Harrytown Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Harrytown Catholic High School is a voluntary aided Catholic
secondary school, situated in Romiley
near Stockport
, England
. Originally a convent school based at Harrytown Hall
, it became a co-educational Catholic secondary school in 1978 and moved to new accommodation. The buildings have been modernised since and today Harrytown serves a wide catchment area, for seven feeder Catholic primary schools in the east of Stockport.
It is now a specialist science college.
, a former manor house that was built in 1671. It was maintained by the Convent of the Nativity of the Sisters of Charity of Notre Dame d'Evron until 1978. The hall was converted into flats in the 1980s, after the school moved to its own purpose built accommodation. The school became a co-educational comprehensive Catholic school in 1978, and has been maintained by the Diocese of Shrewsbury
ever since.
From Year 7 to 9, students share similar subjects, and most are taught in mixed ability groups. In Year 8, most students are introduced to a second modern foreign language. Other students are provided with learning support as required. In Year 9, students choose optional subjects to study at GCSE level or equivalent, in addition to compulsory subjects.
.
s list of the top 100 state schools and The Times
Good Schools Guide. In 2009, 83% of students achieved grade C or above in five or more GCSE subjects, including Maths and English. The school also ranks very highly in ICT and Science. It ranks higher than most other secondary schools in the borough.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
secondary school, situated in Romiley
Romiley
Romiley is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It borders Marple, Bredbury and Woodley. In Roman times there is thought to have been a settlement along Sandy Lane...
near Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, 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...
. Originally a convent school based at Harrytown Hall
Harrytown Hall
Harrytown Hall is a former manor house situated in Bredbury, near Stockport, United Kingdom.The first hall was built in the 15th century by Harry Bruckshaw, but it was demolished and rebuilt in 1671 by John Bruckshaw, whose initials were carved along with his wife's, Sarah, over the front door...
, it became a co-educational Catholic secondary school in 1978 and moved to new accommodation. The buildings have been modernised since and today Harrytown serves a wide catchment area, for seven feeder Catholic primary schools in the east of Stockport.
It is now a specialist science college.
History
Harrytown originated in 1913 as a Christian convent school at Harrytown HallHarrytown Hall
Harrytown Hall is a former manor house situated in Bredbury, near Stockport, United Kingdom.The first hall was built in the 15th century by Harry Bruckshaw, but it was demolished and rebuilt in 1671 by John Bruckshaw, whose initials were carved along with his wife's, Sarah, over the front door...
, a former manor house that was built in 1671. It was maintained by the Convent of the Nativity of the Sisters of Charity of Notre Dame d'Evron until 1978. The hall was converted into flats in the 1980s, after the school moved to its own purpose built accommodation. The school became a co-educational comprehensive Catholic school in 1978, and has been maintained by the Diocese of Shrewsbury
Diocese of Shrewsbury
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The diocese encompasses parts of the North West of England and parts of the West Midlands...
ever since.
Accommodation
The school is situated in modern accommodation. The original school includes science labs, design and technology rooms, a drama studio and an assembly hall, in addition to offices and administration areas. An extensive building programme was introduced in 1995 resulting in a new sports hall, library, music rooms, business studies classrooms, and food technology rooms. Additionally, the science labs were upgraded. Further improvements in 2002 included new art rooms, MFL classrooms a new ICT room and further improvements to the science labs. ICT has been integrated into all parts of the school, with wireless internet and interactive whiteboards in most classrooms. The school also includes tennis courts and playing fields, along with outdoor areas available for work in areas such as science and geography.Academics
The school day is structured into five lessons, plus breaks, lunch and registration. With lessons lasting one hour each, the entire school day is six hours and 40 minutes, from 8:55 am to 3:35 pm. The timetable runs on a two-week cycle.From Year 7 to 9, students share similar subjects, and most are taught in mixed ability groups. In Year 8, most students are introduced to a second modern foreign language. Other students are provided with learning support as required. In Year 9, students choose optional subjects to study at GCSE level or equivalent, in addition to compulsory subjects.
Enrollment
The school has a capacity limit of 804 students, and most of its students come from the seven feeder primary schools: St Bernadette's, St Christopher's, St Joseph's, St Mary's, St Peter's, St Philip's and St Simon's. Many students move on to further education, with the majority attending Aquinas College, HeavileyAquinas College, Stockport
Aquinas College, Stockport, Greater Manchester is a Roman Catholic sixth form college. It was established in 1980 on the site of St. Michael's Secondary School, and is owned by the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The college is named after St. Thomas Aquinas.-Reports:...
.
Exam results
Harrytown generally gets exam results higher than the national average, and it has appeared in The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
s list of the top 100 state schools and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
Good Schools Guide. In 2009, 83% of students achieved grade C or above in five or more GCSE subjects, including Maths and English. The school also ranks very highly in ICT and Science. It ranks higher than most other secondary schools in the borough.
Notable alumni
- Hilary MantelHilary MantelHilary Mary Mantel CBE , née Thompson, is an English novelist, short story writer and critic. Her work, ranging in subject from personal memoir to historical fiction, has been short-listed for major literary awards...
(born 1952), writer and novelist (Harrytown HallHarrytown HallHarrytown Hall is a former manor house situated in Bredbury, near Stockport, United Kingdom.The first hall was built in the 15th century by Harry Bruckshaw, but it was demolished and rebuilt in 1671 by John Bruckshaw, whose initials were carved along with his wife's, Sarah, over the front door...
convent school) - Richard Shepherd (born 1973), economist and adviser to the IMF (Harrytown Catholic High School)