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. 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.
From September 2010 until late 2018 The Quest Academy was part of the separate Coloma Trust, an academy trust that later also included the Archbishop Lanfranc school.

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 St. Bernadette's, St. Edith's, St. Margaret's, St. Theresa's and St. Winifred's. 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 their own Combined Cadet Force, a few of the girls per year get to attend CCF training at Royal Russell School enabling them to experience the Army or the RAF.

Headteachers