St Raphael’s is our well-being centre. Located at the heart of the School, it encompasses the Rennie Surgery, St Luke’s mindfulness space, St Catherine’s (Learning Support) and our School Counsellor.

St Raphael’s was named after the Patron Saint of Healing; he was also Patron Saint of Travellers and of Happy Meetings.  It is apt that our Well-being Centre, created in 2018, thanks to a School Council initiative, is named after him. The Centre is key to providing extra care for the girls; it is an area of positivity, emphasising and accentuating feeling good about oneself and developing strategies to self-heal and become more resilient.


School Nurses

Our qualified School Nurses are Mrs Nicola Condren and Ms Jen Lavelle and they are based in the Rennie Surgery.  Between them they are available full-time during school hours in case of illness or accident. If your daughter feels unwell during the school day, she can go to the School Nurse and they will decide on the best course of action. If necessary, the Nurse will contact you to arrange for your daughter to be collected and taken home.

If you have any concerns regarding your daughter’s general health, please do contact the Nurses and they will endeavour to help.

The Surgery was named after Sister Rennie, who was a pupil at the school in the 1930s, and who subsequently became a Sister of the RCE, and later the School Nurse. She has been a Sister for over 75 years, assisting pupils with love and care during the majority of that time.


School Counsellor

The School Counselling Service is a professional service available to assist pupils who face challenges which may need support beyond that usually given by their Tutors, Heads and Assistant Heads of Year or other staff.

Our School Counsellor, Mrs Michele Blockley, is in school four days per week and works closely with the Pastoral Team to identify girls who may benefit from the offer of extra support. She is an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is bound by their ethical framework. Mrs Blockley has highly relevant counselling qualifications including a Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling working with Children and Young People and is specifically trained to work with children and young people; she has experience in bereavement and creative working.

The Counselling Room has been set up to provide a safe, confidential, warm environment where the girls are able to relax, share and discuss their concerns. There are also creative media available to enable the girls to express their needs if they find it difficult to articulate their own specific challenges.

Counselling referrals can be made to the Deputy Head (Pastoral) by staff, parents or the pupils themselves. Full details are in the School Counselling Policy which is available on request. You can request this via email at [email protected].