St Catherine’s Bramley and St Teresa’s Effingham

[Surreyschools]

Does anyone have any feedback on either of these schools? I liked elements of both but also have worries about both.

Felt confident that my daughter would do well academically at St Cats but worried about her pastorally. Doing tests and ranking her as a number in her year sounds a bit soul destroying and I’m concerned the competitiveness between the girls will make for an unhappy atmosphere. Also worried about their no blame bullying policy which seems to have failed them over the years but they haven’t changed it.

Felt confident my daughter would be happy at St Teresa’s and they have more of a focus on the pastoral side. However, some of the staff didn’t seem enthusiastic about the place (one said the benefit of going there against a state school is no annoying boys and less rubbish) and I sensed some tension from staff around changes the Head may have introduced that they aren’t on board with. The girls who showed me around said there are a lot of staff who have left and are new. Also worried it won’t be academically challenging enough for my daughter who is bright but not cut throat competitive.

Any feedback from parents with girls there would be much appreciated!

🫣
Well done mrs Phillips for offering your side of the story... I think!

We had choice between PF and St Cats. Went for latter as thought it would suit DD academically. She is thriving and, somewhat to our surprise, has got into the sporty side of things - I like that they have c and d teams, you can join in with more enthusiasm than natural skill! Has made great friends and Into lots of clubs. It might not suit all girls but we are very happy with our choice. We liked PF too and would have been happy for her to go there.

Thanks for the feedback. It’s great that your daughter has settled so well. When you say “it might not suit all girls” what sort of girl springs to mind? I can imagine there are some girls who would thrive and get that extra push from eg seeing how they compare to their friends in exams and the competitive streak in them might be lit and then they’d try even harder next time to improve their ranking and beat their friend. Sadly I don’t think that’s my daughter and she’d just be very upset if she was at the bottom of the list and it wouldn’t help her confidence. I suppose what I’m trying to work out in my mind is if the approach of the school would suit my daughter. Appreciate that’s difficult for you to answer when you don’t know her!

Thank you Mrs Phillip. I have actually had a chat to you about these (and your head of pastoral) concerns at an Open Day but thank you for the kind offer. It looks like there are a few mums looking for feedback so please do feel free to add any thoughts to this thread if it may help them with their decision. As with everything there are always different accounts of what has happened and I am aware that Mumsnet can often elicit feedback from those who are unhappy rather than happy. However I’m sure you’ll appreciate that on Open Days all schools want to give the “best” impression and sometimes you can only get a true picture of the school by seeking feedback from other parents. Sadly Mumsnet is one of the few ways to do this which isn’t ideal!

@Surreyschools yes that’s what I mean. I don’t think it would be much fun to be at the bottom of any academic school. It’s also incumbent on parents not to add to the pressure. DD has always been quite matter of fact about her strengths, weaknesses and where other kids are ahead of her and we praise effort and teacher feedback. We also remind her that the cohort is very academic so she is already in top 20% or so. She certainly is motivated by an environment that expects academic effort and a bit of healthy competition but it’s not a question of “beating” others. They are her friends and she’s admiring of those who are very strong at maths for example.

@JooLoo thanks so much that’s so helpful. Your daughter sounds like she has a very healthy attitude towards school and results. Sadly mine is more sensitive. She’s great at acknowledging how good other girls are but can’t see how great she is herself. She’s very hard on herself despite us trying to boost her confidence. I think deep down I know it’s probably not the right school for her - I’m just having a hard time admitting it as there was so much about it that I loved. Ultimately though I think it comes down to the personality of the child and if that’s a good fit with the school and I’m not sure it’s right for us. 😕

Hi @Surreyschools - I am a current parent at St Cat’s with 2 DDs there. Our experience has been very positive. My DDs aren’t super academic - and in fact they are very different children - but the school supports them well and nurtures them and their wider interests (from sport to music to drama). We have found the pastoral support excellent and the girls kind, sparky, fun and into lots of different things. I am afraid I don’t have experience of St T’s but am sure you will make the right choice for your DD! Let me know if I can be of any help.

PS. I don’t think that was Mrs Phillips posting - there is a typo in the name and the email address isn’t quite right.

@Milkandhoneymum thanks for the feedback! If you don’t mind I’ll DM you as would love to pick your brains on a couple of things.

Why would Alice Phillips be posting on Mumsnet, seems proper random. Worse still, why would someone be pretending to be her, yet defending her whilst doing so. i'm confused!

Bumping to see if anyone has any further feedback on these schools or Tormead!

Interested to hear where you got to with your decision making @Surreyschools - any further intel you can share as I am in a similar position

Likewise! St Cats vs PF decision time...

I’m not much help I’m afraid as you are a year ahead of me. My daughter will sit the exam in Nov - just trying to get some feedback now as I don’t want to have her sit an entrance exam if I already have a gut feeling the school isn’t right for her. Please do share any inside info/feedback you’ve managed to receive from others!

