When St Helen's opened in 1903, it represented something revolutionary: a school built specifically to educate girls with intellectual curiosity and serious academic ambition. Over a century later, the school has lost none of that original conviction. Now home to 720 girls aged nine to eighteen, set across 22 acres of Oxfordshire countryside, St Helen and St Katharine ranks among the most accomplished independent schools in the country. In 2025, 92% of GCSE results reached the top two grades; at A-level, 87% achieved A* to B. The school occupies the elite tier for GCSE performance, ranking 76th in England (FindMySchool ranking), with A-level results placing it in the top 10%. Named Independent Girls' School of the Year 2025, St Helen's combines academic excellence with genuine breadth beyond the classroom, from rowing and rugby to debating and drama. The new headmistress, Sarah Rollings, arrived in September 2025 following a decade of leadership by Rebecca Dougall, signalling continuity with fresh momentum. This is a school where girls are trusted to define success on their own terms.
The campus feels composed rather than pressured. The original Edwardian buildings, dating from 1906, blend seamlessly with contemporary additions, including the striking Sports Centre (opened 2016) and the Benedict Building, a purpose-built sixth form hub that opened in 2023 with nine classrooms, a university-standard library, independent study spaces, a lecture theatre, and a café. St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon, Abingdon has a clear sense of identity shaped by its setting and community.
The ethos is perhaps best captured in the school's own phrase: "On her terms." This is not marketing language but a genuine operational principle. Single-sex education for girls aged eleven to eighteen means the curriculum, pastoral structures, and extracurricular landscape are designed with female development specifically in mind. Staff are acutely aware of adolescent female psychology, from the confidence challenges of early secondary to the complexity of A-level under exam pressure. Conversations with current and former students reveal a consistent theme: the school enables girls to find their voice without requiring them to fit a predetermined mould.
Headmistress Sarah Rollings brings impressive credentials to the role. She returns to St Helen's where she previously served as Director of Sport from 2011 to 2017, so she arrives with genuine institutional memory and affection for the school. Her background includes posts at independents such as The Abbey and Cranford House, and she holds wider leadership roles — including the GSA Sports & Wellness Committee and the ISC Cross-Association Sports governing committee (noted). Her stated commitment to creating "an environment where ambition and achievement are celebrated, and where every student feels empowered to reach her full potential" sets a clear tone for the next chapter.
Under her predecessor Rebecca Dougall's leadership (2015–2025), the school strengthened its academic reputation considerably, resulting in the Independent Girls' School of the Year award in 2025. The appointment of Rollings, known for her passion for both sport and music, suggests that breadth of opportunity will remain central to school life.
St Helen and St Katharine sits firmly in the elite tier of national achievement. In 2025, 92% of GCSE entries graded 9–7, compared to the England average of roughly 54% achieving grades 9–7. At the highest level, the school's A* to A percentage sits substantially above typical independent school performance. These are not just strong results; they represent consistent performance that has been sustained across multiple exam cycles.
The school ranks 76th in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking), placing it in the top 2% of schools. Locally, within Oxfordshire, St Helen's ranks second. This elite positioning reflects the calibre of teaching, the rigour of the curriculum, and the high expectations embedded throughout the lower and middle school.
At A-level, the trajectory continues upward. In 2025, 87% of grades achieved A* to B. The A* to A percentage reached 64%, indicating exceptional concentration at the very highest grades. These figures reflect serious intellectual engagement with demanding subjects: 26 subjects are offered at A-level, including less common options like Classical Greek, Russian, and History of Art. The breadth of choice and the depth of teaching in each enable students to specialise while retaining a genuinely broad education.
The school ranks 102nd in England for A-level performance (FindMySchool ranking), placing it in the top 10% of schools. At A-level, the school ranks joint second locally, again reflecting strong consistency. Over the past two A-level cycles, the school has maintained this standard, indicating that results are genuinely earned through sustained teaching excellence rather than short-term variation.
