In Maths girls are divisions (sets) from the midpoint of the U3 onwards.
In U3 all girls initially study French, German and Spanish. After the first half term they continue with two of these languages to carry forward for the next 2 years of study.
All girls study Latin in the first three years and there is a short taster session in the U4 of Greek.
Creative Arts: All taught on rotation in U3-L4. U4 girls study Music and Drama, but opt for two from Art, DT, Home Economics and Textiles to study all year.
There is no requirement to study a particular Creative Arts subject in U4 if a girl is considering it for GCSE.
All girls study ICT and Computing from U3-L5 and take the Word Microsoft Office Specialist qualification in U4
Careers: The formal careers programme begins in U4 with a weekly lecture . They are supported in making their GCSE option choices through a combination of talks and personal discussions with heads of academic departments and tutors. Uniquely, U4 students also benefit from a PPPE programme introducing them to A-Level subjects (Philosophy, Politics, Psychology and Economics).
Grey Matters: During the U3 a short course is given entitled Grey Matters. This course looks at Thinking Skills and how the brain works and supports all work carried out throughout the curriculum, helping the girls to become independent thinkers and learners.
Life Matters: A comprehensive curriculum of age-appropriate personal, social and health education is taught by experienced teachers throughout the first 5 years.
Thinking Skills: St Catherine’s is accredited as a De Bono Thinking School. Thinking Skills, incorporating the six De Bono thinking hats and Cognitive Research Trust (CoRT) skills underpin all we do in the curriculum. Girls are encouraged at all stages to think and learn independently, think creatively and take risks. Getting the ‘wrong’ answer is regarded as a positive step forwards and helps to raise the bar still higher!
Australian Exchange: This is offered to girls in the U4 year only. The successful girls from our school will spend the Spring term at St Catherine's School in Melbourne. In the Summer term, their host sister joins their exchange family in the UK. Each half of the exchange is approximately 12 weeks. A member of staff accompanies our girls to Australia to ensure that they are well settled with their host families.
Mrs Nancy Mooreis the Australian Exchange Co-ordinator at our school.
Maths and at least Double Award Science are compulsory at IGCSE. Girls selecting double award science are then able to select an additional GCSE option.
All girls must take at least one Modern Foreign Language (MFL) at GCSE.
Girls are required to choose either the short course RS, taken as a GCSE in L5, or the full course RS (2 years), as part of their GCSE options.
In ICT, all girls take the Excel Microsoft Office Specialist qualification in L5.
Careers: The formal careers programme begins in U4 with a weekly lecture . They are supported in making their GCSE option choices through a combination of talks and personal discussions with heads of academic departments and tutors.
Life Matters: A comprehensive curriculum of age-appropriate personal, social and health education is taught by experienced teachers throughout the first 5 years.
Thinking Skills: St Catherine’s is accredited as a De Bono Thinking School. Thinking Skills, incorporating the six De Bono thinking hats and Cognitive Research Trust (CoRT) skills underpin all we do in the curriculum. Girls are encouraged at all stages to think and learn independently, think creatively and take risks. Getting the ‘wrong’ answer is regarded as a positive step forwards and helps to raise the bar still higher!
Students opt for three A Level subjects and have complete flexibility in their choices. They also select one subsidiary subject from a range of options. To see this year's subsidiaries list, click here. For further details about Sixth Form, click on the link to the prospectus above.
Biology*
Further Mathematics
Physical Education*
Business
Geography
Physics
Chemistry
German
Politics
Classics
Greek
Product Design (DT)
Computer Science
History
Psychology
Drama & Theatre Studies
History of Art
RS
Economics
Latin
Spanish
English Literature*
Mathematics
Textiles
Fine Art
Music
French
Photography
* Students have to take an AS examination at the end of year 1.
Non-Examined Subjects: Careers, SCOPE
Careers: During the Sixth Form the focus shifts to consider university applications and higher education courses together with career implications.
SCOPE: All girls attend SCOPE, the St Catherine's programme of ongoing enrichment, which includes further careers education and preparation for university and other higher education courses or degree apprenticeships. Life Matters, including Sex and Relationships education, is part of Scope.
Why A Levels and not IB?
There are a number of reasons why we continue to offer A Levels at St Catherine's, rather than International Baccalaureate, or a mixture, but chief amongst these is that they continue to be the best guide to potential. University admission tutors have told us that they like the fact that A Level students have studied topics in depth.
The A Level structure also offers students much more flexibility and personal choice; for example, in IB you may not study all three sciences together, which many girls wish to do at St Catherine's, and indeed do so with great distinction. We believe students about to enter the Sixth Form here are already highly qualified at GCSE across a broad range of subjects; they are more than capable of making well-informed choices, fully ready to take on subjects they enjoy and which will prepare them for Higher Educational and potential career choices.
In the last full week of the Summer Term, the normal timetable is suspended and all girls take part in a programme of activities for a week, the theme being that of challenge.
This enables all girls to widen their experiences in a variety of areas and to develop transferable / key skills beyond the usual curriculum and the formal classroom or laboratory.
The current programme for Activities Week is as follows, is covered by school fees, and all girls take part.
U3: The theme for U3 is celebration of their first year at St. Catherine’s and the beautiful part of the country we live in. The U3 spend part of the week based in school participating in activities such as ‘live action role play’ with the Drama Department, a day of creativity with the Art Department and a day of ‘STEM’ inspired practical challenges. Alongside this there are typically excursions from School, and may include a residential visit.
L4: The theme for L4 is 'Challenge', in particular personal and group challenge in an outdoor activity programme, including a residential element. During the week the girls will participate in lots of team-building and co-operative activities. They will also consider challenges facing the country and the world and look at sustainability.
U4: The U4 head off into the Surrey Hills to learn some camp craft and camp cooking as well as learning useful navigation skills and how to pack a hiking rucksack efficiently! The U4 expedition provides a valuable grounding for all sorts of adventures later on, in terms of practical skills gained and a little self-reliance and self-knowledge gained along the way. Further elements of the programme are based in and around Bramley.
L5: For 2023 most of the girls have made use of an opportunity to undertake one of their Silver D of E expeditions. The programme beyond 2024 is being radically revised and we hope to have an exciting new opportunity in place for L5 from 2025.
U5: The Upper 5 will have spent the week before Activities Week in school enjoying an introduction into Sixth Form life. In Activities Week, a good number embark on the assessed expedition for the Silver Award within the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. The others take part in voluntary service in the local area. Previous projects have ranged from helping in infant schools or senior citizens’ day centres to reclaiming the Wey and Arun canal bank.
L6: The L6 are based in school on a very important pre-university week. They have the opportunity to visit some universities, as well as learning about UCAS applications, interviews and completing the first drafts of their personal statements.
