Coloma Convent Girls' School

Coloma Convent Girls' School is a Roman Catholic school in a semi-rural location in Shirley, on the outskirts of Croydon, South London, England.^[1] Coloma is a comprehensive school, so does not select its pupils: it has a history of selection, having been a grammar school for much of its history, and a grant-maintained school in 1994-1999.

The school selects a number of pupils at 11+ or 16+ for music scholarships; all other girls are admitted using a religious-based points system.

Since September 2010 the school has operated The Quest Academy in the form of an academy trust.^[2]

History

The school regards its founder as being the Very Reverend Canon Constant Van Crombrugghe, who founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph in Belgium in 1817. There is a bronze bust of Van Crombrugghe in the Main Hall.

The school opened on 2 August 1869, with one pupil. In 1871, property was found in Tavistock Road, Croydon, and named Coloma. The school remained there until its move in 1965 to the present site.

Admissions policy

Girls wanting to attend the school are admitted using a religious observation points system, which is intended to give priority to candidates who are seen as the most devout, and to families who are most active in the church. The school is one of a small group of Catholic comprehensives to have adopted this system, along with the London Oratory School, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and the John Fisher School. Prior to the year 2000 most of these schools admitted a percentage of their pupils based on ability, aptitude or through an interview process. The points system is seen by some as a way for these schools to protect the Catholicity of their intake.

Academic Reputation

The school gets results comparable to that of a rural grammar school with A*-C GCSE pass rates consistently in the high 80s-low 90s.

In 2010, the school was placed 6th of all comprehensive schools, with 98.1% of girls achieving 5 A* to B grades.

House System

Each pupil attending the school is a member of a house; each year group contains six houses: St. Barbara's (red) St. Bernadette's (green), St. Edith's (yellow), St. Margaret's (light blue), St. Theresa's (purple) and St. Winifred's (dark blue). Inter-house competitions and events take place throughout the year, culminating at the annual summer Sports Day.

Combined Cadet Force

While the school does not have a Combined Cadet Force (CCF), a small number of girls attend CCF training at Royal Russell School.^[3]

Headteachers

• Madame Helene, 1875 - 1892
• Madame Elitrude, 1892 - 1919
• Mother Winefride, M.A., 1919 - 1945
• Mother Marie Winefride, M.A., 1945 - 31 Aug 1948
• Interregnum 1 Sept - 31 Dec 1948
• Sister Mary Cuthbert, 1 Jan 1949 - Apr 1980
• Sister Mary Gabriel, 21 Apr 1980 – 1989
• Miss M Dolan, 1 Jan 1990 – Nov 1994
• Sister Sheila (Acting), 1 Sep 1994 – 31 July 1995
• Mrs Maureen Martin, 1 Aug 1995–present

Alumni

• Paula Ann Bland, played Claire Scott in Grange Hill
• Lucy Rusedski (nee Connor), wife of Greg Rusedski tennis player (married in 1993)
• Jenny Shircore, make-up artist

Grammar school

• Mavis Batey, World War II codebreaker
• Mary Farrin, 1970s knitwear designer
• Barbara Jones (artist)
• Sheena Marshe, actress
• Leslie Nunnerley, actress
• Cathy Shipton, actress who played Duffy in Casualty
• Prof Barbara Strang (nee Carr), Professor of English Language and General Linguistics from 1964-82 at Newcastle University, and wife of Colin Strang, 2nd Baron Strang
• Sarah Thomas (actress),

References

External links

• School website