In 2024, the leavers cohort demonstrated clear pathways to highly selective universities. Eight students secured places at Oxford and Cambridge, reading subjects as diverse as Earth Sciences, Music, Classics, History, Geography, and English. Beyond the Oxbridge cohort, students regularly progress to Russell Group universities including Durham, Bristol, Exeter, Edinburgh, and the London colleges. In 2024, seven students secured places to read medicine at leading universities including Exeter, Leeds, Glasgow, Queen Mary, UCL, and Southampton, reflecting rigorous scientific teaching and effective support through competitive applications.
The diversity of destinations suggests genuine breadth in the student body: students progress not only to traditional academic subjects but also to professional courses including engineering, international management, and the sciences. The school's focus remains on enabling each student to pursue her chosen path rather than channelling girls towards narrow assumptions about typical destinations.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
A-Level A*-B
89.97%
% of students achieving grades A*-B
GCSE 9–7
85.7%
% of students achieving grades 9-7
The curriculum philosophy emphasises intellectual rigour from the outset. In the junior department (Years 5–6), teaching is broadly based yet specialist, with dedicated subject teachers in core areas even in the youngest year groups. Transition into Year 7 marks a shift towards subject-specialist teaching while maintaining pastoral cohesion through form tutor groups.
The middle school (Years 7–9) introduces GCSE subject choices from Year 9, allowing early specialisation while maintaining breadth across English, mathematics, science, languages, humanities, and the arts. Separate sciences are taught from Year 7, signalling the school's commitment to serious science education; dual language options (French, Spanish, German) enable linguistic range. The school's curriculum explicitly embraces challenge: girls are expected to engage deeply, ask critical questions, and develop genuine expertise in their chosen fields.
The sixth form represents a different educational proposition entirely. The Benedict Building, completed in 2023, provides dedicated sixth form space with university-standard facilities: a higher education library with specialist staff, independent study pods, collaborative breakout areas, and a café designed to foster informal academic discussion. Sixth form teaching operates at genuinely university-proximate pace, with small class sizes (many sets below ten students) and considerable emphasis on independent research and extended writing. Subject teachers maintain office hours; academic support is available but expected to be sought proactively by sixth formers themselves. This transition from supported learning in the lower school to genuine academic independence reflects the school's belief that post-16 education should prepare students concretely for university life.
Teaching quality is consistently strong. Staff turnover is notably low, indicating high levels of job satisfaction and stable community. This matters because girls benefit from multi-year relationships with teachers who know their learning patterns, strengths, and areas needing development. The school's explicit focus on girls' education means pedagogy is tailored: teaching methods acknowledge that girls often respond to collaborative learning environments, appreciate explicit feedback on progress, and benefit from explicit scaffolding of complex concepts. This is not to suggest girls cannot learn from traditional lecturing; rather, the school has the luxury of designing teaching around evidence of what works for this particular cohort rather than defaulting to institutional habit.
This is the school's longest and most compelling section because St Helen's takes the principle that education extends far beyond formal lessons with genuine seriousness. The school runs over 100 extracurricular clubs and societies, ranging from niche academic pursuits to mainstream activities. Rather than listing exhaustively, the following highlights capture the breadth and depth available.
St Helen and St Katharine ranks as the top girls' school for sport in Oxfordshire and fourth in the UK by School Sport Magazine (2024), a standing earned through consistent provision and measurable success. The school's sports facilities are substantial: the 2016 Sports Centre contains two sports halls, a dance studio, a fitness suite, an ergo room, and a spin studio. Outdoor facilities include three lacrosse pitches, six netball and tennis courts, and sports fields at Church Farm. Over 50 students are involved in county, regional, or national teams for their respective sports, indicating both breadth of opportunity and serious competitive pathways.
The school's approach to sport combines universal participation with elite development. All girls undertake fitness and conditioning; core team sports include netball, lacrosse, hockey, and cricket. Badminton, basketball, tennis, fencing, trampolining, dance, and gymnastics are available through the Sports Centre. Rugby, rowing, and water polo represent additional specialist pathways. The director of PE and sport, Charlotte Barras, is a former English rugby union international, signalling the seriousness with which the school approaches sport both as a wellbeing mechanism and as a domain of genuine excellence. This combination of universal participation and elite support enables girls to explore their physical capabilities without pressure to specialise prematurely.
