URSULINE HIGH WIMBLEDON

Womblewimble · 2024-07-13T00:50:03+00:00

Looking for feedback on URSULINE girls HIGH school wimbledon please. Can any past or especially current parents share how their dd are getting on? Does it have strong academics since the change of head? What are the girls generally like here, well behaved or not? If your from a non Catholic background esp keen to hear how your dd has found it. I'm so conflicted, the site looks good- alot of seperate buildings for the girls to navigate but facilities seem ok- the only other school I viewed were ricards and nonsuch so I'm comparing to those. Girls behaviour outside fo school really seems to be at conflict with the Catholic ethos of the school at times but I'm not sure if that just teenagers being teenagers! Or if there a more widespread lack of discipline in the school atm? Are the girls pushed academically enough here? Please provide feedback if you can, a desperate mum here not knowing what's best for her dd!

sugarbyebye · 19/10/2025 15:52

I meant faction! 😂I was definitely better at maths than English...

sugarbyebye · 19/10/2025 15:44

Ricards Lodge! That brings back memories. I was in the year group that were involved in the Ursuline vs Ricards riot https://www.thefreelibrary.com/200+RIOTING+SCHOOLGIRLS+CLOSE+TOWN%3B+Love+row+sparks+brawl.-a061281914

I did not riot. Those Wimbledon College boys were not worth fighting over!

There was definitely a very rough fraction at the Ursuline back in those days.

Original poster

Womblewimble · 19/10/2025 12:36

For anyone who is of a different faith looking at this thread in years to come- yes we are and my dd is at UHS. You will be in category just above those of no faith and if you live close enough will have a chance. They do accept from a very far distance for those of the Catholic faith though so I'm not sure this criteria will always be open for selection.

My Dd loves it. Its close to home , academically sound and the staff have been really welcoming. Distance makes a big difference in high school so factor this in into your search wherever your looking. After after school clubs the last thing your kid wants its an hours commute like some of the girls do.

School Communication is great, the head Is very present , any time I've been to the school he's been around to meet parents etc. I do think if your visibly of a different faith you may need to challenge some sub conscious bias' though. Its just every where anyway but really consider if your dd is if strong enough character to be confident in herself if for example she wears a hijab, or if she'd be mire comfortable at another local school I.e. ricards where its more mixed. Academically can't fault uhs, but after school clubs definitely more limited than ricards so depends how much that matters to you.

As with anything its all abit of trial and error though!

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Original poster

Womblewimble · 19/10/2025 12:27

SouthernFashionista · 17/10/2025 16:14

That is pretty shocking.

Show quote history

Omg shock horror....muslims in a faith school !.. . Why is it so shocking? Perfectly fine, Perfectly normal thing to do.

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SouthernFashionista · 17/10/2025 16:14

SquishedRaspberry · 11/09/2024 16:35

My DD is in Y7 at Ursuline (we are practicing Catholics) and I can confirm there are hijab wearing girls in the school and I believe in y7 also

That is pretty shocking.

FitnessIsTheOnlyWealth · 16/10/2025 14:55

@Womblewimble - where did your DD go for secondary? Did you get in at UHS?

Original poster

Womblewimble · 12/10/2024 20:06

Yes I heard about in the past there were always issues between ricards and UHS girls but I don't think it's a thing anymore is it? I really loved the feel of ricards on the recent open evening. The girls seemed so happy there and the technology on site seemed much better than UHS main buildings. Just basic things like smart boards in the rooms at UHS seemed missing, really wished they invested better tech into the older buildings more. Also UHS library although big seemed to be lacking in ..books!?! Which I found really strange.

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GridGal · 12/10/2024 11:10

We went to the open evening last month. Our tour guides were yr 9 girls and I did ask about the faith acceptances as we are CoE. She said she has Hindi friends in her year, so there is a chance albeit small for non-Catholics.

A colleague's daughter is also there & he has his sons at WC. He's very happy with USH, they have trips, exchanges, and said it felt like a private school. He only mentioned lacking of sports grounds but we thought they were great compared to other state schools.
Not surprised it's oversubscribed it looks amazing & all the girls schools are now past the issues from about 10yrs ago between USH & Ricards.
Good luck to all yr6 parents applying!

Sarahbeans2050 · 10/10/2024 21:10

I went there; almost hell on earth. Endlessly bullied for years, results good but when I was in year 11 we did exam after exam after exam. At the start I was failing maths and almost no help given to me. Girls there need a good smack with their rudeness and bullying habits

CaptainOhMyCaptain · 02/10/2024 21:53

Just to resurrect this thread, if you look on the Ursuline’s instagram feed today there are pictures of girls (maybe year 10,11?) with head coverings, so they really do have non Christians there. You have to scroll through the images though - all about extolling the virtues of single sex education

SquishedRaspberry · 12/09/2024 19:34

So my dd had two girls from her class in primary school go on to Ursuline with her (and have been put into her form class as UHS do try to keep primary class friends together, and to add, her primary was not a faith school). She has also made lots of new friends both in her own year and also some of the older girls. We attend church regularly and my dd is an altar server at the church so knows a couple of girls from there who have also helped her settle in.

