Woldingham School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Woldingham School is an independent catholic boarding and day school for girls in the English county of Surrey. The current headmistress is Diana Vernon.

1 History
2 Boarding Life
3 The Houses
4 Entry and Education
5 Notable Alumnae
6 External links

[edit] History

Described in the Good Schools Guide as a hugely impressive school really going places under dynamic head, Woldingham is one of the leading girls’ schools in the country. Over 140 years old and set in 700 acres in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the heart of Surrey, it is just 35 minutes from central London and 20 minutes from Gatwick Airport. Woldingham’s unique strength is its ability to draw out the very best academic performance from each girl, according to her ability.

Woldingham School has a Sacred Heart Foundation.

The Society of the Sacred Heart was founded in France by Saint Madeline Sophie Barat immediately after the Revolution. The first Sacred Heart school opened at Amiens in 1801; others were soon established in France and across Europe. Network of Sacred Heart Schools

In a comparatively short time, schools were opened on all five continents. Woldingham grew from the first English school which was opened in Berrymead, London in 1842, and which moved to Roehampton eight years later. At the outbreak of World War 2, the school was evacuated, first to Newquay and later to Stanford Hall, near Rugby. Since the Roehampton site was damaged during the air raids of 1940, it was decided, at the end of hostilities, to find a new location for the Convent of the Sacred Heart. Marden Park was purchased by the Society in 1945 and the school moved in one year later.

Early in the 1980s, the Society of the Sacred Heart decided to commit the school to lay management under the trusteeship of the Society. In 1984, Dr Phil Dineen was appointed first lay Head of the school, now re-named 'Woldingham School'. She took up duties in January 1985.

The strong teaching and supporting staff, which is now completely lay, enjoys excellent relations with the Society of the Sacred Heart. The network of Sacred Heart Schools round the globe allows girls unique opportunities for linguistic and cultural exchanges.

[edit] Boarding Life

Girls in different year groups live in different boarding houses. Marden houses the girls in Years 7 and 8. For these 11-13 year olds the house structure is designed to be homely and boarders share rooms of four. There are common rooms where day girls and boarders meet to chat and play, and boarders from Years 7 and 8 spend the majority of their time in these common rooms, rather than their bedrooms.

Main House is for girls in Years 9, 10 and 11. This is a more grown-up environment for 13 - 16 year olds, marking their progression to Secondary School. Boarders have study bedrooms and day girls have study rooms, within the boarding areas, so that everyone is integrated into the life of the year group. All girls in Year 11 have single study bedrooms. Year 11 girls also hold positions of responsibility in the school, preparing them for the more adult environment of the Sixth Form.

The Sixth Form is a more adult environment where girls are encouraged to communicate more readily with staff. Sixth Formers wear their own suits, instead of uniform. The Sixth Form accommodation, Berwick House and Shanley House, are newly completed and in Shanley House boarders even have the luxury of en-suite bathrooms.

[edit] The Houses

Upon entering the school girls are placed into House tutor groups. This is mainly a random placement, although girls follow their elder sisters into the same House. Tutor groups stay together for their whole time at Woldingham. The Houses are named after four nuns who were influential figures in the development of the Order of the Sacred Heart. They are St Madeline Sophie Barat, who founded the Order, St Philippine Duchesne, Mother Janet Stuart and Mother Mabel Digby. Each House celebrates its own annual Feast Day with a Mass and supper. The school Foundation Day - in December each year - is marked with a Mass dedicated to the four Houses, a special lunch and Christmas Dinner.

[edit] Entry and Education

Woldingham is open to girls age 11 to 18. Girls can join the school at the ages of 11, 12, 13 or 16 making it possible to join the school in at any stage in the junior school (Marden House) or upon entering senior school (Main House). Girls can also join after completing GCSEs entering straight in to the Sixth Form (Berwick House and Shanley House, named after the nuns who were headmistresses of the school respectively).