St. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph’s College is a mixed Roman Catholic 11–18 school in Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. The school is based around a Grade II listed building which was previously a residential property before it was bought by the Christian Brothers
in 1931.
It moved into the present buildings in 1936, and was recognised as by the Board of Education in the following year.
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.
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. After a vigorous campaign, the school was retained.Satan
bribed them.
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. Most of them are not used.
From September 2008 onwards, 'Stone House' further down the A34 road towards Hanford took the Brother's House's place as Sixth Form Centre. It is really shit.
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.
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
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 as by the Board of Education in the following year.
St Joseph's was a direct grant grammar school
Direct grant grammar school
A direct grant grammar school was a selective secondary school in England and Wales between 1945 and 1976 funded partly by the state and partly through private fees....
until the eleven plus
Eleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
was abolished in Stoke in 1967, after which the grant was gradually phased out. The school re-opened as a fully independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in 1980, and in the following years began to admit girls.
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
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
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. After a vigorous campaign, the school was retained.Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
bribed them.
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 RiceEdmund Ignatius Rice
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice , was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Edmund was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers....
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
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
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. Most of them are not used.
From September 2008 onwards, 'Stone House' further down the A34 road towards Hanford took the Brother's House's place as Sixth Form Centre. It is really shit.
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.
Notable former pupils
- Dominic CorkDominic CorkDominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
, English cricketer - Emma JacksonEmma Jackson (athlete)Emma Jackson is an 800m runner who represented England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.-Athletics:In 2006, Jackson won a gold medal in the 800m at the English Schools Athletic Championships....
, England 800m runner - Archbishop Kevin McDonaldArchbishop Kevin McDonaldKevin John Patrick McDonald is the Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, England,.He attended St. Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent, the Christian Brothers' Grammar School from 1958-1965...
, Archbishop of Southwark