Our Ethos & Mission
Click here to learn more about what it means to be a Salesian.
Salesian
School
Enlightening minds, uplifting hearts
Welcome to Salesian, our happy and thriving Catholic school and college community, a place where young people are nurtured to go out into the world and achieve great things!
Central to our mission is the belief that every child and student has God-given potential to make our world a better place and that the education and experiences they receive at Salesian, helps to provide the key to unlocking that potential.
Our mission here is characterised by the philosophy of the Salesian founder, St John Bosco. He stressed high educational standards but insisted on a friendly atmosphere in his schools where the idea of community could be fostered. Good relationships between all members of our community are key to everything we do. Our motto – ‘Enlightening minds, uplifting hearts’ – is taken from the writings of Don Bosco. We strive to ensure that every student feels genuinely loved at Salesian, in order that they develop into confident, capable young people who are determined to go out and make our world a better place; we call this “Building the Kingdom”.
We achieve these aspirations through strong pastoral support, excellent teaching and an extensive range of sporting, cultural, physical and social co-curricular activities. All this is delivered by an exceptional group of teachers and support staff who are totally committed to doing everything we can to ensure every child receives the best possible education.
Salesian has built a reputation for excellence that has been established since we were founded here in Chertsey over 100 years ago. Today, we are a mixed, comprehensive school meeting the needs of children of all abilities from 11-18 years. We provide for over 1800 students, including around 400 in our Sixth Form College, which is on its own specialised site. We are an academy and part of the Xavier Catholic Education Trust.
Our aspiration is to improve education for all and as part of the Xavier Teaching School Hub, we are dedicated to first class learning and teaching, professional development and supporting schools in difficulty. We also, through Xavier, play a key role in Teach SouthEast, the leading centre for initial teacher training in the region.
If you are interested in finding out more about learning, working, or training to teach at Salesian then please get in touch; we look forward to meeting you.
God bless,
Paul Gower
Headteacher
Mr Paul Gower, Headteacher
"It is not enough to love the young, they must know that they are loved"
Don Bosco was a priest in 19th century Turin who, inspired by the work of St Francis de Sales, founded the Salesians to care for the young; today there are hundreds of Salesian orphanages, care homes and schools around the world. Don Bosco famously said “It is not enough for children to be loved; they must know that they are loved. At Salesian School in Chertsey, we strive to live up to his ideal every day.
Don Bosco’s ethos was centred in love, relationships and high expectations of the young people in his care. The success of Salesian school is built on these foundations. A deep love and care for the students, a focus on the quality of the relationships and a strict approach to standards and behaviour.
building the kingdom
building the kingdom
building the kingdom
building the kingdom
building the kingdom
NEWS
The latest news from our Salesian community.
Good School Guide Certificate of Excellence
We recently had a visit from The Good Schools Guide, who completed a report on the school. Some comments from the article and students are listed below:
‘Pupils we spoke to were polite and respectful, emitting decency, community service and work ethic’, ‘It’s cool to achieve in this environment’, ‘(a) clear culture of high expectation and aspiration’, ‘phenomenal support’ and ‘endlessly enthusiastic and inspirational’.
It’s been said before, but we genuinely can’t thank the wider Salesian community enough for your constant positivity and generous support. What we do and strive for at this school would not be possible without you. So again, thank you.
The full Good School Guide report can be found here Salesian School, Chertsey | The Good Schools Guide (the majority of the report is behind a pay wall).
Voted Joint 8th Happiest by Ofsted
Salesian has been ranked the joint 8th happiest non-selective school in the country according to Ofsted rankings, which measured 1940 schools. Overall, the school was joint 15th on 98%, 1% behind those sat in the top position. The table to the right is a Surrey school comparison and places us as the happiest school in Surrey! The article in the Times can be found here: The happiest secondary schools, ranked by Ofsted. Where’s yours?
SOCIAL MEDIA
3,016
Salesian School Chertsey
Catholic secondary comprehensive school
Celebrating Culture Day with students and staff wearing vibrant colours, listening to upbeat music and sharing delicious food from different cultures. A friendly game of Tug of War was arranged where we had Europe vs Asia, America vs Africia, and Europe vs West Countries competing! What a fantastic way for students to get stuck into learning about different cultures as we come to the end of a hot and sunny week.
#CultureDay #cultureday2025 #diversityandinclusion #diversity #ethnicity #community #tugofwar #oursalesiancommunity
Amazing photos of what looks like a wonderful day, well done.
Fabulous 🤩
Wellbeing Wednesday
Living in a world where technology seamlessly integrates into our daily lives can be too complex for us and young children. The Wellbeing Hub will release a live webinar about how to help children thrive in a digital world. From the challenges of social media to online gaming and the opportunities created by AI-powered learning tools, the digital space offers both opportunities and challenges for young minds.
If you are interested, follow the link below and register there:
club.teentips.co.uk/events/helping-your-child-thrive-in-the-digital-world/
If you want to listen to more helpful webinars, you can visit at the Wellbeing Hub website:
club.teentips.co.uk/home/parents/
#digitalwellbeing #digitalworld #Wellbeing #WellbeingWednesday #WellbeingHub #oursalesiancommunity
Year 8 Wellbeing Retreat
On Monday and Tuesday, our Year 8 students took a meaningful pause from their usual routine to reflect, reconnect, and recharge during a special Catholic-focused wellbeing retreat.
From creative workshops to moments of quiet reflection, it was a time of growth, laughter, and spiritual nourishment. A big thank you to our chaplain team and to those supporting staff who made it possible.
#FaithInAction #year8retreat #catholiceducation #spiritualgrowth #Wellbeing #oursalesiancommunity
Heads up! Culture Day is just around the corner this Friday at the school. It is a day to celebrate and learn about many cultures, highlighting key values in their traditions, foods, and art. Students can come in clothing that represents their culture, or in a chosen colour of their culture.
#culture #CultureDay #cultureday2025 #celebration #CultureCelebration #oursalesiancommunity
Book your tickets now for Salesian’s Summer Production 2025 where they will be performing the musical ‘Grease’ (school addition). It’s going to be one of those ‘Summer Nights’ you will never forget!
#summerproduction #grease #greasemusical #schoolplay #SchoolTheatre #oursalesiancommunity
Salesian School
Guildford Road
Chertsey
Surrey
KT16 9LU
Call +44 (0)1932 582520
Safeguarding +44 (0)7979 181798
Salesian College
Highfield Road
Chertsey
Surrey
KT16 8BX
Call +44 (0)1932 578681
