September 2023
We’re delighted to feature in the Tatler Schools Guide 2023 with such heartwarming praise – from our “inspirational” Headmistress and “sky’s-the-limit” attitude, to an ethos of “it’s cool to learn”. Read the full entry below.
“A team of Year 8 girls made history in 2021 when they became HelKat’s first-ever winners of the National Reading Champions Quiz, beating 518 others. Head Rebecca Dougall, the school’s biggest champion, must have been proud. ‘Inspirational, highly organised and a pleasure to deal with’, she is liked by parents and girls alike. Keen to break down gender stereotypes, it’s she who insists the STEM subjects jointly taught with boys from nearby Abingdon are held at HelKat.
“Girls are told the sky’s the limit, and to constructively challenge and question; and an ethos of ‘it’s cool to learn’ comes with plenty of opportunities to do so.’Thinking Suppers’ with Radley boys – popular with Years 9 and 10 – mix dining and debate, developing critical thinking, confidence, self-belief and presentation skills.
Meanwhile, the indoor gym and Taekwondo are in demand, and there’s as much sports and drama as the girls want. Last year, five productions were staged, the senior-year plays in partnership with Abingdon. Musical duos, trios, quartets and quintets abound, as well as orchestras and choirs; and teatime concerts are well attended.
“In 2021, 95 per cent achieved grades 9-7 at GCSE, and 96 per cent A*-B at A level. Eighty-seven per cent of leavers went to Russell Group universities, including Oxbridge; and 44 per cent went on to take STEM-related courses, including medicine, biomedical science and neuroscience.”
