St T's - thinking of moving early

[JLS77]

Hi all,
Any thoughts on St Teresa's of Effingham? How are they with pastoral care, particularly with a child with some sensory issues? Are the other girls nice, are they kind, particularly to newcomers? We are thinking of moving in Year 6 rather than year 7, and just wondered if anyone is willing to share first-hand experience. Thanks in advance :) x

There I was thinking St Trinian's........

Sorry I realised after I posted it but it wouldn’t let me change

Hi,

We moved my daughter for the pastoral. I would say the dedicated team are very good but incredibly busy. Unfortunately, the pastoral seems to stop at the door of the well-being centre and doesn't filter through to the rest of the staff. Many of whom seem stuck in the dark ages. Staff are overly concerned with uniform, hair and skirt length - which adds to anxiety. They have incredible sports facilities but they are notoriously awful at sports. Also, despite girls coming from many different backgrounds, the school is very Catholic (with a big C). The nuns still visit, the Deacon takes PSHE and the governors are all Catholic. Fine if you are Catholic, but not if you aren't. Recently my daughter said she was told in PSHE that abortions were sinful. Personally, I don't think that is for the school to teach. Also, girls must attend mass - no matter what their religion. I feel that if I am paying the fees (and the school is entirely funded by school fees) the Catholic Church should have less of a say about my daughter's education and I should have more.

There are many more progressive schools around.

That’s really helpful thank you!

Hi OP
My daughters are at St T’s. We love it, it’s a very warm and welcoming school, strong pastoral and very, very nurturing.
The Head is fantastic and the staff are so hardworking and really supportive.
Quite surprised by previous post about Catholic ethos…..it’s a Catholic school what else do you expect?

I wouldn’t have expected what the previous post said though because when you tour they downplay the religious aspect massively, and say it’s very ‘all religions’ - so I personally was surprised

Yes, they did that with us too. We have other children in other schools where religion doesn’t seem to come up at all. Have a look at the governors. They are all tied to the Catholic Church. Perhaps for some it isn’t an issue.

I think for one of my daughters it won’t be an issue but I’m grateful for the information so that we can discuss it with her and make an informed choice. Thank you!

As a Christian Mum I like the values of St T’s. I’m not at all Catholic and I don’t find it pushy in that sense as they genuinely respect all faiths and none. It is however a Catholic school with Christian values and tradition and they openly display their beliefs. I truly respect and admire that. DD was accepted to all 7 independent schools including one infamously difficult to get into because of their academic record. We considered it (it was top of the list!) as they had stated they were a school based on Christian values and tradition and that children ‘could’ attend Chapel. However when asked certain questions they quickly backtracked and said they did not openly display their faith for fear of offending other religions. They also stated their meals were Halal! Not Kosher. Halal. I bet many Christian parents allowing their children to attend this very academic school wouldn’t know this unless they asked, but it became clear they were catering for a very specific demographic. As Christians this did not sit well with us, but we allowed our DD to choose after narrowing the field down to 4 schools. She visited 3 of the schools twice and chose St T’s. Not only is she thriving academically (as well as in sport!), but she can openly practice her Christian faith without being bullied. She loves going to the school, has many kind and well mannered friends and we find the families we have met to be genuine. Each to their own, but as stated above it is a Catholic school with a Christian ethos… traditionally these schools have discipline, teach respect, bring about very good results and have excellent pastoral care. Just depends what you want out of a school.

I don’t believe some of the above posters are talking about St Ts in effingham. The nuns do not visit- I can’t imagine they are still alive given when they left. Also the meals are not Halal in general although they do cater for anything an individual asks for.

Apologies Redditchcycler I think you misunderstood my post. The meals at St T’s are NOT Halal…

I was talking about the other extremely academic school she was accepted into that we had seriously considered. They had claimed to be a school with a Christian ethos, values and tradition, but Chapel was optional? They also did not openly display their faith so as not to offend other religions! Their meals are Halal too. This is exactly why we chose NOT to send our DD there. We seemed to ask questions that perhaps weren’t of importance to others! Our DD was accepted to all 7 independent schools following her 7+ exams, but ultimately we allowed her to visit 4 of the 7 schools and to choose for herself regardless that many of her friends were going elsewhere. The fact that St T’s don't shy away from their beliefs (a Catholic school with a strong Christian ethos) is exactly why we chose the school. It has a very calm, peaceful feeling. The children and families at St T’s are genuine. It certainly helps that the classrooms are spacious and have a beautiful outlook! Having the horses may be a draw card for my DD too! St T’s isn’t just great for pastoral care, it is academically competitive too and offers a variety of sports. Another great draw card is meals are inclusive and free wrap around care until 6pm.

Not sure where the nuns roaming around came from, but I haven’t seen any! We also don’t feel obligated to become Catholic and my DD certainly isn’t penalised for not being Catholic!

@SurreyMumToOne
Sorry. I got the wrong end of the stick. The meals at St Ts are great !
I agree they welcome all faiths and indeed none

According to my daughter they did visit. Check online or their literature - there are photos of the girls with the nuns. Also, a few of the teachers made a hasty exit recently and the rumours were not great. Lastly, they rigorously defend their Catholicism and are not at all open to other experiences of Catholicism. The Catholic Church has not behaved well all over the world - but they would rather not discuss this. I find that neither progressive or truthful.

The Catholic Church may not have behaved well all but it is hardly alone, is it? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0021w8q.

I think it's a bit much to criticise a Catholic school for being Catholic. Clearly there must still be some Catholic parents who want their child to attend a school which backs up the values being taught in the home. The abortion being sinful is, as I understand it still Catholic teaching. Yes parents pay the fees, but some of those parents are paying the fees to this school because that is what they want. I think that as long as a school is upfront about it's values then it is up to you as the consumer to decide if you want to buy the product /service they are offering or look elsewhere.