Private school in Croydon, Greater London, England
The Laurels School
is an 11?18 girls
Roman Catholic
private
day school
and
sixth form
. Established in 2013 by the PACT Educational Trust, it is based in the
Upper Norwood
area of the
London Borough of Croydon
in England.
[1]
The school relocated to its present site in September 2021; it is the former location of
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School
, a Roman Catholic
voluntary aided
secondary school
for girls. This space is shared with
The Cedars School
for boys.
In common with the neighbouring boys school and other members of the PACT Educational Trust, the ethos of The Laurels School is reportedly inspired by the teachings of
St Josemaria Escriva
and the organisation he founded,
Opus Dei
.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
The original building on the site was a hunting lodge (of unknown age). In the late 1700s, the building was owned by the
Earls of Bristol
, and was known as Norwood House, the residence of the notable socialite
Mary Nesbitt
.
[3]
In the early 1800s the lodge was sold and became known as the "Old Park Hotel".
[4]
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School
[
edit
]
Mother Saint Mary (Henriette le Forestier d'Osseville; 1803?1858), who had arrived in the United Kingdom in September 1848 with the intention of establishing a school under the patronage of
Cardinal Wiseman
, acquired the site with funds provided by her father, Count Theodose le Forestier d'Osseville in 1857.
[4]
The current building was designed by
William Wardell
and built in phases in the
gothic style
to accommodate Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School commencing at that time.
[4]
The convent is part of the
Sisters of Our Lady of Fidelity
, an international
Roman Catholic
religious organisation, founded in France in 1831.
[4]
Due to financial pressures and lack of funds for building repairs, Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School closed at the end of the 2021 Summer term.
[5]
[6]
The Laurels School
[
edit
]
The Laurels School was established in 2013 in
Clapham Park
. In 2015 the school was visited by
Lord
and
Lady Windsor
, both of whom are supporters of the PACT Educational Trust.
[7]
The school relocated to Shelley House on
Chelsea Embankment
in 2019. Shelley House had been used by the
Opus Dei
Catholic institution since 1978 for the education of women.
[8]
The school rapidly outgrew this site and relocated to the former Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School in September 2021.
[9]
Profile
[
edit
]
The Laurels School is academically selective, and also operates a small
sixth form
.
[10]
[11]
The site is shared with
The Cedars School
for boys, and both schools use the same sports hall.
[12]
The school environment reflects a strongly Catholic ethos; a prayer is said at the beginning of every lesson, and alongside a mainstream academic curriculum, girls attend talks on motherhood and family life.
[13]
Notable former pupils
[
edit
]
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Primary
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Secondary
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Special
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Independent
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Further education
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Defunct
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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
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- Churches
- St George's Cathedral, Southwark
- Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George
- Sacred Heart Church, Battersea
- Corpus Christi Church, Brixton
- St Osmund's Church, Barnes
- Sacred Heart Church, Camberwell
- St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Canterbury
- St Michael the Archangel Church, Chatham
- St Paul's Church, Dover
- St Thomas More Church, Dulwich
- Our Lady of Loreto and St Winefride's Church, Kew
- St Agatha's Church, Kingston
- St Mary Magdalen Church, Mortlake
- Our Lady of the Angels Church, Erith
- Our Lady of Gillingham Church
- Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Richmond
- Polish Church of St. John the Evangelist, Putney
- St Augustine's Church, Ramsgate
- St Ethelbert's Church, Ramsgate
- St Elizabeth of Portugal Church, Richmond
- St Joseph Church, Roehampton
- St Mary's Church, Clapham
- St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham
- Sts Simon and Jude Church, Streatham Hill
- St Raphael's Church, Surbiton
- St Anne's Church, Vauxhall
- St Patrick's Church, Waterloo
- Christ the King Church, Wimbledon Park
- St Winefride Church, South Wimbledon
- Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon
- St Peter's Church, Woolwich
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- Schools
- Bishop Challoner School
- Bishop Thomas Grant School
- Bonus Pastor Catholic College
- The Cedars School
- Christ the King Sixth Form College
- Coloma Convent Girls' School
- Donhead Preparatory School
- Holy Cross School, New Malden
- Holy Cross Preparatory School
- The John Fisher School
- La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School
- The Laurels School
- Marymount International School London
- Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls' School
- Richard Challoner School
- Sacred Heart Catholic School, Camberwell
- St Anselm's Catholic School
- St Catherine's Catholic School for Girls
- St Columba's Catholic Boys' School
- St Edmund's Catholic School, Dover
- St Francis Xavier College, Clapham
- St Gregory's Catholic School
- St John Bosco College, Battersea
- St John Fisher Catholic School
- St John's Catholic Comprehensive School
- St Joseph's College, Upper Norwood
- St Mary's Roman Catholic High School, Croydon
- St Matthew Academy
- St Michael's Catholic College
- St Paul's Academy, Abbey Wood
- St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls
- St Simon Stock Catholic School
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Eltham
- St Thomas the Apostle College
- St Ursula's Convent School
- Thomas More Catholic School, Purley
- Ursuline College, Westgate-on-Sea
- Ursuline High School, Wimbledon
- Wimbledon College
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