St Catherines Bramley

[Frequentdriver]

I notice a number of old threads on choosing girls schoolas around Guildford so I thought this post might help anyone deciding on girls' schools in the area at the moment. (New thread)
I have had girls at St Catherine's for almost 10 years, through Prep, Senior and 6th form. The Prep school is strong, well run and the culture is open and honest. The head is a genuine and is proactive in ensuring children are treated as individuals. However this is not the case across the road at the Senior school. The cuture there is very different. It was once described to me as " a bit draconian" which I now realise is the least of its problems. It does have some excellent teachers but sadly they are in the minority. They have too many staff members who struggle with the quality of their teaching and their behaviour in class. Over the years my children have been shouted at, called names (yes really) and when parents take the trouble to complain about a teacher ( and there are many, many instances of complaints) the policy is for the teacher to deny all. Any request to bring in other pupils as witnesses is denied. Any escalation to senior management literally takes weeks and your daughter will be quizzed over and over again to the point where they realise any complaint is not worth it and they begin to fear retribution from the teacher in question. This intimidating approach to processes is particularly true of their bullying policy. They adopt a "no-blame" policy- which initially sounds great (and probably is if you child is the bully in question) but essentially means that any complaint by a child of bullying means that child is "interviewed" at length, in class hours, to everyone's knowledge, causing more drama and pressure on an already victimised child. The bully gets to respond (but lying is obviously very common) , but I know of many cases where the outcome is "what can we do to address the sensitivity of the child who has lodged the complaint". By never acknowledging any blame lies with the bully, the victims stop complaining (or more likely eventually leave the school) and the school gets to claim they have very few instances of bullying. Trust me: bullying is very common. When over competitive girls find themselves in an environment where the teachers get away with lying and covering their tracks, and the girls can intimidate and bully with no real threat of consequences, bullying is bound to be a problem. Sadly this culture has got worse over the last 5 years I would say, not helped by a head that refuses to hear this message from concerned parents. I know parents from almost every year with these issues, and many that have just moved their girls out- its ultimately all you can do when you hit trouble. It is hugely unfortunate as some teachers are truly dedicated and the girls love them and the facilities are undoubtedly outstanding. However unless pupils can be protected from the individuals who bully and intimidate (both girls and staff) I could not recommend this school to anyone. Things are not so bad (for us at least) that I have had to move my children out-although we have come close, but they will be leaving before 6th form to places that value individualism as well as kindness.

As a fellow mother, I completely agree with this review and have had a very similar experience at St Catherine’s. While the facilities and a handful of dedicated teachers stand out, the overall culture in the Senior school has been incredibly disappointing. My daughter has also faced poor treatment by certain staff members, and when we tried to raise concerns, the response felt dismissive and defensive. The lack of accountability, especially around bullying, is alarming. It’s heartbreaking to see children who are meant to be nurtured instead feel silenced or fearful. I’ve spoken to other parents who share the same frustrations, and it’s clear this isn’t an isolated issue—it’s part of a deeper, systemic problem at the school.

I have been reading through these threads and I am disappointed to share that there has been little change since the original post was made. I am hoping this improves with the New Headmistress who I believe is already enforcing positive changes to the environment. (Especially regarding use of devices in the school day)

That being said, I cannot ignore the issues I have had to endure in my time at the school. My DD has felt that the school often ignore the concerns she raises and has shared with me, this is the case with other students. I believe the school has a tendency to prioritize certain students over others (this is more often than not the louder girls). I am not insinuating that these louder girls are unkind, however, my understanding seems to be that some members of staff like to pretend they are teenagers when they are included in general conversation with these girls. This disrupts the learning environment.

I also agree with the fact that girls have to excel at something to be able to thrive in this school, this tends to be “lacrosse”. The sports department here tend to be the root of this competitive and cliquey environment, as they are not particularly interested in those who do not wish to pursue this sport outside school hours. I am appalled that these women have been caught viewing older girls’ social media accounts and abuse their power to make fun of students. They engage in gossip and favoritism with students, and should not be in the role of a form tutor.

The senior teachers at this school tend to change narratives about concerns that are raised, to fit their own agenda.

I am questioning whether my DD would be better suited to a school that is more welcoming to introverted girls that struggle with day to day interactions as I feel the school are dismissing this.

I am also particularly concerned about her entering a year group where she would be assigned a sports department form tutor.

I am hopeful that the new head can tackle these issues. Otherwise it is in my daughter’s best interest to remove her before she begins preparing for her GCSEs.

Not surprised to hear this. We moved our daughter because of exactly this

Seems a super old thread to resurrect. @Unknown2314 is it because this is recent stuff that your dd has endured and you wanted to share?

I'd be interested to hear how the school is doing these days.

Its a funny old thing that we used to hear so much about StCats around 3+ years ago, whether good or bad, but in recent years you barely hear anything about it, in any context.

Whats going on in Bramley?