Holy Cross Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Holy Cross Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic Voluntary aided
comprehensive school
in Chorley
, Lancashire
, England
. The school has dual specialist Sports College
and Science College
status.
The school provides co-educational
education for approximately 830 pupils in the 11-16 age range, most of whom reside in Chorley itself, or the surrounding villages of Chorley Borough, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Liverpool
. The headmistress, Mrs Wendy White, joined the school in 2004 after six years as Deputy Headteacher of St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School in Wigan.
The Chorley East Link Road (B5252) was opened to the public during the afternoon of 22 November 2007 and the spur up to the school was opened for use the following morning.
The number of pupils has increased over recent years:
status by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
in July 2006 as part of an initiative by the Fund to boost school sports programmes. This grant was for a programme of eight activities including one aimed at increasing girls' interest in sport by introducing aerobics
, dance and cheer-leading
.
Voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
comprehensive school
Comprehensive 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...
in Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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...
. The school has dual specialist Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
and 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.
The school provides co-educational
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
education for approximately 830 pupils in the 11-16 age range, most of whom reside in Chorley itself, or the surrounding villages of Chorley Borough, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The headmistress, Mrs Wendy White, joined the school in 2004 after six years as Deputy Headteacher of St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School in Wigan.
History
The school started as separate boys and girls only schools. St Augustines was the boys school, while St Hildas was an all girls school. Until 1999 the school still operated in the remnants of the 2 separate school buildings joined by a pathway. The lower school site has now been demolished making way for new housing known as "The Bowers".The Chorley East Link Road (B5252) was opened to the public during the afternoon of 22 November 2007 and the spur up to the school was opened for use the following morning.
The number of pupils has increased over recent years:
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils | 763 | 775 | 791 | 806 | 829 |
Ofsted
The school was listed by Ofsted in 1994–1995 as one of the outstanding providers in the North West region and in 2004, the school was awarded the Science and Sports College specialist schoolSpecialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
status by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
Sports
The school received a grant of £132,921 from the Big Lottery FundBig Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...
in July 2006 as part of an initiative by the Fund to boost school sports programmes. This grant was for a programme of eight activities including one aimed at increasing girls' interest in sport by introducing aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, dance and cheer-leading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
.