That being said, there will always be issues in any school when you have large groups of girls,

In terms of extra curricular activities, there are loads of enrichment clubs on offer which UHS really encourage the girls to enrol in, although I'm not sure how many are after school etc.

I've just checked with my DD and she said that she has only seen one of the older girls wearing a hijab in school and none in year 7. I have seen one of the y7 mums so possible that her daughter doesn't wear it.

Original poster

Womblewimble · 12/09/2024 11:52

Just to add to my thread for any future mums going down the same rabbit hole i did....I know of at least 3 muslim families that have their dd in year 7 this year. So if your of another faith and attend regularly at your place of worship and can get a letter from your imam etc and live close by then yes you do stand a chance of getting into Ursuline.

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Original poster

Womblewimble · 12/09/2024 07:09

Also squished raspberry ....what is the after school provision like there for yr7? I've seen ricards amazing extra curricular timetable but ursuline seems to be really limited.

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Original poster

Womblewimble · 12/09/2024 07:07

SquishedRaspberry · 11/09/2024 17:26

We were asked to submit a baptism certificate (she was baptised at a year old) and signed paperwork from our priest to say we attend mass regularly over a 3 year period and that he knows my dd.

We know a girl who lives locally and wasn't accepted for year 7 but then joined in year 8.

The school is voluntary funded with a monthly donation of £30.

Each day starts with a prayer and yes, they do attend mass and retreat days and have two religious subjects a week. Is this something your dd would be comfortable with if she isn't catholic?

So far, we have been really impressed with the school and my daughter is very happy there. UHS really helped girls transition to secondary from primary as the change is quite a shock to the system. She said the older girls have been helpful and very welcoming. Having spoken to some of the older girls myself, they have all been very positive about the school.

We feel we made the right choice for DD.

That's good to hear.
Yes she'd be OK with prayers etc as for me faith is better than no faith in the school and she knows where our own religion differs. Growing up I had to learn about other faiths and did daily hymns and prayers but this just meant it widened my knowledge of other faiths not limited to just mine- so I see it as a advantage not disadvantage. I'm hoping it will do the same for her.

Good to hear there are girls of other faiths that attend as one of my worries is that she'll be singled out alot by other girls for being different but hopefully in line with faith practices they'll be tolerant of differences.

Did your yr7 have other friends going with her from school - given the girls are from all over has she found it easy enough to make friends? That's one thing I hadn't thought about was the fact it has such a wide catchment for girls attending that it'll be harder to make ' local' friends.

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SquishedRaspberry · 11/09/2024 17:26

We were asked to submit a baptism certificate (she was baptised at a year old) and signed paperwork from our priest to say we attend mass regularly over a 3 year period and that he knows my dd.

We know a girl who lives locally and wasn't accepted for year 7 but then joined in year 8.

The school is voluntary funded with a monthly donation of £30.

Each day starts with a prayer and yes, they do attend mass and retreat days and have two religious subjects a week. Is this something your dd would be comfortable with if she isn't catholic?

So far, we have been really impressed with the school and my daughter is very happy there. UHS really helped girls transition to secondary from primary as the change is quite a shock to the system. She said the older girls have been helpful and very welcoming. Having spoken to some of the older girls myself, they have all been very positive about the school.

We feel we made the right choice for DD.

SquishedRaspberry · 11/09/2024 16:35

My DD is in Y7 at Ursuline (we are practicing Catholics) and I can confirm there are hijab wearing girls in the school and I believe in y7 also

Smoothie23 · 08/09/2024 22:30

Trampoline · 08/09/2024 19:15

Yes, I know girls travelling from Vauxhall and Esher.

Well, you were saying " Catholic" so I assumed that you are talking about all Catholic schools and not that specific one only. In many schools parishes matter

Trampoline · 08/09/2024 19:15

Yes, I know girls travelling from Vauxhall and Esher.

CaptainOhMyCaptain · 08/09/2024 18:57

They might, but the Ursuline don’t have feeder schools or a catchment, unlike, say; Richard Challoner. It’s on Certificate of Catholic practice, then distance. I know someone who goes to UHS from Chessington.

Smoothie23 · 08/09/2024 15:46

No, Trampoline. That is not always a case Many Catholic schools don't widely accept just any Catholic but they have catchment that is they accept from the specific parishes surrounding the school

Trampoline · 08/09/2024 15:28

One additional point - having Catholic as the first criteria means that the catchment is wide and girls can travel from quite far to attend the school, many by train etc. So it is less of a "local community" secondary school, if that matters - although plenty of Wimbledon girls do attend.

I'm yet to meet a non Catholic who goes there, but I do know plenty of families who did the box ticking weekly church attendance in order to get in...