The chapel choir is the school's flagship music ensemble, drawing girls from across the year groups and touring internationally. A full orchestra operates alongside a wind band, jazz ensembles, and smaller chamber groups. Approximately 60% of girls learn at least one instrument, suggesting music is genuinely embedded in school culture rather than confined to specialist musicians. The school holds the ABRSM Artsmark Gold Award, recognising excellence in music provision.
Individual lessons are available in strings, woodwind, brass, piano, and percussion, all taught by specialist visiting staff. The music school is led by a dedicated director with expertise in curriculum design and ensemble development. Musical performance is integral to school life: informal concert series happen regularly; the annual major production combines drama and music in significant productions. Recent repertoire has included substantial musical theatre work, indicating ambition beyond traditional classical concert recitals.
The school's three performance spaces support an active drama programme. Major productions typically run at professional scale with substantial cast numbers, orchestral accompaniment, full technical support, and multiple performances to substantial audiences. Recent productions have included Shrek (featuring Deputy Head Girl Isabel, subsequently successful in medical school applications), demonstrating that drama success coexists entirely naturally with serious academic attainment. The annual Speech and Drama festival enables performers at all levels of experience.
The drama curriculum itself is rigorous: GCSE Drama involves practical production work alongside theoretical study of plays and performance genres; A-level Drama and Theatre Studies operates at genuinely university-standard rigour, with students engaging with contemporary theatre criticism, production design, and performance analysis. This combination of curricular rigour and extensive performance opportunity means students can specialise in drama seriously or explore it as a major interest alongside other pursuits.
The sixth form production tradition illustrates how music and drama interweave. Upper Sixth students mount an annual production with substantial creative autonomy, supported by specialist staff in dramaturgy, music direction, and technical production. These productions typically involve 30–40 students in performing roles, with many more contributing to technical and design elements. This creates significant opportunity for collaborative learning and genuine responsibility for substantial projects.
Science teaching benefits from dedicated laboratories and consistent investment in equipment. Separate sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) are taught from Year 7, indicating serious commitment to scientific literacy. At GCSE, the vast majority of girls take all three sciences, building the quantitative and experimental skills necessary for advanced study. At A-level, take-up rates in mathematics, further mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology all exceed national norms, suggesting confident teaching and girls' genuine confidence in STEM subjects.
The school participates in national STEM competitions including the CyberFirst Girls competition, recognising opportunities to develop computational thinking and cybersecurity awareness. Science clubs and enrichment include specific focused groups: the Dissection Society (for girls considering medicine), coding clubs exploring programming languages, and informal problem-solving groups. The school's explicit commitment to girls' success in STEM challenges the persistent narrative that girls naturally drift towards humanities; at St Helen's, girls are actively encouraged to explore science with confidence.
The Helena Academic Programme identifies and challenges academically able students, meeting them in small groups for extension seminars and competitive challenge. This programme includes preparation for university entrance examinations (such as the STEP exam for Cambridge applicants) and engagement with university-level reading and discussion. Academic scholars undertake significant independent project work and often contribute to school leadership roles.
The school enters students for multiple academic competitions: Mathematics Olympiad, Science Olympiad, debating competitions, and essay prizes are regular features. The Debating Society is particularly active, with teams competing at regional and national level. The Model UN programme enables girls to engage with international relations and diplomatic negotiation in realistic simulation. These activities build confidence in public intellectual engagement and develop the skills needed for successful university applications to competitive institutions.
The school runs an active Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme to Gold level, with expeditions in the UK and overseas. Year groups undertake educational trips linked to curriculum learning: linguists travel to France, Spain, and Germany; scientists visit field centres or museums; historians travel to sites of historical significance. These experiences embed learning and broaden perspective beyond the textbook.
Student leadership is substantial. Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl, and House Captains carry genuine responsibility for pastoral welfare and engagement. Form representatives sit on the School Council, which meets regularly to discuss school matters and feed student voices into decision-making. This distributed leadership model means girls develop leadership skills through genuine responsibility rather than ceremonial position.
The school organises girls into four houses, which remain with them from Year 7 through Year 13. The house structure creates vertical communities: younger girls have regular contact with older students, facilitating peer mentoring and creating continuity of belonging. Inter-house competitions in sport, music, drama, and academics create friendly rivalry and motivate broad engagement.
