Notre Dame Senior School

Notre Dame is an Independent Catholic Day School for girls aged 2-18, with a co-educational Nursery. Set in 26 acres of beautiful Surrey countryside, we warmly welcome families of all faiths and none. Our all-round education puts our students front and centre to deliver the best academic results. We want to inspire a love of learning and build the foundations on which our students can grow and develop, with confidence, kindness, boldness and a sense of self.

For more than 400 years, pastoral care has been embedded at the heart of our whole approach to education, but not at the expense of academic rigour. Rather, it forms the bedrock on which academic excellence is built: happy, comfortable and secure young women make confident and successful learners. Our students feel safe to venture beyond their comfort zone and try new approaches and they understand that mistakes and failures are an important step in learning.

For every student and every subject at A level and GCSE the ‘Notre Dame predicted grade’ is higher than the predicted grade based on ability. Our academic ‘Value Added’ places us in the upper tranche of schools nationally. We have the highest aspirations for all our students and they are stretched but not stressed. The calibre of our teaching is such that not only the brightest students, but those across the entire ability spectrum, achieve the highest academic outcomes. Furthermore, Government data shows the average percentage of students who achieve grade 7-9 at GCSE in independent schools is 48.4%. Our students achieved 54%.

We are always looking to improve and all staff are encouraged and supported in continually striving to enrich the educational experience. We have a range of dynamic strategies which together assure the delivery of an exemplary all-round education. The focus on assessment and collaborative marking has included pupils in the process and given them greater ownership over their own academic progress.

At Notre Dame, there is a real passion for STEM subjects which has now been translated into our fantastic new Innovation Space, launched in November 2024. This new, high-tech, creative, flexible building is designed to be used across all areas of the curriculum. Our students can now engineer rockets using the latest CAD computers or build robots using laser cutters or make podcasts or movies using the latest green-screen technology.

Sport and the Arts are also the heart and soul of the school. Our state-of the-art all-weather pitches and field sports hub provide ample opportunities to excel in sports and inspire a lifelong love of exercise. Our professional level 360-seat theatre stages numerous and varied productions and performances each year with all girls treading the boards from the Early Years to Sixth Form.

What is most important to us is that our students are happy and successful in equal measures. We see all our students as individuals with their own unique personalities and talents – which we want to foster and nurture as they grow and develop through their years with us, from Nursery to University. We help our students to understand and express their feelings, build their confidence and emotional resilience and consequently, their capacity to learn.
Our admissions process reflects this by providing a warm and friendly team, who will support you every step of the way, ensuring the process is as seamless and stress free as possible.