A second language is a real asset

According to a recent international survey (www.kornferry.com) of more than 12,000 people, 31 per cent of executives who responded are bilingual, and the need for bilingual executives will be even greater in 10 years.

Dr Charles Tannock, MEP for London, to give Siena Society lecture on Thursday 20th October at 5pm.

The Siena Society is delighted to welcome Dr Tannock to St Catherine’s School. Dr Tannock will be describing his numerous roles in government, both in London and Brussels; from his work to ensure fair elections in Ukraine to his work in numerous cross party Parliamentary groups to support sufferers from epilepsy, cervical cancer and mental illness.

Are you a teenager getting less than 9 hours sleep a night?

If so, you may find yourself becoming grumpy, losing your memory, having slower reaction times and generally being less alert, vigilant and even less attractive than your peers! This and much more, we learnt in our latest Siena Society lecture given by Dr Paul Jackson, a psychologist specializing in the effects of fatigue.


Dr Jackson centered his talk around 3 questions: Why do we need to sleep? What are the consequences of fatigue? How can we improve our quality of sleep?

Sixth Form Chemists visit Imperial College

St Catherine's Sixth Form Chemistry students visited the Chemistry department at Imperial College, London to gain a rather different perspective of what studying this subject might involve. They were treated to an enthralling lecture on Cosmetic Science and for one student at least, it really captured her imagination. As Sixth Formers it is too easy to forget that there are literally thousands of degree courses to choose from and this visit really highlighted that. Many thanks to Mr David Mitchell for organizing the trip.

Former prisoner enthralls Siena Society audience

The Siena Society got off to a riveting start to the year with a sizeable audience being treated to a rare and uncompromising talk by a former convicted robber, Mr John Bowers. Mr Bowers reminded us that 86,000 people are locked up in our prisons today and much of his talk was an attempt to answer the question: Why?

Sixth Form Open Evening, Sep 21st, 6:30pm

St Catherine's Sixth Form will be hosting an Open Evening for interested students and parents this Wednesday, 21st September from 6:30-8pm.

Please come armed with questions, enjoy our tours of the facilities and get to know the staff and students!

Come to the Drama Studio at 6:30pm for a welcome presentation from the Headmistress and the Head of Sixth Form.

Students avoid humanities in favour of vocational degrees. But are they wise?

UCAS statistics reveal that applications to study subjects like law, teaching and accounting increased this year, whilst interest in courses in English, history, classics and philosophy reduced. Applicants are, it appears, increasingly choosing subjects that they think will offer them the best chance of a guaranteed career. However, humanities courses have always helped prepare students for jobs, via the transferable skills learned during them. The majority of graduate-entry jobs are, as always, open to graduates of any discipline.