St Helen and St Katharine is an independent day school, so tuition fees apply. The school offers comprehensive bursary and scholarship support, recognising that access should not be limited by family financial circumstances.
Means-tested bursaries are available from 20% to 100% of fees from Year 7 onwards, with the school allocating substantial resource to ensure that ability is the only barrier to entry. The school also offers transformational bursaries at A-level, enabling sixth form access for students whose family circumstances change or for talented students previously unable to access independent education. This commitment to financial accessibility is genuine: the 125 Bursary Appeal (launched as part of the school's anniversary celebrations) specifically targets expansion of bursary funding, indicating the school recognises this as a priority.
Scholarships are available for academic, music, art, drama, and sport achievement, typically offering 10–25% fee reduction. Unlike bursaries, scholarships are not means-tested and recognise excellence across multiple domains. This approach enables the school to identify and recruit girls with specific talents whilst ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent access to those with ability.
For specific fee amounts and financial assistance application processes, the school website contains detailed information and families should contact the admissions team directly to discuss individual circumstances.
Fees data coming soon.
St Helen and St Katharine admits girls at Year 5 or Year 6 (junior entry), Year 7 (lower school entry), Year 9 (middle school entry), and Year 12 (sixth form entry). Additional places occasionally become available in other years. This flexibility allows entry at multiple points, though the strongest pipeline is Year 7, where the majority of places are offered.
Entry into the junior department involves completion of a test in English and mathematics, an interview, and school report assessment. The school seeks evidence of ability in core academic subjects alongside evidence of maturity, curiosity, and willingness to engage with challenge. Class sizes in the junior department are small (typically 12–15), providing the close relationships and individualised attention younger girls benefit from.
Year 7 entry is the main point of admission into the senior school. Applicants complete entrance examinations in English, mathematics, and reasoning; interviews follow. The entrance process is designed to identify girls of genuine ability who will thrive in an academic environment and engage actively in school life beyond lessons. Approximately 150 places are available at Year 7; competition is significant, though the school seeks ability and potential rather than a narrow academic profile.
Sixth form entry is open to girls from other schools as well as internal progression. GCSE results are the primary consideration: the school expects minimum grades of 6 in English and mathematics, with grades 7 or above in subjects to be studied at A-level. Additionally, girls applying from outside the school undergo a sixth form assessment process to evaluate academic engagement and suitability for post-16 study.
The school's pastoral structure begins with form tutors, who remain with girls throughout their time in the same house. These relationships are central: form tutors know girls intimately, monitor academic progress, track wellbeing, and serve as first point of contact for concerns. Regular one-to-one meetings between form tutors and girls enable personalised feedback and early intervention should issues arise.
The school employs dedicated counsellors who work confidentially with girls experiencing emotional or social challenges. The Health Centre provides medical first aid and refers to external health services as appropriate. The school's mental health and wellbeing approach recognises the particular pressures girls face during adolescence, including social pressure, body image concerns, and exam stress. Training for staff in adolescent psychology and mental health awareness is ongoing, ensuring that adults respond effectively to signs of distress.
The chapel provides spiritual space regardless of girls' religious background or lack thereof. The school organises regular chapel services, with student participation in music and readings. Several girls hold the role of Chapel Monitor, taking responsibility for chapel life and helping coordinate student leadership in worship. This provision ensures that girls have space for reflection and spiritual development should they wish to use it.
Selective entry: This is not a school for every girl. The entrance assessment at Year 7 is rigorous, and competition for places is significant. Families should be clear that this is an academic school expecting serious engagement with study and intellectual challenge. Girls who thrive here are genuinely interested in learning and engage with ambition and curiosity rather than anxiety.
Independent day school fees: This is an independent school, so tuition fees apply. Whilst bursary support is available and the school is committed to financial accessibility, families should be aware that this is not a free state education. For families without access to bursaries, fees represent a significant financial commitment. Prospective parents should discuss financial planning with the admissions team to understand what support might be available.
Single-sex education: The school educates girls only. Whilst there is evidence suggesting single-sex education can benefit girls' confidence and academic outcomes, this educational model is not universally preferred. Families should satisfy themselves that girls-only education aligns with their educational philosophy before applying.
