Our School

St Catherine’s College is a nurturing environment designed around ensuring each student has the support to learn, grow and realise her potential. We provide a high quality academic education, with small class sizes, and extensive co-curricular opportunities.

Our vision is to develop confident, independent learners who think creatively and who are challenged to reach their academic and personal potential in a warm, caring Christian environment. But we also prepare our students to face the future challenges and opportunities of living and working in a global economy.
 

St Catherine’s College has enjoyed a long tradition of academic excellence with graduates moving on to further study across a wide variety of disciplines and working in many professions and as entrepreneurs.

In recent NCEA results, our students succeeded at higher rates than many bigger schools.

Learning is personal; our small classes enable teachers to know each student well so they can target the teaching and learning to ensure the active participation and involvement of all learners. They are able to monitor each student’s progress and to provide differentiated approaches to meet learners’ needs. Opportunities exist for students to multi-level when choosing subjects. Each student has a teacher mentor who discusses progress and goals at a goal setting conference, held each year.

The culture of the school is one where students, supported by their teachers, are open about their desire for academic and personal achievement and work positively to reach their goals. Students are proud of their own successes and the success of others.

Academic programmes at St Catherine’s have been developed in line with the New Zealand Curriculum and cover the essential learning areas of the Arts, English, Health and Physical Education, Languages, Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences and Technology. In addition Religious Education with its emphasis on understanding history, ethics, morality, values and justice is an essential programme of learning at St Catherine’s. We aim to provide every student with a broad, well-balanced, general education that is tailored to her needs and potential.

“Suitable and flexible learning pathways are planned in response to the needs of individual students. Senior leaders and teachers demonstrate a solution-focused approach through Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and flexible timetabling.”

“Senior leaders articulate clear expectations of teaching practice. These include adapting classroom programmes to meet the needs of students and actively demonstrating high expectations for all.”