The Company of Mary
Notre Dame School was founded in 1937 at Burwood House in Cobham – a property whose history stretches back to Henry VIII – by nuns from the Company of Mary Our Lady, a religious teaching order established in Bordeaux in 1607 by Jeanne de Lestonnac. The order is the oldest recognised educational congregation for girls in the Catholic Church, and its schools operate across five continents. The Cobham foundation was part of that global mission – a school rooted in Catholic values but open to families of all faiths.
Jeanne de Lestonnac was the niece of Michel de Montaigne, the essayist, and her approach to education reflected his influence: intellectual rigour tempered by humanity, and an insistence that girls should be educated to the same standard as boys. The order she founded has maintained that philosophy for over four centuries, and it shapes the ethos of Notre Dame in Cobham to this day.
The Campus
The school occupies 26 acres of grounds at Burwood House, set back from the main road in Cobham. The original house has been supplemented by modern buildings, including science laboratories, a sports hall, a performing arts studio, and a purpose-built prep school. The grounds are spacious enough to include playing fields, tennis courts, and a cross-country running course – a luxury in a part of Surrey where land is expensive and school sites tend to be compact.
The School Today
Notre Dame takes girls from nursery through to sixth form, with around 500 pupils. The school is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and follows the national curriculum enriched by a strong co-curricular programme. Music and drama are particular strengths, and the school regularly produces confident public speakers and performers.
The Catholic identity is present but not oppressive. Mass is celebrated and the school year follows the liturgical calendar, but the community is diverse and welcoming. Around a third of pupils are not Catholic, drawn by the school's academic record, its pastoral care, and the sense of community that a faith school can offer when it gets the balance right.
