At St Helen and St Katharine we have a single focus. Girls. Their needs, their ambitions, their voices. From our teaching techniques and facilities to co-curricular activities and pastoral care, every part of school life is shaped by what we know girls need and what they tell us they want.
Founded in 1903, St Helen and St Katharine is an independent day school for girls aged 9–18 in Abingdon, just south of Oxford. Our 700 students study in a campus-style environment with beautiful Edwardian and modern buildings set in 22 acres of grounds.
Named Independent Girls’ School of the Year in the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2025, our all-girls environment empowers students to pursue their interests without limits, take intellectual risks and define success – on their own terms.
St Helen and St Katharine is a school where bright, curious girls flourish into intellectually confident young women. Here, they feel free to pursue the subjects and opportunities they enjoy and excel in, following no agenda but their own. Our dynamic academic culture encourages independent thinking and a genuine love of learning, both in and beyond the classroom. Our goal is to ensure that every student achieves success as she defines it so that she can believe in herself, her talents and abilities, and feel prepared and equipped for life beyond school.
Academic. Ranked top independent girls’ school in Oxfordshire (The Times Parent Power 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), our academic results are excellent and consistently place us among the best schools in the country. In 2025, 88% of A level grades were A*–B, and 65% were A*–A. 92% of (I)GCSE grades were 9–7, while 75% were 9–8.
Our curriculum offers a broad and stimulating range of subjects as well as opportunities for academic enrichment beyond lessons, such as attending specialist lectures and conferences, discussion dinners and Oxbridge preparation.
In Sixth Form, students create an individual programme of study with three or four A levels and a St Katharine’s Study option.
Pastoral. We take pride in our expertise in supporting students as they grow from girls into young women. We provide an environment in which they can explore their individuality
without compromise, liberated from ideas of what defines a ‘typical girl’, and empowering them to discover who they truly are.
Behind everything we do at St Helen’s is a deeply held belief in the value of kindness.
Working with parents, it is our intention that every student leaves the school valuing the
power of being kind to herself and to others. We want her to be confident in creating and maintaining secure, appropriate and positive relationships with other people as she travels through life. We support her to develop an increased self-understanding and to be able to savour the best of times and weather the times in life that feel more challenging.
At the heart of the pastoral system, Form Tutors are the first port of call alongside an extensive network of support, including the Head of Section, Pastoral Deputy Head, Health Centre, Counselling team and Chaplain.
Co-curricular activities, trips and visits. Our expertise in the education of girls allows us to design our co-curricular programme, Beyond, specifically to their interests and ambitions. With over 100 clubs and societies each week – before school, during lunchtime and after school – from tennis, trampolining and taekwondo, to Pi Club, Socratic Society and Tycoon Enterprise, Beyond offers opportunities to explore new activities, build confidence and make friends across year groups.
Whether an A level Politics trip to the USA, a football tour to Sweden, an
eco-expedition to Malaysia or, closer to home, an English literary retreat
in Bath or an Art residential in Cornwall, our exceptional trips and expeditions programme gives students a chance to explore diverse societies, environments and cultures, as well as making lifelong memories through the fun and activities they involve.
Facilities. Over the last decade, an extensive building programme has been undertaken with many new additions to the School, including our Sports Centre, Performing Arts Centre, state-of-the-art Library, Science Centre and a 3D Design Centre. Our Sixth Form Centre, the Benedict Building, opened in 2023 and features nine spacious classrooms, a range of individual and group study spaces, a flexible hall and a café.
Admissions. Students are admitted to the Junior Department at either Years 5 or 6, and to the senior school at Years 7, 9 or Lower Sixth. It may be possible to admit students into other years should a place be available.
Fees per term (2025-2026). Termly tuition fee £8,520 (inclusive of VAT). School lunches per term £380 (non-optional).
Scholarships. A range of scholarships is awarded to recognise excellence, ability and potential in the areas of academics, music, sport, art and drama. Scholarships are not subject to means testing and vary in durations and value.
Bursaries. Opening access for families who would not otherwise be able to afford school fees has always been central to our ethos. If a student has the ability, imagination and drive to grasp the opportunities on offer at St Helen’s we would like to give her that chance. We offer means-tested bursaries from 20–100% of fees from Year 7, as well as transformational bursaries at A Level.
For more information contact: Mrs Jane Herold, Director of Admissions, St Helen and St Katharine, Faringdon Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1BE Tel: 01235 520 173 Email: admissions@shsk.org.uk. Charitable status. The School of St Helen and St Katharine Trust is a registered charity, number 286892.
Governors & Staff:
Chair of Governors: Ms Sara Benbow
Headmistress: Mrs Sarah Rollings, MA Open, BA Brunel
Director of Finance and Operations: Mrs Nicola McAvoy, BSc London
Senior Deputy Head: Mr John Hunt, MA St Andrews
Pastoral Deputy Head: Mrs Elizabeth Bedford, MA Oxford Brookes, BA Durham
Assistant Head, Academic Enrichment and Co-curricular Activities: Dr Abbie Pringle, DPhil, Msc Oxon, BSc Oxford Brookes
Assistant Head. Futures and Partnerships: Mrs Heather Darcy, MA Warwick, BSc London
Director of Studies: Joe Bettle, MSc, BSc Birmingham
Director of Communications and Marketing: Ms Lea Askaard, MA Southern Denmark