There is a wide range of clubs and activities available at St. Catherine’s, a few happening before school and some at lunchtime, but most happening after school. The boarders have their own programme of later evening and weekend activities too.
Girls can take part in scheduled music and sporting events, but can also further their enjoyment in other areas. The opportunities are wide, and may vary slightly each year depending on the enthusiasm and talents of the current staff. Clubs include History or Geography, Languages or Debating, Science or Puzzles, Pottery or Papier Maché. There is certainly much to be enjoyed.
The two new free Chess guides in partnership with the English Chess Federation: Chess for Beginners and Chess for Improvers, both written by our resident chess coach Andrew Martin IM, can be found under the Chess dropdown list below.
- Activities Week
- Australian Exchange (U4 girls only)
- Chess
- Debating
- Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme
- Residential Visits & Tours
Activities Week
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
The L5 have in previous years spent the week in France, Spain or Germany, focusing on the GCSE language skills. We had begun a review of the programme in 2019 shortly before the Covid impact in Europe. The programme for 2022 and beyond is being radically revised. For 2021 and 2022 most of the girls have made use of an opportunity to undertake one of their Silver D of E expeditions.
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.
Australian Exchange (U4 girls only)
The Australian Exchange 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.
Application Process
Applications of interest are sent in by the students early in the Autumn term to the Headmistress' PA.
There is then an interview process which takes place in late September. Girls are given a variety of questions from a panel of teachers and successful applicants are notified in writing. Feedback is always given to unsuccessful applicants as well.
Pairings are then made between our students and the Australian students and then introductions take place. There is a parent information evening for the selected families late in the Autumn Term.
Contact:
Mrs Nancy Moore is the Australian Exchange Co-ordinator at our school.
From a St Catherine’s Exchange Family: The entire family has enjoyed the exchange and would whole-heartedly endorse the exchange programme. Our daughter benefited enormously. It offers the opportunity to experience many new frontiers: visiting Sydney, surfing in warm waters, living in a city and developing lasting friendships across the globe are all an integral part of the exchange. However, by far the most important ingredient, is the positive experience she acquired by living with a different family and coming through the odd moment of feeling a long way from home. There can be little better for building the self-confidence of a thirteen year old. The programme requires a high level of commitment from the family but this is repaid many times over by the positive benefits for your daughter. We were initially unsure as to whether the exchange was a good idea, but were persuaded otherwise by our daughter and she was correct.
Chess
- Chess Club
- Guides to Chess
- National Girls' Schools Chess Championships
- School Matches
- Play Chess Online
Chess Club
Home Learning on YouTube
Dear Chess Players,
I'm pleased to say that I have created a new You Tube Channel.
In these extraordinary times, educators are turning to home learning as a way for you to practise your skills. There is no reason why the same should not happen in the case of chess.
So you will find a number of videos on my you tube channel - some are aimed at children and beginners, others are topical chess videos on a variety of subjects designed for more advanced players.
If you are able to play chess at home daily or even once a week you will most certainly see your skills improve.
Good luck!
Best Regards,
Andrew Martin
Chess FIDE Senior Trainer and International Master
Weekly Lunchtime Clubs:
We run a weekly lunchtime Chess Club. Girls can just turn up, learning to play or playing against each other and Mr Nguyen.
Weekly Masterclass
There is also a weekly masterclass held after school. This aims at girls who want to learn more about tactics and/or want to participate in matches against other schools. The class is run by Mr Martin, International Chess Master. Students also get the opportunity to take part in the UK Chess Challenge each Spring term.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Mr Nguyen son.nguyen@stcatherines.info
Guides to Chess
National Girls' Schools Chess Championships
- St Catherine's, Bramley, is the proud sponsor of the ECF National Schools girls' team event.
- Founded in 2014, the National Girls’ Chess Championships have surpassed expectations, year on year. This is the most dynamic national chess competition for young women: an exceptional assembly of like-minded girls.
- In 2014/15 the tournament almost doubled in size from the previous year and the 2015/16 event was even more popular.
- At the 2019 tournament we welcomed schools from all over the country and we warmly invited new participants.
School Matches
Play Chess Online
- At St Catherine's, children and parents can now play chess online with the English Chess Federation (ECF).
- Remember: regular practice will seriously improve your game.
- The link for playing chess online is below. Sign up and start play; it really is as simple as that.
- The website below is great for practising your chess abilities. However, there are some suggested actions beforehand:
- Select an anonymous username
- Disable the chat feature
Debating
St. Catherine’s engages in a number of external competitions annually, including Oxford, Cambridge, ESU Mace, LSE and Imperial. We also engage in “friendly” debating with RGS and GHS. Debate club runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and aims to build students’ confidence in presenting their arguments and encourages them to keep abreast of world affairs.
What our Debating Prefects have to say:
Debating is an activity that requires you to be able to think intelligently and concisely under pressure, something I consider to be a fundamental life skill. It also teaches you how to construct a clear and coherent argument, whilst picking apart the argument of the opposition. It does not matter if you have no prior knowledge on a particular subject either, as through practice, you will be able to tell where the fundamentals in every argument lie; this is always where the most interesting debating takes place!
For me debating is, more than anything, a chance to express your own thoughts and opinions backed up by evidence and reason. It gives you the opportunity to show your passion for current affairs. You also get to hear the different viewpoints of a variety of other people which can often influence your own take on issues. As well as this you learn that sometimes you must take a stance and defend something that you may not actually believe, which I think although can be difficult is a vital skill. In fact, simply being able to address others and speak coherently in front of an audience is really an invaluable skill. Lastly, debating is something which will not only improve your eloquence but also your general knowledge and reasoning ability and it really is so much fun too.
Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme
Contact: Mrs Jean Arrick.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a highly prestigious programme aimed to enrich students’ education beyond academic achievements. Within the programme, there are three awards to aim towards, starting with bronze and developing towards the challenging, yet rewarding, Gold Award. St Catherine’s fully supports any students who want to complete this programme.
Within each stage of DofE, there are four key components: the expedition, volunteering, physical and a skill, as well as gold consisting of a week-long residential trip, all of which give students the opportunity to widen their experience and knowledge outside the classroom.
The expedition for Bronze DofE consists of two days of walking and one night of camping whilst cooking all your own meals and setting up and maintaining your campsite. In Silver and Gold, you do much of the same things but for more days and longer walks. Of course, the expedition can be challenging, possibly due to weather or difficult terrains, but it is also a highly rewarding experience and an opportunity to bond with people in your year group.
As already mentioned, the reward is regarded very highly by universities and employers and it shows perseverance, ability to work in a team and a skill set that would not have otherwise been obtained. Not only this, it is always an incredibly fun experience that is always enjoyed by everyone. You also receive your Gold aware at Buckingham Palace or St James' Palace from a member of the royal family.
Residential Visits & Tours
St Catherine's offers girls the opportunity to take part in residential trips and tours in school holidays which underpin academic study or enhance the enjoyment of extra curricular sport and music-making.
Residential Visits & Tours 2016 - 2024
Individual ClarionCall emails are sent to those invited to consider taking part in all these trips/tours, well in advance of the tour itself. This grid is therefore a record of past activities and forecast of the known future plans. Please accept that a past pattern of activity may repeat but may be subject to variation. Trips and tours should not be assumed to be offered ahead if they are not published here.
For current parents who are interested in the potential costs of the trips, please visit our community pages here.