We were at st cats and have friends with dc at priors field, tormead, ghs.

We found st cats to be brilliant. There is a lot of concerns on here on their pastoral care. In reality, this impacted a few girls who spoke loudly. They introduced a policy and then realised it was one step too far. Most parents support it and see the common sense behind it.
If you move beyond this, general pastoral care is great. The house system works well. Facilities brilliant. My DDs and friends were very happy. For us it gave a bit more than just academics and we loved the boarding feel despite being day pupils. It is traditional and probably could do with a staff shake up and new ideas is my only negative. There are coaches which help with the location.

Priors field is similar country school. It is great for girls who struggle more academically, need something smaller or cosier. Results are really mixed. Lots of friends comment it is disorganised. Very small sixth form.

Tormead I hear is doing well with the new head who has brought it more up to date. Know lots of happy parents. It will always sit in GHS's shadow and be the back up town school. Again, quite a lot leave for sixth form. There were rumours it could be going co-ed as there are few boys options beyond RGS in the area. The head came from a very well regarded London co-Ed. But then I read that it was an unfounded rumour. Must've come from somewhere though.

@JumpPup thank you, really helpful insight.

A couple of things are contributing to our dilemma between schools.

PF felt more varied and diverse in terms of curriculum, it felt like 'the world is your oyster' - lots of joy, exploration, and room to grow. I get the impression that St Cats is more highly regarded, more driven, more polished and professional, but potentially less forgiving/flexible in times of struggle?

I worry with a DD who is capable but yet to demonstrate her focused drive and passion - I don't know which school she is more likely to unlock it...

Any thoughts on these musings very welcome 🙏

@JumpPup thanks for your insight. That is so helpful. When you say the policy went too far - do you mean the “no blame” anti bullying policy?

Yes @Surreyschools but just in one or two situations. The school seems to have learnt from it and I'm haven't heard of anyone else complaining.

It is quite a common sense school - I guess you could say it isn't excessively woke but instead it sticks to more tried and tested experience of how to deal with issues or keep girls happy. Most parents there are quite a similar vibe. Maybe a bit less cosy than PF?! Being totally honest.

@rainbowpony it depends on what your DD responds best to? With my youngest who is quite like your description of your DD, we worried that she needed a school where there's clear structure, an atmosphere of ambition, a house system where everyone gets involved and you feel a sense of belonging and duty and staff who would guide her and get her on the right track. We were worried that for our DD, a very soft school - like many say PF is- would mean she learnt to avoid tough things and not feel gentle pressure from those around her to aim high and get stuck in. I could see my DD coasting there and getting away with minimal work/ less expectations. But for the right girl, the PF super supportive and gentle approach might be right. Depends a bit on your parenting style and philosophy.

Thank you @JumpPup , your reply is so helpful. We are considering St Cat v Tormead and your comments align with what our instincts were telling us but it is so reassuring to have this local knowledge/input. It is a great problem to have with so many excellent schools in the area…!

Evening all. Would have to disagree with @JumpPup about tormead with respects to their use of 'back up' terminology. Totally agree that it is less academic, in that the pure results aren't as high, but it's certainly not a back up, but actually a totally different choice. They're both very different schools from top to bottom and, if you'll excuse the phrase, there are horses for courses.

Tormead suits a whole spectrum of girls, all academic to a high standard, but different in every single other respect. As a long standing parent of one DD and two boys, I can say hand on heart my daughter's experience has been far superior. Its a city centre school, with a city centre edge, where girls exist as their own person and seem to be happy and do well. It's very diverse and as a Asian family, we chose it based on the fact that the community very clearly embraced anyone and everyone.

I wholeheartedly agree we are blessed for schools in our area, theyre all great, so the choice is yours, and that choice should be based on when you and your dd feel they will fit in.

Also - I dont think Tormead won't be going co-ed anytime soon. They really do hard sell the benefits of a DD only environment, plus the Headmaster's daughter is at the school too.

@Surreyschools nice to meet you! All great questions and I admire your forward planning... wish I was that great at it! But in a years time all could've changed, so maybe keep watching this space before deciding too much.

As many else have said; GHS will do its super-duper thing, Tormead is a school on a ever upward trajectory, Priors Field is warm and welcoming to everyone but maybe strapped for cash, and St Cats is very academically focused and traditional. But this is a snapshot of now and all that could change.

I know for sure that one of the Guildford traditionally 'academic' schools is offering places to a number of those rejected from a perceivably 'less acadmeic school' this year, so perhaps a sign the tides are turning or that churn is upon them.

Again, I advise to keep watching the outstanding market we have in Guildford and see where it goes before jumping too far one way.

Which schools are you referring to?

We are choosing between moving out of London or a school change within London. Dd didn't get an occasional GHS place but did get into super selective London preps for 9+. Friend with dc locally said to use a prep school and try again at 11+ rather than comit to alternative all through like tormead etc yet.

Typo - should say 7+

Have you heard of Manor House School? It might be what you’re looking for.