London


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/2.jpg" alt="St Catherine's School Twickenham exterior" class="wp-image-1387" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/2.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Located amongst the smart residential streets of sought-after Twickenham, <a href="http://stcatherineschool.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St Catherine’s</a>&nbsp;is a small Catholic day school that welcomes girls of all faiths, aged 7-18 years. Facing the river Thames (it’s literally across the street) and less than two miles from the home of British rugby’s Twickenham Stadium, the school sits on 3 acres, with approximately 400 girls currently enrolled – 79 in Prep and 326 in Senior (of which there are 57 in the Sixth Form).&nbsp;</p>



<p>Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1914, the school has been on the current site since 1919 and became a charitable trust in 1992. There are original arts &amp; craft buildings alongside more modern additions, that now make up much of the campus. Featuring large bright, airy classrooms for both the Prep and Senior girls who are taught on the same site in classes of roughly 12-18 girls.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/4.jpg" alt="St Catherine's School Twickenham exterior" class="wp-image-1389" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/4.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/4-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Although guided by Catholic faith, this is an inclusive and welcoming school, with around 75% Christian, predominantly Catholic, with the remaining 25% agnostic, atheist or from different faith backgrounds. There are form prayers, school Mass and Wednesday worship but there’s no strict religious path for pupils to follow.</p>



<p>This review focuses on the Prep School, but you can also read our Senior School review here [link to come].</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-facilities"><a></a><strong>FACILITIES</strong></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sport">SPORT</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/1.jpg" alt="St Catherine's School Twickenham swimming pool" class="wp-image-1386" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>St Catherine’s is something of a tardis and fits in more than you’d expect! There’s a generous playing field given the location and an 18m x 7.2m onsite swimming pool, installed by the nuns who ran the school in the 1960s. From early morning yoga to lunchtime dance and after school sport, St Catherine’s pupils follow a packed itinerary. All the usual suspects are on offer here with netball most popular, followed by football and tag rugby. There’s also hockey, gymnastics, trampolining, and athletics. Prep girls swim twice a week in the onsite pool and attend galas. The school recently invested in rowing machines and Year 8 won the National Indoor Rowing Championships in 2023 – impressive! Prep girls regularly take part in the ISA’s Cross Country events.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-creative-arts">CREATIVE ARTS</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/11.jpg" alt="St Catherine's School Twickenham piano" class="wp-image-1396" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/11.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/11-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/11-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Participation in the arts is strongly encouraged and creative subjects are championed. Planning permission has been granted for a new two storey block to house art and music due to be completed by September 2026. A single storey building will be removed to make room and a new garden space will be created as part of the work.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Textiles is a particularly popular subject and is currently located in a large double aspect classroom overlooking the playing fields. The subject will have a dedicated space in the new building in due course.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For music, around 25% of girls are taking private lessons, which is on the low side compared to other schools I see, but there’s a Prep Choir and Junior Orchestra run with the help of the Sixth Form girls, so music is, if not the absolute priority, still well supported here and again, the new building may provide an additional boost.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There’s a performance space with lighting used for drama lessons and smaller shows plus a large hall with raked seating for assemblies and bigger performances. There’s an annual play for Years 3 and 4 to get involved in plus a full production for Year 6 when set design and tech support also falls to the girls. Several girls participate in a weekly musical theatre club and some 10% of Prep girls are involved with LAMDA. When I visited, the school was awaiting results for three pupils entered into the ISA Shakespeare Monologue competition 2024.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-general-nbsp">GENERAL&nbsp;</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/3.jpg" alt="St Catherine's School Twickenham junior science" class="wp-image-1388" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/3.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/3-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>General school facilities are&nbsp;well-resourced with a science block (just seven years old), a great food tech room, bright welcoming libraries for Prep and Senior girls, and well-tended surroundings. By September 2026, there’ll be an additional garden space next to the new art and music block.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-academics"><a></a><strong>ACADEMICS</strong></h2>



<p>There is an entrance exam for the Prep School, but results are not shared with parents and more weight is given to each prospective girl’s interview with the Head Johneen McPherson ,where character and passions are considered, not just academics (McPherson interviews the parents too, by the way!). But once your daughter is in, she’s in &#8211;&nbsp;Prep School girls are guaranteed a place in the Senior School, which removes the headache of another round of exams for those who choose to stay.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Prep pupils learn three languages: German, French and Spanish. Confident public speaking is taken seriously here, and debating is a strength as pupils progress through the years. There are plenty of top grades for GCSE and A levels and the school has a strong Value Added score&nbsp;of 1.0 average over three years &#8211; the uplift in grade that your child will receive on the basis of coming to this school.&nbsp;Check out our Senior School review for more on academic results.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Alongside the focus on academic achievement, there are 30 clubs each week for Prep girls to get involved. Examples include&nbsp;swimming, fencing, karate, dance, gardening, Cubs, musical theatre and athletics.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pastoral-care">PASTORAL CARE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/5.jpg" alt="St Catherine's School Twickenham pupils" class="wp-image-1390" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/5.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/5-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>The pastoral care at St Catherine&#8217;s is a particular strength. Each girl has a tutor assigned (though all members of staff can be approached), and there’s a full-time on-site counsellor, Dr Deakon, who is available for appointments that the girls can book direct (discussions are kept confidential although parents of prep schoolers will be made aware a meeting is taking place). Dr Deakon also puts on topical, useful workshops and training for staff, girls and parents.&nbsp;An obvious benefit of being a Catholic school is the onsite&nbsp;Chaplaincy which provides support to the girls. Annual&nbsp;Wellbeing Week includes visits by a therapy dog and various creative art activities.&nbsp;The chaplaincy team offers an inviting space featuring enticing squishy sofas and the chance to have a chat or some quiet time.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-head">THE HEAD</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/6.jpg" alt="St Catherine's School Twickenham head" class="wp-image-1391" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/6.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2024/04/6-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Approachable, but straight talking (my favourite kind of Headteacher), Johneen McPherson has been in charge at St Catherine’s for almost six years. Prior to this, she was deputy head at St Mary’s Ascot. A passionate advocate of single sex education, she clearly has high ambitions for the girls and the school itself, leading an ongoing programme of improving and extending the site and keen to talk about championing the individual. Her offer to parents is simple: St Catherine’s is distinct thanks to its size: big enough to have everything your daughter needs but small enough to guarantee your daughter is known by everyone in the school community.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quirks">QUIRKS</h2>



