Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School Review 2026: A faith-led Southwark secondary with improving momentum

A girls’ Catholic secondary serving Southwark families, this school combines a clear Gospel-led identity with the practical realities of a busy inner-London intake. Founded in 1855 by the Sisters of Notre Dame, it still places Catholic life at the centre of the week, including regular services at St George’s Cathedral and daily acts of worship within tutor groups.

The latest Ofsted inspection, carried out on 19 and 20 March 2024 and published on 14 May 2024, judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with Good judgements for Behaviour and attitudes and for Personal development.

For families, the appeal is straightforward, a girls-only setting, a strong sense of community, and a school day that runs 8:45am to 3:20pm, plus structured after-school clubs for those who want them.

The school’s identity is unapologetically Catholic, but it is not narrowly drawn. Admissions are designed primarily to serve Catholic families, yet the governing committee explicitly welcomes applicants of other faiths and none, provided they support the religious ethos. That combination tends to shape the atmosphere: faith is visible in daily rhythms, but the community is wider than a single parish or tradition.

A location close to major transport nodes contributes to a distinctly metropolitan feel. Students come from varied backgrounds, with the local authority admissions material positioning the school as part of Southwark’s mainstream offer, and listing several nearby stations including Lambeth North, Elephant and Castle, Southwark, and Waterloo East. This is useful context for families who want a school that is genuinely accessible by public transport rather than reliant on car journeys.

Leadership sits within a wider governance structure. The school is part of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, while local governance includes a committee with specific roles such as Catholic life and safeguarding. The current Head Teacher is Ms Blathnaid Byrne (often shown as Ms B Byrne), with a term start date of 01 September 2023 recorded in the school’s published governor information.

A recurring theme across school communications is purpose and service. The admissions policy carries a guiding phrase that captures the tone the school aims for: “Called by Christ to be agents of change and apostles of hope”. Used well, that kind of language can translate into a coherent pastoral culture, with leadership, student responsibility, and volunteering framed as part of faith-in-action rather than a bolt-on enrichment activity.

For parents trying to interpret performance without wading through league tables, the most useful starting point is relative position. Based on FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking (derived from official data), the school is ranked 2,138th in England and 18th in Southwark for GCSE outcomes. This sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is broadly consistent with a school that has strengths but also areas still being brought up to a consistent standard.

The GCSE picture shows:

• Attainment 8 score of 44.8

• EBACC average point score of 4.08 (matching the England average figure)

• Progress 8 score of +0.25

• 13.7% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBACC measure

The most important interpretive point for families is Progress 8. A positive score indicates students, on average, make more progress than similar students nationally from their starting points. A +0.25 score therefore suggests value added, even if headline attainment is not in the highest tier. For many families, that matters at least as much as raw outcomes, particularly where a cohort includes a wide range of starting points.

Because this is an 11 to 16 school, there are no A-level outcomes attached to the school itself. The post-16 story is therefore more about transition planning than internal sixth form outcomes.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view results side by side through the Comparison Tool, especially if you are weighing different Southwark schools with similar travel times but different curriculum strengths.

The curriculum is structured as a broad offer rather than an early-specialisation model, and the school’s public materials repeatedly emphasise aspiration and future pathways. External review evidence indicates that subject quality is uneven across departments, so the lived experience can differ by subject and teacher, which is often what families notice most quickly once a child is settled.

One element that stands out is reading and literacy as an explicit improvement priority. Systems are in place to identify gaps in reading knowledge, particularly in Years 7 and 8, and to target students who need support. Where these systems are applied consistently, the implication is practical: students are better equipped to access longer written tasks across the curriculum, from humanities essays to exam mark schemes.

There is also a clear careers spine, with structured activities by year group. Published programme detail includes tools such as Unifrog for younger year groups, plus employer encounters and group guidance, alongside a named Careers Lead. For students, this makes careers education feel continuous rather than something that suddenly appears in Year 11. For parents, it signals that post-16 planning is not left to the last minute, which is especially important in an 11 to 16 setting.

The key structural point is that students leave after GCSEs. Southwark’s admissions guide notes that students have priority of place at St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College, which gives families a clearer default pathway if they want a Catholic post-16 option without navigating an entirely new landscape.

Within school, careers education is positioned as preparation for multiple destinations, including sixth form, college, and employment-focused routes. A well-designed programme can make a tangible difference in an 11 to 16 school, because every student must make a post-16 transition. The implication for families is that you should ask, early, what support looks like for applications, interviews, and selecting the right mix of vocational and academic routes, especially if your child is still deciding between sixth form and college.

If you are shortlisting, it is worth mapping the door-to-door journey not just to the school, but also to likely post-16 destinations. That is one of the overlooked practicalities in schools without sixth forms.

Admissions are coordinated through your home local authority, with Southwark’s published schedule stating that applications for September 2026 intake open on 01 September 2025 and close at 11:59pm on 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on 02 March 2026.

The school is faith-based in how it prioritises places. The 2026 to 2027 admissions policy sets a published admission number of 124 for September 2026, and makes clear that where applications exceed places, priority is given first to looked-after Catholic girls and previously looked-after Catholic girls, then to baptised Catholic girls with a Certificate of Practice, followed by other baptised Catholic girls, before wider categories including other faiths and finally other applicants.

