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| 10 Feb 2026 | |
| Alumnae News |
It is with sadness that we share the news of the death of Yolande Paterson, former Headmistress of St Helen and St Katharine, who died last week.
Yolande Paterson led St Helen’s from 1973 to 1993, during a period of significant change in both education and wider society. Educated at St Paul’s Girls’ School and St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she read Geography, she brought a deep sense of academic purpose, integrity and commitment to her role as Headmistress.
Her headship coincided with a time when schools were navigating shifting expectations, social change, and increasing practical and financial pressures. Yolande met these challenges with determination and clarity of purpose, guiding the School confidently through a demanding and formative era.
Her leadership was marked by an ambitious programme of development, much of which continues to shape the School today. On her retirement, a fellow Head that worked closely with Yolande reflected: “Her main aim was to make St Helen’s as good a school of its type as possible and in this she triumphantly succeeded.”
We extend our sincere condolences to Yolande’s family, and to all those in the St Helen’s community who remember her with respect, gratitude and affection. We intend to hold a memorial service for Miss Paterson at St Helen’s, and will confirm the details in due course.
