Woldingham School

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Coordinates: 51°16′33″N 0°03′07″W / 51.275884°N 0.052046°W / 51.275884; -0.052046
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Woldingham
Head
Sue Baillie[citation needed]
GenderGirls
Age11 to 18
Enrolment550
Campus700 acres (280 ha)
HousesBarat
Digby
Duchesne
Stuart
Websitewww.woldinghamschool.co.uk

Woldingham School is an independent boarding and day school for girls, located in the former Marden Park of 700 acres (280 ha) outside the village of Woldingham, Surrey, in South East England.[1]

It is a Roman Catholic school and a member of the global

Network of Sacred Heart Schools
.

History

The school was founded as the Convent of the Sacred Heart in 1842 in Berrymead, London by the

canonized in 1925) immediately after the French Revolution (1789–1799). The first Sacred Heart school had opened in 1801 at Amiens
, France; others were soon established in France and across Europe.

The Convent of the Sacred Heart moved to

Head of School for the newly renamed Woldingham School; she took up her duties in January 1985.[citation needed
]

Accommodation structure

At 200 hectares, its campus is larger than that of any other all-girls' school in England. This covers a large expanse of countryside, with sports facilities including squash courts, a fitness studio, a dance and gymnastics studio, an indoor tennis dome, an indoor swimming pool, outdoor courts and pitches and an all-weather pitch.[4]

Girls in different year-groups live in different boarding houses: Marden House (Years 7 and 8, i.e. 11- to 13-year-olds), Main House (Years 9, 10 and 11, i.e. 13- to 16-year-olds). Sixth Form girls are accommodated in Berwick House and Shanley House, named respectively after Dr Edward Berwick, Chairman of Governors (1989–1995) and Sister Claire Shanley, Mistress General (1947–1968).[citation needed]

House system

On entering the school, girls are placed into one of four house tutor groups named after four nuns who were influential figures in the development of the Society. They are Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, who founded the Society; Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne; Mother Janet Stuart; and Mother Mabel Digby.

Woldingham educates girls between age 11 to 18 who can join the school at ages 11, 12, 13 or 16, i.e. at any stage in the junior school (Marden House) or upon entering senior school (Main House). Girls can also join after completing the

General Certificate of Secondary Education
and enter straight into the Sixth Form.

School fee fixing scandal

The school was involved in the

Independent school fee fixing scandal in the mid-2000s. On 20 November 2006, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) announced its decision following a 2005–2006 investigation into allegations that fifty of England's top independent schools, including Woldingham, had broken competition law (section 2[1] of the Competition Act 1998) by sharing information about fees via the so-called "Sevenoaks Survey".[5] The OFT made no finding as to whether there was an effect on the fee levels of the schools concerned. The schools agreed to pay nominal
penalties of £10,000 each, a reduced penalty in view of a number of exceptional features in the case: a voluntary admission had been made, the bodies were all non-profit making charities and they had set up a £3 million educational trust fund for those who had attended the schools in the relevant period.

This situation came about as a result of a dispute between the U.K.

Charity Commission for England and Wales, which regulates the behaviour of U.K. charitable organizations, and the Office of Fair Trading, responsible for profit-making businesses. Although U.K. charities are required to publish financial and other information, U.K. businesses are not allowed to collaborate to set prices. The U.K.Competition Act 1998, which regulates the behaviour of businesses, was altered in 2000 to place independent schools – which are charities – in the same category as businesses as far as exchange of financial information is concerned.[citation needed
]

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at Woldingham School

Convent of the Sacred Heart, Roehampton

All of those listed attended the school for at least one term and the names used are those by which they are best known: [clarification needed]

Woldingham School

See also

References

  1. ^ StudyLink, Britannia (31 August 2021). "Woldingham School Review: Rankings, Fees And More". Britannia StudyLink Malaysia: UK Study Expert. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. ^ A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden at British history Online website
  3. ^ The Archive Photograph Series: Putney and Roehampton, Patrick Loobey, pp.120 (Tempus 1996)
  4. ^ Horton, Helena (16 June 2024). "Beagling, golf and jolly hockey sticks". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Schools: exchange of information on future fees
  6. Press release. "Lady Waldegrave takes on role as President of the HCA"
    ; accessed 13 August 2009

51°16′33″N 0°03′07″W / 51.275884°N 0.052046°W / 51.275884; -0.052046

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