Sixth form entry at St Catherine's Bramley

[JugglingChaotically]

We really like this school - has anyone experience of 6th form entry? Are there many new girls? Is it easy to fit in?
Also DD would board - are all/most of the boarders local? Any from London?
Thanks!

Any one?

purely antidotal, but friends daughter transferred to St Cats for 6th form and has ended up transferring back to her independent school to repeat the year due to terrible results. Not sure what the ratio of boarders is, good transport links to Guildford.

Thanks inthename - any idea what happened?
The results are one of the reasons DD is considering it!

Or is one of the reasons even!

only what her mum said, that they were continually told she was on target and then quickly told not to return when the results weren't good.

Wow. That's grim.

as I say, only antidotal, hopefully others will be along with personal experiences

Have heard similar about St Cats. Not many actually go on to uni ( only just over half the year group some years - those who do go do get into very top ones though) the rest go off on gap years or tante marie cooking courses and many of them never go to uni, apparently.
Head lots of positives and lots of negatives - think it is a 'marmite' school.

I would discourage switching to a school where you would be one of few new girls though as friendships will be firm and unless your DD knows someone there to join onto their friendship group it could be tricky.
I'd find a sixth form where all the girls will be new (e.g. charterhouse) or where there is a big sixth form entry (and look at numbers of international lots bring in many from HK/China etc for Sixth Form who all form one friendship group)

Dizzy, sounds like you might be right re marmite. Results are good though so must do something right?
Charterhouse applications have closed also.

Any suggestions for schools with large intake at 6th form? Had thought st cats had 15-20?

Anyone got direct experience of St Cats for 6th form as new boarder?

Are you only looking in certain parts of the country? If not girls at Shrewsbury School are all new in the 6th form. Went coed in the sixth about 5 years ago. Only got about 120 day pupils throughout the school the rest are boarders. PM if you need more.

Another option is Reeds in Cobham, which admits girls in the 6th form and has a separate girls boarding house.

Reeds looks interesting. 6th form looks small?

Anyone in or around London got DDs at Shrewsbury. Local friends would be good?

I have to absolutely refute the comments made by 'inthename'. I have never read such a lot of claptrap. There is a 100% record of girls going to university from St Catherine's; if you go to www.stcatherines.info you will find the Destinations of Leavers documents on there. 14 went to Oxbridge this year. Yes, some girls (a minority) take gap years to do internships, charity work or travel but all with a view to going onto uni the following year after A Levels. Tante Marie by the way is offered as an after school activity by the School.
As to girls being asked to leave - that is simply untrue. In fact the School tends to get girls coming back into the Sixth Form where they have been unhappy after transferring to another school. One of the great points about St Cat's is the care and attention every girl is given, through thick and thin. Every girl is valued, not simply because of their academic achievements either.
Please do not believe what seem to be some very toxic comments which are so utterly false. It's a fantastic school.

PennyBrite - I made one comment that I knew of 1 girl whose mother told me her daughter was asked to leave after her first year as she failed her exams, hardly 'toxic cmments' , think you have me confused with someone else?

DD keen to go ahead with this.

Does anyone know if there are many London boarders?

anyone?