St Teresa's Effingham is a selective, independent boarding and day school for girls aged 2–18 in Effingham,

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, established in 1928. It is a member of the

Girls' Schools Association The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a membership association for the heads of independent and state girls' schools in the United Kingdom. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), and works with the Association ...

History

In 1799, John Fuller built a mansion called Effingham Hill House on the site of another house which had been called Tibs, and this house now forms the centre of the senior school, and has been extended to provide modern facilities. In 1886 or somewhat later,

Julius Caesar Czarnikow Julius Caesar Czarnikow (1838 – 17 April 1909) was a German-born, London-based sugar broker and investor. Early life Julius Caesar Czarnikow was born in 1838 in Sondershausen, in the German Confederation. He was of Polish Jewish descent. His ...

bought Effingham Hill House from Frederick Augustus Maxse, and owned it until he died in 1909. His daughter, Ada Louisa, sold it to Azalea Caroline Keyes, who in 1916 sold it to Robert Reitmeyer Calburn, who owned it until 1928. St Teresa's was founded in that house by the Religious Order of Christian Instruction (who also founded St Teresa's sister school

Leweston School Leweston School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school near Sherborne in Dorset. The School consists of a Nursery (3 months - 4years), Prep School (4–11 years), Senior School (11–16 years) and Sixth Form (16–18 years). Le ...

) in 1928 on what was originally part of a manor site recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

. The last headmistress nun retired in 1977. Since 2002, the school has been managed by a lay trust. Although there are no longer any religious sisters on staff (as of 2013-14 academic year), the school maintains its Catholic ethos and ties to the local parish, which is represented in the school's Board of Governors. An all-weather pitch and new swimming pool complex were completed in 2000 and 2003 respectively and, in September 2005,

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

and the arts benefited from a multimillion-pound, 750-seat technologically equipped performing arts theatre hall, with new music and drama suites.

Curriculum

St Teresa’s Prep School is a model teaching school, being studied as a resource for

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

for studies such as enhancing literacy and positive social interaction in the classroom. Through an extensive programme of professional development for staff, teachers are fully informed of cutting edge methodologies for full engagement and interaction. A Microsoft IT Academy accredited school, the school therefore teaches computer usage, as well as basic computer programming, from an early age to ensure that IT skills are so well known as to be routinely applied. Computer Programming is offered as an extra-curricular option in Years 4 and 5, and as part of the extended curriculum for Year 6 girls since 2013. The school's head announced a planned departure and a new head was recruited in September 2012, Mr M. Farmer.

Location

St Teresa's has of grounds in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty amid the

Surrey Hills AONB The Surrey Hills National Landscape is a National Landscape in Surrey, England. It comprises around one quarter of the land area of the county and principally covers parts of the North Downs and Greensand Ridge. It was designated as an Area ...

, in a multi-crested section of the escarpment of the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...

. In 1953 a separate preparatory school was established at Grove House, in the village centre of Effingham about a mile away and has since relocated to the main school site.

Admissions

Entry to St. Teresa's is selective, and is based on an entrance examination with papers in English, Maths, Science and Verbal Reasoning. This does not preclude many students with special educational needs, who receive support in the school to help them through their studies, social interaction and exams.Standard Report 2010

Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect private schools in England. These schools are members of associations, whi ...

Accessed 2014-01-24

Cranmore School partnership

In May 2019, a prep school for boys, Cranmore,

West Horsley West Horsley is a semi-rural village between Guildford and Leatherhead in Surrey, England. It lies on the A246 road, A246, and south of the M25 motorway, M25 and the A3 road, A3. Its civil parishes in England, civil parish ascends to an ancient ...

, joined St Teresa's in the Effingham Schools Trust. The Trust plans to expand Cranmore into providing secondary education on its present site, with the two schools having a combined

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

located at St Teresa's, from September 2025.Academic
cranmore.org, accessed 2 February 2023

Notable former pupils

Past pupils are known as ''STOGs'' (St Teresa's Old Girls) *

Lynne Reid Banks Lynne Reid Banks (; 31 July 1929 – 4 April 2024) was a British author of books for children and adults, including ''The Indian in the Cupboard'', which has sold over 15 million copies and has been successfully adapted to film. Her first novel ...

, former actress and author *

Lara Goodison Lara Goodison (born 1989 or 1990) is an English actress. Goodison is from Oxshott, Surrey, and was educated at St Teresa's School Effingham and Hurtwood House. She first gained public attention when she became a contestant on '' Shipwrecked'' in ...

, actress and '' Shipwrecked: Battle of the Islands 2008'' contestant *

Ranjini Haridas Ranjini Haridas is an Indian television presenter, actress, model and YouTuber . She became popular through the Star Singer TV show of Asianet.Throughout 5 seasons of the show, she was the host. Career Hosting career Ranjini Haridas wen ...

, actress, model and Miss Kerala 2000 winner * Natalie Coyle, classically trained soprano

House System

The students are allocated to five houses which are named after saints: *

St. Benedict Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old Catholic Ch ...

* St. Dominic * St. Ignatius * St. Francis * St Tabitha

References

External links

St Teresa's School Official SiteProfile
on

MyDaughter MyDaughter was a British website set up by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) offering advice to parents of daughters on all aspects of raising and educating girls. Advice was provided by headteachers from the member schools of the Girls' Scho ...

GCSE League Table
* ISI Inspection Reports
Prep School

Senior School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Teresa's School Private schools in Surrey Catholic boarding schools in England Girls' schools in Surrey Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Roman Catholic private schools in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Boarding schools in Surrey Educational institutions established in 1928 School buildings completed in 1799 1928 establishments in England Diamond schools