Within categories, additional priorities include a sister at the school and, where necessary, proximity to the school entrance using straight-line measurement. The practical implication is that families should treat the supplementary information form and faith evidence as critical if applying under Catholic criteria. Southwark also advises that any required supplementary information forms must be sent directly to schools, and that families should check each school’s individual closing date for those documents.

The school publishes key dates relevant to appeals for the 2026 cycle, including National Offer Day shown as 02.03.26, with an appeals deadline and hearings timetable also published.

Open events are typically scheduled early in the autumn term. The school listed an Open Evening on 24 September 2025, an Open Morning on 30 September 2025, plus personal tours each Friday in October. Families should treat that as the typical pattern and check the school’s current listing for the latest dates.

Parents should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their own travel distance and transport options, then compare that against the school’s admissions criteria and any locally published distance measurements in the relevant year.

Pastoral support in a school like this usually succeeds or fails on consistency: consistent routines, consistent follow-up on attendance, and consistent application of behaviour systems. External review evidence indicates that expectations have been raised and routines introduced, with a generally calm and orderly atmosphere, although implementation has not always been fully embedded.

Inspectors confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The school also signals a broader view of wellbeing beyond safeguarding. There are dedicated pages for wellbeing and young carers, and a tangible pastoral feature that many students respond to well, a trained therapy dog who visits weekly. The school introduces Ernest, a therapy dog who comes into school once a week with his handler, as part of the community’s approach to emotional support and connection.

For some families, the Catholic rhythm is itself part of pastoral culture. Collective worship, cathedral services, and form-time prayer create routine and shared language for reflection, responsibility, and service. For others, it is something to weigh carefully, particularly if your child is unsure about participating in prayer or Mass, or if the family prefers a secular approach.

Extracurricular life is where this school shows distinctive character, because the offerings are not limited to the predictable list of sports and arts. The Spring 2026 clubs timetable includes Debate Mate, Gospel Choir, and Youth Medsoc for Years 9 and 10, alongside reading-focused provision such as Reading for meaning. There is also Dance with Step into Dance, and practical creative options like Art Club and Performing Arts sessions, with venues named such as the Drama Studio and Art room.

This matters because clubs are not just leisure, they are often the place where confidence builds for students who are quieter in lessons. Debate Mate supports structured speaking and argument, which tends to translate into stronger extended writing and verbal reasoning across humanities subjects. Gospel Choir provides an accessible route into performance without requiring prior instrumental study, and it links naturally with the school’s Catholic identity and liturgical calendar. Youth Medsoc is a useful signal for families with students considering healthcare careers, because it normalises ambition early and can connect to the careers programme and employer encounters.

Sport is organised through dedicated after-school clubs as well. The Spring 2026 sports schedule lists netball sessions for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, athletics, and rollerblading. The implication here is not elite pathway sport, but regular structured participation that can suit students who want fitness and team experience alongside academic priorities.

The library is another practical asset. It includes designated areas such as The Careers Corner and The Gender Library, plus laptops and printing facilities to support independent study. For students, that creates a workable place for homework and revision, especially where home study space is limited.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the normal extras associated with secondary education, including uniform, trips, and optional activities.

The school day runs from 8:45am to 3:20pm. After-school clubs typically run 3:30pm to 4:30pm unless otherwise stated, which can be useful for working families building a realistic end-of-day schedule.

Transport is a practical strength. Southwark’s published admissions guide lists nearby stations as Lambeth North, Elephant and Castle, Southwark, and Waterloo East, and provides a long list of bus routes serving the area. For many students, this makes independent travel feasible from Year 7 onwards, but families should still test the route at the times their child would travel.

• Inspection outcome and consistency. The current overall judgement is Requires Improvement, with specific areas graded Good alongside areas still requiring improvement. Families should ask directly how curriculum consistency and behaviour systems are being embedded across all subjects and year groups.

• Faith expectations are real. Catholic life is integrated through worship, cathedral services, and daily prayer structures. Families uncomfortable with regular Mass, prayer, and explicit religious framing should weigh whether this will feel supportive or intrusive for their child.

• No sixth form on site. Every student transitions at 16. The priority pathway to St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College is helpful, but families should plan early for post-16 travel, courses, and application timelines.

• Competitive entry for Catholic criteria. The oversubscription structure places Catholic applicants first, with specific documentary expectations such as a Certificate of Practice for one priority category. If you are applying under faith criteria, administration matters.

A purposeful girls’ Catholic secondary with clear strengths in personal development and a coherent faith identity, set within one of London’s most connected transport zones. The school is not currently in the top performance tier in England, but a positive Progress 8 score and visible focus on stability and systems indicate upward intent.

Best suited to families who want a girls-only setting with Catholic life embedded into the week, who value structured enrichment such as Debate Mate, Gospel Choir, and Youth Medsoc, and who are prepared to plan actively for the post-16 transition. The main decision point is whether the current improvement journey aligns with your appetite for change and momentum.