St Catherine's School, Twickenham

St Catherine's School is a Catholic private school for girls in Twickenham, London. The school is next to the River Thames and about two-thirds of a mile (1.1 km) from both Strawberry Hill and Twickenham railway stations.

History

Founded in a large house near Twickenham Green, St Catherine's then moved to Orford Lodge (now demolished) and in 1919 to Pope's Villa, on the site of Alexander Pope's original villa. By 1961 it was recognised by the Ministry of Education as a grammar school. In 1948 the school bought a house on Cross Deep known as The Lawn, where it is currently located.^[1][2]

Up until 1991 the school was home to a number of Sisters who were also members of the staff. They moved out and the school became a charitable trust managed by lay persons in 1992. It is the only independent Roman Catholic girls' school in the Richmond area and is within the Archdiocese of Westminster.^[3] It remains a Roman Catholic foundation but takes students of all religious affiliations. It has a preparatory school (entry typically at three-years-old) and a senior school (entry at eleven-years-old). Nearly one-third of the pupils are of minority ethnic groups, but more than ninety per cent of the pupils have English as a first language.

Notable former pupils

• Annie Nightingale (1940-2024) - radio and television broadcaster
• Bonnie Langford (b. 1964) - actress
• Patsy Kensit (b. 1968) - actress
• Olivia Hallinan (b. 1986) - actress

See also

• List of schools in Twickenham

References

External links

• School Website
• Profile on the Independent Schools Council website
• Profile on MyDaughter
• OFSTED entry for St Catherine's School
• 2011 ISI Inspection Reports