school."

John, Past Parent, Coachmakers City of London Livery Company in association with Jaguar Land Rover