Chester Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Chester Catholic High School or CHS but officially called The Catholic High School, Chester is a Roman Catholic
secondary school
on the outskirts of Handbridge
, Chester
, England
.
with a Sixth Form
. The catchment area of the school expands into Lache
and Blacon
, with some buses transporting pupils from as far afield as Neston and Frodsham
. The school has over 1,000 pupils. The general uniform is a bottle green sweatshirt or polo shirt with black trousers. The current head teacher
is John Murray, previous head teachers have included John McCann (acting, 2003–2004), Victoria Ratchford (1994–2003), Christine McCann (no relation to John) and Michael Balfe. The school transferred to the present site in September 1972; previously the school site was occupied by the Overleigh Boys School. In 2006 Ofsted called its Sixth Form "Outstanding".
The school's longest serving teacher, Mick McManus, has taught mathematics since the school opened in 1972, a total of 39 years. His A-level mathematics class has been one of the most successful A-level subjects in the school over the past few years.
The school motto is "Christo Fidelis," a Latin
phrase meaning "Faithful to Christ".
The school has been a Specialist Science College since 2003, in addition to being a classified Beacon school
.
The school 6th form football team came runners up in the Chester and District Schoolboy Cup, but the girl's Under 16 team won the equivalent trophy in 2008.
CHS is also home to the 'City Jazz Orchestra', a jazz ensemble of approximately 45 players from all years. The band, under the direction of musical director Kevin Tout, have performed on 13 European tours as well as featuring at the Cork International Jazz Festival fivetimes. In 2008, they performed at the Wigan Christmas Lights switch on. They recently celebrated their twentieth anniversary.
The school's Drama Department and City Jazz Orchestra collaborated on 'Fame' and 'Starmaker' from the musical 'Fame' in October 2008 for their annual Open Evening.
The school has recently been fund-raising for the 'East Appeal'. As the school is partially church funded, the school must raise 10% of its budget. The building work is due to be completed in Autumn 2008 and comprises a new building accommodating the Sixth Form and the Performing Arts, along with two new Science laboratories and new office and staffrooms.
The school now has a new Emmaus Building which was built especially for our sixth form is also used for whole school music and drama. it is solar power electricity generated, the water comes from rain water and the drama rooms have underfloor heating
. it cost over £1 million, but was worth it, as it is eco friendly. the students are sill fundraising to pay off the Emmaus building, but it is nearly all paid off. It was officially opened on 12 February 2008 by Fr Russell Cooke, Dean of Chester, standing in for the Bishop of Shrewsbury
, Bishop Brian Noble
.
on Sunday Julian Knight
, attended Chester Catholic High School until 1990.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
on the outskirts of Handbridge
Handbridge
Handbridge is a district of Chester, England on the south bank of the River Dee. A settlement has existed on the site since the Iron age , but the site saw major expansion during the collapse of the Roman occupation of Britain, as the city grew too large for its walls...
, Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Student population
The school is a mixed 11-18 comprehensive schoolComprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
with a Sixth Form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
. The catchment area of the school expands into Lache
Lache
Lache is in the city of Chester Cheshire, U.K., with a population of around 10,000. It is located approximately 2 miles southwest of the ancient city, with good local transport links en route to Saltney...
and Blacon
Blacon
Blacon is a large suburb near Chester, in Cheshire, England, containing a mixture of private homes and substantial public council-built properties...
, with some buses transporting pupils from as far afield as Neston and Frodsham
Frodsham
Frodsham is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population is 8,982. It is approximately south of Runcorn, 16 miles south of Liverpool, and approximately south-west of Manchester...
. The school has over 1,000 pupils. The general uniform is a bottle green sweatshirt or polo shirt with black trousers. The current head teacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
is John Murray, previous head teachers have included John McCann (acting, 2003–2004), Victoria Ratchford (1994–2003), Christine McCann (no relation to John) and Michael Balfe. The school transferred to the present site in September 1972; previously the school site was occupied by the Overleigh Boys School. In 2006 Ofsted called its Sixth Form "Outstanding".
The school's longest serving teacher, Mick McManus, has taught mathematics since the school opened in 1972, a total of 39 years. His A-level mathematics class has been one of the most successful A-level subjects in the school over the past few years.
The school motto is "Christo Fidelis," a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase meaning "Faithful to Christ".
The school has been a Specialist Science College since 2003, in addition to being a classified Beacon school
Beacon School
Beacon School was a government designation awarded to outstanding primary and secondary schools in England and Wales from 1998 to August 2005. The Beacon Schools programme identified schools that were examples of good practice and funded those schools to enable them to build partnerships with each...
.
Sports and extracurricular activities
The school has recently struck a deal with Chester City FC to use the schools grounds as a training ground for the current first team and youth team squads.The school 6th form football team came runners up in the Chester and District Schoolboy Cup, but the girl's Under 16 team won the equivalent trophy in 2008.
CHS is also home to the 'City Jazz Orchestra', a jazz ensemble of approximately 45 players from all years. The band, under the direction of musical director Kevin Tout, have performed on 13 European tours as well as featuring at the Cork International Jazz Festival fivetimes. In 2008, they performed at the Wigan Christmas Lights switch on. They recently celebrated their twentieth anniversary.
The school's Drama Department and City Jazz Orchestra collaborated on 'Fame' and 'Starmaker' from the musical 'Fame' in October 2008 for their annual Open Evening.
The school has recently been fund-raising for the 'East Appeal'. As the school is partially church funded, the school must raise 10% of its budget. The building work is due to be completed in Autumn 2008 and comprises a new building accommodating the Sixth Form and the Performing Arts, along with two new Science laboratories and new office and staffrooms.
The school now has a new Emmaus Building which was built especially for our sixth form is also used for whole school music and drama. it is solar power electricity generated, the water comes from rain water and the drama rooms have underfloor heating
Underfloor heating
Underfloor heating and cooling is a form of central heating and cooling which achieves indoor climate control for thermal comfort using conduction, radiation and convection...
. it cost over £1 million, but was worth it, as it is eco friendly. the students are sill fundraising to pay off the Emmaus building, but it is nearly all paid off. It was officially opened on 12 February 2008 by Fr Russell Cooke, Dean of Chester, standing in for the Bishop of Shrewsbury
Bishop of Shrewsbury
The Bishop of Shrewsbury is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury in the Province of Birmingham, England.The diocese covers an area of of the counties and unitary authorities of Cheshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin with parts of Derbyshire, Halton, Merseyside, Greater...
, Bishop Brian Noble
Brian Noble (bishop)
Brian Michael Noble is the former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury.-Biography:Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, Brian Michael Noble was ordained to the priesthood on 11 June 1960 and served as a priest in the Diocese of Lancaster...
.
Alumni
The award winning journalist, author and current Financial and Property Editor of the IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
on Sunday Julian Knight
Julian Knight
Julian Knight is the mass murderer who on 9 August 1987, shot dead seven people and injured 19 during a shooting spree in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia, in what became known in Australian history as the Hoddle Street Massacre....
, attended Chester Catholic High School until 1990.