Woldingham School is an independent school for girls, located in the former Marden Park of outside the village of Woldingham, Surrey, in South East England. 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

Society of the Sacred Heart , image = RSCJnuevo.jpg, , image_size = 150px , caption = , abbreviation = Post-nominal letters: RSCJ , formation = , founder = Saint Sr. Madeleine Sophie Barat, R.S.C.J. ...

; the first Convent of the Sacred Heart in England.A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden at British history Online website
/ref> The Society had been founded in France in 1800 by Madeleine Sophie Barat (

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of s ...

in 1925) immediately after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

(1789–1799). The first Sacred Heart school had opened in 1801 at

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

, France; others were soon established in France and across Europe. The Convent of the Sacred Heart moved to

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

, London, in 1850. Shortly after the 1939 outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the school was evacuated, first to Newquay and later to Stanford Hall, near

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

. Because the house at the Roehampton site was badly damaged during a 1941 air raid and later had to be demolished, the school decided, at the end of war, to find a new location. Marden Park was purchased by the Society in 1945, and the school moved in one year later. Early in the 1980s, the Society decided to commit the school to

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune * Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) ...

management under the

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

ship of the Society. In 1984, Philomena Dineen was appointed first lay

Head of School A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

for the newly renamed Woldingham School; she took up her duties in January 1985.

Accommodation structure

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).

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 Rose Philippine Duchesne, RCSJ (August 29, 1769 – November 18, 1852), was a French religious sister and educator whom Pope John Paul II canonized in 1988. She is the only fully canonized female Roman Catholic saint to share a feast day with th ...

; 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 The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

and enter straight into the Sixth Form.

Office of Fair Trading investigation

On 20 November 2006, the

Office of Fair Trading The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforced both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the United Kingdom's economic regu ...

(OFT) announced its decision following a 2005–2006 investigation (Ref No. CA98/05/2006) into allegations that fifty of England's top independent schools, including Woldingham, had broken competition law (section 2 of the Competition Act 1998) by sharing information about fees via the so-called "Sevenoaks Survey". 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 , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...

, 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 The Competition Act 1998 is the current major source of competition law in the United Kingdom, along with the Enterprise Act 2002. The act provides an updated framework for identifying and dealing with restrictive business practices and abuse o ...

, 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.

Notable former pupils

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: *

Evelyn Anthony Evelyn Bridget Patricia Ward-Thomas (; 3 July 1926 – 25 September 2018), better known by the pen name Evelyn Anthony, was a British writer. Anthony was born in the Lambeth district of London. She had a very prolific writing career, transla ...

, writer *

Candy Atherton Candice Kathleen Atherton (21 September 1955 – 30 October 2017) was a British Labour politician and journalist. After serving as a councillor in Islington, where she was mayor, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Falmouth and Camborne fr ...

, politician * Sonia Brownell,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

and wife of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalit ...

* Dame

Mary Douglas Dame Mary Douglas, (25 March 1921 – 16 May 2007) was a British anthropologist, known for her writings on human culture and symbolism, whose area of speciality was social anthropology. Douglas was considered a follower of Émile Durkheim ...

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

* Tessa Fraser who became Lady Keswick *

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in '' Go ...

(1920), actress *

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen O'Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish-American actress, who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She performed with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, William ...

, actress *

Valerie Hunter Gordon Valerie Hunter Gordon (née Valerie Ziani de Ferranti; 7 December 1921 – 16 October 2016) was the British inventor of PADDI, a sustainable nappy system considered to be the world's first disposable nappy, and Nikini, an early sanitary to ...

, inventor of the disposable nappy *

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg (Elisabeth Hilda Zita Marie Anna Antonia Friederike Wilhelmine Luise; 22 December 1922 – 22 November 2011) was a Luxembourgian princess. She was a daughter of Grand Duchess Charlotte and her husband ...

