The Laurels attracts girls from families who believe in a ‘character first’ approach to education for their daughters. The school has a Catholic ethos and its character development programme is based on the cultivation of the virtues that ensure pupils are truly well-rounded young women.
The school strives to develop in girls those qualities of greatness that will enable the achievement of academic potential but also very importantly help them develop in every other aspect of their life at school and, crucially, beyond school, leading to a happy and fulfilled life. It works closely with parents, the first educators of their children, and every girl has a personal tutor who helps to ensure the pursuit of academic excellence and the acquisition of skills as well as personal character development.
Prospective families are frequently attracted to the school, now in its tenth year, because of the excellent reputation it has acquired for strong pastoral care and for the evidently happy girls who have gone on to a wide range of degrees at Russell Group universities including Cambridge, Durham and King’s College London.
The Laurels is located in Crystal Palace, having outgrown earlier locations in Clapham and Chelsea. It sits adjacent to The Cedars School, for boys, which shares its educational philosophy and ethos and is also part of PACT Educational Trust, together with Oakwood Preparatory School in Croydon. Parents who are committed to its unique offering make use of convenient transport links and the school’s own coach service to send their children from a wide circumference including Chelsea, Beckenham, Clapham and Dulwich.
The school is still growing, with two forms in Year 7 for the first time. Its small size, which will result ultimately in two forms in each year group throughout the school, means that every girl truly is known as an individual and, crucially, also has every chance to participate and be involved. A Model United Nations conference in Manchester saw 10% of the school involved, for example against 30 other schools, and The Laurels more than holds its own in national creative arts competitions and sporting fixtures.
Extensive sporting facilities are on site and the girls enjoy a wide range of sports and a busy competitive programme. Every department in the school offers at least one activity, so that girls can explore a wide range of interests.