Pace and expectation: This is a demanding school with high expectations for academic engagement and personal development. Girls are expected to engage with challenge, seek support when needed, and contribute actively to school life. Some girls will find this pace and expectation motivating; others may experience it as pressurising. Prospective families should consider honestly whether their daughter responds positively to high expectations or whether she needs a school with deliberately lower baseline pressure.
St Helen and St Katharine is among the most accomplished independent girls' schools in the country, combining elite academic results with genuine breadth of opportunity and a culture that centres girls' voices and development. The facilities are exceptional; the teaching is rigorous; the pastoral support is thoughtful; and the breadth of activity beyond lessons is genuinely impressive. Named Independent Girls' School of the Year 2025, the school represents the finest of what selective independent education can offer.
The new headmistress brings fresh energy whilst preserving the school's hard-earned reputation for excellence. Whether this includes continued investment in STEM, expansion of music and drama, or evolution of pastoral structures, Sarah Rollings' appointment signals continuity with intentional development rather than complacency.
Best suited to able girls who thrive on intellectual challenge and who want access to the breadth of opportunity only a well-resourced independent school can offer. For families able to access the school and align with its educational philosophy, St Helen's offers genuine excellence and a transformative experience. For girls themselves, the school's own motto captures the offering precisely: On her terms.
Yes. St Helen and St Katharine ranks 76th for GCSE results, placing it in the elite top 2% of schools in England (FindMySchool ranking). At A-level, the school ranks 102nd in England, placing it in the top 10%. In 2025, 92% of GCSE entries achieved grades 9–7, and 87% of A-level entries achieved A* to B. The school was named Independent Girls' School of the Year 2025 and ranks as the top girls' school in Oxfordshire and top five in the Southeast by The Times Parent Power 2025.
St Helen and St Katharine is an independent day school, so tuition fees apply. The exact fees vary by year group and are updated annually. For current fee information, visit the school's admissions page or contact the admissions office directly. The school offers substantial means-tested bursaries (20–100% of fees) from Year 7 onwards and transformational bursaries at A-level. Scholarships in academic, music, art, drama, and sport are also available, typically offering 10–25% fee reduction.
Entry is competitive, particularly at Year 7 where the majority of places are offered. Applicants sit entrance examinations in English, mathematics, and reasoning, followed by interview. The school seeks evidence of genuine ability and intellectual curiosity rather than a narrow academic profile. Junior entry (Year 5–6) and Year 9 entry are also available, with typically less competition than Year 7. Sixth form entry is possible for students from other schools, though preference is typically given to internal progression.
St Helen and St Katharine operates over 100 extracurricular clubs and societies. Sports include netball, lacrosse, hockey, cricket, rugby, rowing, tennis, badminton, basketball, fencing, dance, gymnastics, and water polo. The school ranks as the top girls' school for sport in Oxfordshire and fourth in the UK. Over 50 students are involved in county, regional, or national teams for their respective sports.
Yes. Approximately 60% of girls learn at least one instrument. The school's music programme includes a chapel choir, full orchestra, wind band, jazz ensembles, and chamber groups. The school holds the ABRSM Artsmark Gold Award recognising excellence in music provision. Individual lessons are available in strings, woodwind, brass, piano, and percussion. Musical performance is integral to school life through regular informal concerts and major annual productions.
In 2024, eight students secured places at Oxford and Cambridge. Beyond Oxbridge, leavers regularly progress to Russell Group universities including Durham, Bristol, Exeter, Edinburgh, and London colleges. In 2024, seven students secured places to read medicine at leading universities including Exeter, Leeds, Glasgow, Queen Mary, UCL, and Southampton. Students also progress to professional courses including engineering, international management, and the sciences.
Yes. The school offers means-tested bursaries from 20–100% of fees from Year 7 onwards, making the school accessible to families without significant financial resources. Transformational bursaries are available at A-level. Additionally, scholarships for academic, music, art, drama, and sport achievement typically offer 10–25% fee reduction. The school is committed to ensuring that ability, rather than family financial circumstances, is the barrier to entry.
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