(

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

) * Princess Irmingard of Bavaria (1936) * Princess Maria Adelgunde of Hohenzollern * Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg * Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark * Antonia White, writer

Woldingham School

* Moet Abebe, Nigerian VJ * Suzanne Bertish (1969), actress *

Emma Corrin Emma-Louise Corrin (born 13 December 1995) is an English actor. They portrayed Diana, Princess of Wales in the fourth season of the Netflix historical drama '' The Crown'' (2020), for which they won a Golden Globe, a Critics' Choice Award ...

(2014), actress * Marsha Fitzalan, actress *

Clarissa Dickson Wright Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright (24 June 1947 – 15 March 2014) was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and former barrister. She was be ...

(expelled), celebrity chef and former barrister * Caroline Waldegrave,

cookery Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in variou ...

writer and president of the

Hospital Caterers Association The Hospital Caterers Association is an industry body in the United Kingdom for people and organisations involved in NHS Healthcare Catering Management established in 1948 It runs an annual award ceremony. It set up an annual Nutrition and Hydrat ...

Press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

"Lady Waldegrave takes on role as President of the HCA"
accessed 13 August 2009 * Caroline Wyatt (1984), BBC news journalist *

Louise Mensch Louise Daphne Mensch (''née'' Bagshawe; born 28 June 1971) is a British blogger, novelist, and former Conservative Member of Parliament. In the 1990s she became known as a writer of chick lit novels under her maiden name Louise Bagshawe. She ...

(1989), Conservative MP for Corby (2010–2012), novelist (as Louise Bagshawe) *

Tilly Bagshawe Matilda Emily Mary "Tilly" Bagshawe (born 12 June 1973) is a British freelance journalist and author. She is best known for her books in the vein of best-selling American author Sidney Sheldon, notably '' Sidney Sheldon's Mistress of the Game ...

, journalist and writer *

Artemis Cooper Artemis Cooper, Lady Beevor FRSL (born Alice Clare Antonia Opportune Cooper; 22 April 1953) is a British writer, primarily of biographies. She is married to historian Sir Antony Beevor. Family life She is the only daughter of The 2nd Viscoun ...

, writer *

Sofia Ellar Sofía Lecubarri Ruigómez (born 15 November 1993) known professionally as Sofia Ellar (), is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Born and raised for her first years in London, she started performing in various small singing concerts as a child in ...

, singer-songwriter *

Leslie Ferrar Leslie Jane Ferrar, CVO (born 20 July 1955) was Treasurer to Charles, Prince of Wales from January 2005 until July 2012. Since leaving the Royal Household, she has taken on a number of Non-Executive and Trustee roles. These include * Non-execut ...

, treasurer to

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

* Dillie Keane (expelled), actress, singer and

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

* Tanya Hamilton (née Nation), Marchioness of Hamilton * Lucy Ferry (née) Helmore, socialite * Carey Mulligan (2003),

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated actress * Lady Isabella Hervey (2000), socialite, model and actress *

Florence Brudenell-Bruce Florence "Flea" Anne-Marie St George (''née'' Brudenell-Bruce; born 21 November 1985) is an English model and former actress. The daughter of Andrew Brudenell-Bruce, a wine merchant and descendant of Ernest Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of Ail ...

(2003), lingerie model and socialite *

Helen Whately Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (''née'' Lightwood; born 23 June 1976) is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Social Care since October 2022, and previously from 2020 to 2021. She also served as Exchequer Secretary to the Trea ...

, Conservative MP for Faversham and Mid Kent

References

External links

TES site

Profile
at the independent schools Council website
Profile
at the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council. History The GSA can trace its history back to the Association of Headm ...

website {{coord, 51.275884, N, 0.052046, W, source:dewiki_region:GB_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Boarding schools in Surrey Girls' schools in Surrey Roman Catholic independent schools in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Independent schools in Surrey Educational institutions established in 1842 1842 establishments in England Catholic boarding schools in England Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Sacred Heart schools