<p>There’s a 300-year-old tunnel from the school that goes under the road and emerges on the other side. Dubbed Pope’s Grotto, it was created by poet Alexander Pope between 1720 and 1742. He owned a villa on the river side of the road and the school site was his garden&nbsp;–&nbsp;the tunnel linked the two.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Or what about the annual school cheerleading competition? Year 10 takes the leadership role on this occasion, which includes organising routines, costumes, face paints and music. All the girls take part and look forward to it each year. There’s also a big sister programme, which sees pairs of Sixth Formers visit tutor groups to talk to the girls and offer support.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wrap-around-care">WRAP AROUND CARE</h2>



<p>A helpful early start with drop offs from&nbsp;7am with breakfast available from 7.30am for £3.30 per day. After school club runs every day from 3.45pm until 6pm with a snack and range of activities available for £5 per half hour. If year six pupils are feeling diligent, they can get their homework done at Homework Club which runs until 5pm.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-send-nbsp-provision-nbsp">SEND&nbsp;PROVISION<strong>&nbsp;</strong></h2>



<p>A new SEND room was completed recently strengthening the school’s provision. It’s used for teaching, homework support, exam preparation and for emotional support if needed. The girls can use chrome books and other resources to support their studies.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When pupils join the school, they’re screened to understand their current level of attainment. Any girl needing further assessment is referred to the Learning Support Department after consultation with parents and teachers. Specialist support is available and usually takes the form of 1:1 run by a dyslexia specialist (there is a small cost for this service) or small group interventions by members of the learning support team.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Both in the Senior and Prep school, girls who are new to English and are still acquiring language skills are helped in 1:1 sessions, co-ordinated by our EAL specialist.</p>



<p>In Key Stage 4, the girls can opt for a reduced pathway to support their needs and work with our SENDCo during these timetabled lessons on Study Skills.</p>



<p>In total, 14% of our girls are on the SEND register, however most of our support is weaved into effective classroom teaching and planning. Every child on the SEND register has a personal profile, which is followed by our staff to ensure that needs are met.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mobile-phone-policy">MOBILE PHONE POLICY</h2>



<p>Children can bring their mobile phones to school, but they are then sealed in Yondr pouches, which can’t be unlocked until the final bell of the day (unless there’s a planned activity, in which case staff can book a magnet to unlock the devices).&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isi-report-nbsp">ISI REPORT&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The latest&nbsp;<a href="/www.stcatherineschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/St_Catherines_Twickenham_EQI_Report-1.pdf">ISI Report</a>&nbsp;dates back to 2016, so isn’t much use, although you may take something from the verdict that the school was found to be excellent in all areas.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-transport"><strong>TRANSPORT</strong></h2>



<p>There’s no organised transport to the site, so it’s either car drop off (parking is tricky with residents’ permits needed until 10.30am) or public transport.&nbsp;Twickenham station is a 15-minute stroll away.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fees">FEES</h2>



<p>For this area, the costs are comparatively good value. Fees start at £4,670 for Y2, rising to £4,930 for Y3-Y6. If you stay for Senior school, it’s&nbsp;£5,970 (excluding external examination fees).&nbsp;Plus, an additional £300 per term to cover lunches.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-word-on-the-ground">WORD ON THE GROUND</h2>



<p>St Catherine’s Prep is known locally for its strong sense of community and pastoral care – the older girls regularly interact and help the younger ones, and run a chat club to answer questions and support the Prep choir and Junior orchestra. The Head seems popular, and parents are understandably excited about the level of investment and ambition the school is showing with its improved facilities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>Good for:</strong>&nbsp;Those looking for a small, caring, nurturing school with a holistic approach to learning.&nbsp;Prep parents will appreciate the ease of a through-school on a single site, and the fact that the younger kids can use the shiny Senior facilities is attractive.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong>&nbsp;Although St Catherine’s welcome all faiths, it is nevertheless an overtly Catholic school which won’t suit some. The bijou campus may outlive its welcome by the time the little Preppers become bigger Sixth Formers.</p>



<p><strong>See for yourself? Be my guest!</strong>&nbsp;There are Prep School Welcome Mornings on 13 Sept and 28 Nov. Visits can also be arranged at other times too.&nbsp;Contact Julie Harris via <a href="mailto:admissions@stcatherineschool.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a>&nbsp;to book your place&nbsp;or 020 3261 0139.&nbsp;You can also read our review of St Catherine&#8217;s (Senior &amp; Sixth)&nbsp;<a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/st-catherines-school-senior-sixth-form-twickenham/">h</a><a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/st-edmunds-college-ware/">ere</a>.</p>



<p><em><a href="http://stcatherineschool.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St Catherine’s School</a>, Cross Deep, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 4QJ. <a href="mailto:info@stcatherine.co.uk">info@stcatherine.co.uk</a>&nbsp;Tel 020 8891 2898.</em></p>


St Catherine’s School (Prep), Twickenham

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