Original poster

Womblewimble · 24/07/2024 11:22

bellylaughs · 24/07/2024 08:35

I am a current Ursuline parent and my older daughter has also gone through it (now studying medicine). I can honestly say the school has been fantastic for us. I love the ethos of kindness and caring for others. The motto is “servíam” which means “I will serve” and emphasises the schools commitment to raising young women who will serve their communities as leaders, as contributors to society, doing good for others.
There is a culture of achievement but not only for the highest performers, girls are set personalised targets and are encouraged to achieve these, not some arbitrary measure of success. Girls are not afraid to show their talents, whether that’s academically or at the many arts/music/theatre/sporting events.
Each year there is a huge multi-cultural evening where girls and their families bring in traditional food from their own cultures and some of the girls dress up in their traditional costumes from across the world and even perform traditional songs/dances from their family’s cultural heritage. It’s always a beautiful evening demonstrating the incredible diversity at the school.
Of course, there is a strong catholic ethos and the girls do attend church services (once every few weeks). The girls who are not catholic also attend I believe, perhaps using the time as an opportunity for calm reflection etc?
To the poster who said that most school trips are religious, this is absolutely NOT the case. In fact I can barely think of any that have been. There are trips offered to destinations across the world including an exchange trip with an Ursuline school in Dallas (all optional obviously). There’s an annual ski trip and so on just like most schools.

In terms of admissions, I believe in the next few years there is a drop in the birth rate and combined with a big drop in the number of catholics there will most likely be places available to non-catholic girls. My advice would be to contact the school rather than go by the “wisdom” of mumsnet to guide you on an issue as important as who will and won’t get a place. I have seen on this thread there is a lot of misinformation about the school so please be careful taking big decisions based on a mumsnet thread and good luck in your choices!

This is exactly the kind of feedback i was after,thank you ! @bellylaughs .

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bellylaughs · 24/07/2024 08:35

I am a current Ursuline parent and my older daughter has also gone through it (now studying medicine). I can honestly say the school has been fantastic for us. I love the ethos of kindness and caring for others. The motto is “servíam” which means “I will serve” and emphasises the schools commitment to raising young women who will serve their communities as leaders, as contributors to society, doing good for others.
There is a culture of achievement but not only for the highest performers, girls are set personalised targets and are encouraged to achieve these, not some arbitrary measure of success. Girls are not afraid to show their talents, whether that’s academically or at the many arts/music/theatre/sporting events.
Each year there is a huge multi-cultural evening where girls and their families bring in traditional food from their own cultures and some of the girls dress up in their traditional costumes from across the world and even perform traditional songs/dances from their family’s cultural heritage. It’s always a beautiful evening demonstrating the incredible diversity at the school.
Of course, there is a strong catholic ethos and the girls do attend church services (once every few weeks). The girls who are not catholic also attend I believe, perhaps using the time as an opportunity for calm reflection etc?
To the poster who said that most school trips are religious, this is absolutely NOT the case. In fact I can barely think of any that have been. There are trips offered to destinations across the world including an exchange trip with an Ursuline school in Dallas (all optional obviously). There’s an annual ski trip and so on just like most schools.

In terms of admissions, I believe in the next few years there is a drop in the birth rate and combined with a big drop in the number of catholics there will most likely be places available to non-catholic girls. My advice would be to contact the school rather than go by the “wisdom” of mumsnet to guide you on an issue as important as who will and won’t get a place. I have seen on this thread there is a lot of misinformation about the school so please be careful taking big decisions based on a mumsnet thread and good luck in your choices!

Smoothie23 · 22/07/2024 10:04

I am personally very sorry for all the parents and kids who live just by the Catholic school and have hopes that they will get in but since they are not Catholic and the school is oversubscribed they don't get in. I know a family that lives just by the Catholic school. Their garden touches the fence of school premises. But because the school is oversubscribed they didn't get in.

MarchingFrogs · 22/07/2024 09:30

Smoothie23 · 22/07/2024 09:13

It is not a designated grammar sxhool and therefore, if all places have not been filled under higher criteria,

@MarchingFrogs

HolyCross, St Richard Reynolds, Richard Challoner, St Paul's Catholic College, Salesian Catholic school + Ursulean are local Catholic schools in this area. Not new ,therefore had no requirement of accepting 50 perc non faith. All oversubscribed to the extent that they don't go to lower criterions because first 3-4 fill the schools.
There is more Catholic kids than spaces. Living further Catholics are not getting in and in some instances like with St Richard Reynolds even not from designated parishes.

It will improve when the current Reception year goes to secondary school as the birth rate falls. But for now it is what it is

I'm not disputing that... I didn't say that the school has to offer places to those whose application can only be considered under the 'any other applicant' criterion (just that it is not permitted not to offer to those under any criterion if it hasn't filled its places before it gets to them), as in
Pressure of numbers - the number of applicants with no higher preference on their CAF which can be allocated and who are ranked under a criterion above 'any other' - may dictate that no-one in the final criterion is offered a place in any given year...