What people say about St Catherine’s
“…many parents told us about the transformational impact this school has had on their children. One parent wrote: ‘Without exception, the staff are dedicated, committed and devoted to doing all they can for each child in their care. They are experienced, capable, knowledgeable and patient.”
Ofsted 2024
"Our son's time at St Catherine's has been great and watching him go from strength to strength has been so refreshing for us. His academic achievements, social skills, independence, to name but a few. We are sure that these things will help carry him forward and give him a good foundation to start building his future."
Parents 2024
“Pupils’ wider development is prioritised at this school and is an area of considerable strength. The school has thought in extensive detail about what it wants pupils to know, for example to support their moral and cultural development.”
Ofsted 2024
“The atmosphere within St Catherine’s, both in terms of education and care is accepting, supportive and empowering. The provision is well thought of in the local area, and is an integral part of the community, meaning the young people are afforded the opportunity to access local activities without fear of judgment, and instead are able to thoroughly enjoy their surroundings and a genuine community feel”.
NYAS 2022
“Staff identify and understand the critical areas for each student’s development and target these in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. This includes working in partnership with students’ families. One parent said: ‘My child has made remarkable progress in his learning since being at St Catherine’s. This has been life-changing for them, and also for us as a family.’”
Ofsted 2024
Testimonial - Curent Residential family
My son has been at St Catherine’s for the past 5 years. In that time he has learnt to nurture relationships beyond the family. His self-esteem and confidence have improved. I’m now looking forward to seeing his further progress from September, when he moves over to the 6th form college.
St Catherine’s seemed a natural selection at the time, having attended the Meath in Ottershaw.
St Catherine’s has a great can-do approach and every child is encouraged to fulfill their potential. My son is no exception. So I’m confident I absolutely made the right choice for him.
For example, I merely mentioned that my son had expressed an interest in Army Cadets at an annual review. The residential team then followed this through and have supported his involvement ever since. He attends weekly and has completed 3 weekend camps and is in his second year. Without the support of the team, none of this would have been possible. Although loath to admit it, they have supported my son in ways which I doubt I could have.
The communication has been excellent, I’m regularly updated and feel I’m supported as a parent, which is important to me and in turn I feel I have a good relationship with the school.
He enjoys school and comes home each Friday to tell me about his week. He then returns each Sunday without any fuss. In a nutshell St Catherine’s has proved to be perfect for everyone and I know he’s in the best possible setting to develop into young adulthood.
Testimonial - current day family
Since joining St Catherine's School our son has thrived. Having struggled for years in mainstream school, St. Catherine's have completely changed the outlook of our son's trajectory through the education system. The support we received right from the start has been outstanding. We had a very traumatised child, who was school refusing and had been part-time in mainstream for over three and half years. Within two terms of him attending St Catherine's they have managed to accomplish his full time attendance, as well as taking a taxi independently to and from school. Did we think this was possible a year ago? No. However, St Catherine's have been nothing short of miracle workers, with their innate, highly skilled understanding of neurodiversity and speech and language issues, they have created a setting where our child is allowed to be himself, giving him time to regulate, calm anxieties and work through past trauma and as a result he has been able to access the curriculum and move forward in his educational development. He has gained so much confidence since attending St Catherine's, if this is what has been accomplished in two and half terms, we are so excited by what is now possible for him in his future with the school and beyond into adulthood.