St Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent

For other schools of the same name, see Saint Joseph's College (disambiguation).
St Joseph's College
Motto Fideliter et Fortiter
Established 1932
Type Grammar school;
Academy
Religion Roman Catholic
Head Teacher Ms Roisin M Maguire
Founders Christian Brothers
Location London Road
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST4 5NT
England
Coordinates: 52°59′17″N 2°11′56″W / 52.988°N 2.199°W / 52.988; -2.199
Local authority Stoke-on-Trent
DfE URN 131301 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Students 1068[1]
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–18
Houses 5
Colours Black & Red
Website www.stjosephstrentvale.com

St. Joseph’s College is a mixed Roman Catholic 11–18 school in Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. The school's oldest and original building in this location is a Grade II listed structure which was previously a residential property before it was bought by the Christian Brothers in 1931.

History

The school was founded by the Irish Christian Brothers in 1932 as an all-boys school. It moved into the present buildings in 1936, and was recognised by the Board of Education in the following year.[2]

St Joseph's was a direct grant grammar school until the eleven plus was abolished in Stoke in 1967, after which the grant was gradually phased out. The school re-opened as a fully independent school in 1980, and in the following years began to admit girls.[2]

After many years as a Preparatory and Senior School, the Preparatory School split off to form a new independent school elsewhere on the site, while the High School became a state-maintained grammar school, which it remains to this day. The school achieved Science College status in 2004.

Applicants to the school are required to take an entrance examination. Approximately 75% of applicants reach the school's qualifying standard, and places are allocated among these using other criteria (faith, siblings and distance). In 2007, Stoke-on-Trent proposed a reorganisation of secondary schools in the city, including closure of St Joseph's.[3][4] After a vigorous campaign, the school was retained.[5]

School site

The school has an extensive program of rooms and labs, the biggest is RE1 situated across the main staircase from the Brother Kerrigan Library. A new Science Wing was added to the old building, forming a quadrangle in the centre of the school, which contains a heart-shaped pond overlooked by a statue of the Virgin Mary, marking the end of the second millennium. A statue of Edmund Rice is located outside the Year 7 corridor.

The Sixth Form Centre until 2008 was housed separately from the rest of the school in a Grade II listed building, which until 2001 was home to the Congregation of Christian Brothers who founded the school. Since their departure from the school premises in the summer of 2001, the Brothers' House has undergone extensive renovations. A range of facilities are now available, including an IT suite, chapel, annexed study room, several large teaching rooms, coffee bar and two common rooms.

From September 2008 onwards, 'Stone House' further down the A34 road towards Hanford took the Brother's House's place as Sixth Form Centre.

School song: Fideliter et Fortiter

When we grow old and the battle is raging,
when to the wide earth's far corners we're flung;
when we need faith in the conflict we're waging;
shall we remember how once we were young.

Fideliter et Fortiter, Fideliter et Fortiter,
Down the years we'll re-echo the song:
Faithful and strong. Faithful and strong.

Then we'll be true to devotions we've learned,
cling to our standards, be proud of our name.
Bare without hauteur the laurels we've earned,
strong in adversity, humble in fame.

Fideliter et Fortiter, Fideliter et Fortiter,
Down the years we'll re-echo the song:
Faithful and strong. Faithful and strong.[6]

Notable former pupils

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References

  1. ↑ "pupil premium policy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-22.
  2. 1 2 Dominic Hyland. "History of St. Joseph's College". Archived from the original on 2010-05-19.
  3. ↑ Graeme Paton (2007-11-06). "Top Catholic grammar school faces closure". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  4. ↑ Ed Caesar (2007-11-11). "Best school in town and still they want to close it". The Times. Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  5. ↑ "Save St Joseph's College, Stoke". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  6. ↑ The School Song: " Fideliter et Fortiter" Archived June 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Fay, Stephen (6 August 1995). "The rise of Dominic Cork". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  8. ↑ Carter, Simon (27 April 2006). "Emma Jackson - stoke runner ranked fifth in the world!". Stoke & Staffordshire. BBC. Retrieved 11 October 2010.

External links


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