Notre Dame High School (Sheffield)
Encyclopedia
Notre Dame High School in Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, England, was established in the 1850s by the Sisters of Notre Dame
, a religious order.
The school has a Catholic ethos and caters for children from all over the city and further afield. Oakbrook House, which was owned by famous Sheffield Steel baron Mark Firth and part of the school since 1919, is now the school's Sixth Form block and has been a listed building since 1973. The school is currently having a new building being built which should take 2 years.
In 1919, the Sisters moved their living quarters from Cavendish Street to Oakbrook House, a Victorian mansion in Ranmoor built in 1860 for Mark Firth
, a steel manufacturer who became Lord Mayor of Sheffield and Master Cutler.
In 1935, another secondary school was built in the grounds of Oakbrook House; in 1948 the two schools amalgamated to form a girls' grammar school, Notre Dame High School for Girls, on two sites.
The grammar school was converted in 1976 to a mixed comprehensive, still on two sites. The school finally consolidated onto the Oakbrook site in 1988 when the Cavendish site was closed and subsequently demolished.
Oakbrook House is now the VI form centre. The main school building is a 1930s building with many architectural features including a main hall, known as the salle, with a high vaulted ceiling
. As the school has expanded other buildings have been built that complement the architecture of the site making use of local sandstone or red pantiles depending where the building fits in. The Hallam City Learning Centre which is hosted on site has distinct modern architectural merit and receives a mention in the Pevsner guide
to the architecture of Sheffield.
Technology College
since 1995 and was awarded a second specialism in 2005 in Humanities
and a third as a Leading Edge school supporting a partnership of other schools. The Leading Edge specialism also includes a sub-specialism on sharing good practice with others around issues of educating Able, Gifted and Talented students.
in the school woodland area which makes use of the latest technology to enhance learning and set an example for sustainable buildings as part of the approach to the sustainable schools strategy.
being the highest. In 2007, there were 280 in the sixth form, 111 of whom took A-levels, with an average point score of 84.70, compared with the average of 79.9 in England overall.
, Compiègne
, St Julie
, Cuvilly
, all having roots in places associated with St Julie Billart
, the founder of the Order of Notre Dame
. There are two school inter-house competitions: Firstly, the sports day, which is greatly competitive and is often held in higher esteem by the students than the house cup. The house cup is the award for the house with the most amount of merits (previously known as house points), and shows academic ability and effort of house. The houses are balanced equally, with two forms from each year, although houses occasionally go through bad patches, where they may not win anything for a period of years.
at the end of the year, and for the 5th year leavers' mass during May.
as well as some more light-hearted activities that take place on behalf of charities such as internal charity FOND (Friends of Notre Dame). There are two main times of fundraising: Advent
Fundraising and Lenten
fundraising. The latter is always for the Good Shepherd Appeal, which is run for local charities such as the St. Wilfrid's Centre. Advent fundraising is usually done for a charity voted on by the students or the year council, where each year has a different charity.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England, was established in the 1850s by the Sisters of Notre Dame
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
, a religious order.
Admissions
History
The Sisters of Notre Dame set up the school in 1855 in central Sheffield, moving to a site on Cavendish Street in 1862.In 1919, the Sisters moved their living quarters from Cavendish Street to Oakbrook House, a Victorian mansion in Ranmoor built in 1860 for Mark Firth
Mark Firth
Mark Firth was an English industrialist and philanthropist.Born in Sheffield, Mark joined the crucible steel works of Sanderson Brothers where his father worked as head smelter, but left in 1842 to set up his own business with his brother, Thomas Jr, in 1842...
, a steel manufacturer who became Lord Mayor of Sheffield and Master Cutler.
In 1935, another secondary school was built in the grounds of Oakbrook House; in 1948 the two schools amalgamated to form a girls' grammar school, Notre Dame High School for Girls, on two sites.
The grammar school was converted in 1976 to a mixed comprehensive, still on two sites. The school finally consolidated onto the Oakbrook site in 1988 when the Cavendish site was closed and subsequently demolished.
Oakbrook House is now the VI form centre. The main school building is a 1930s building with many architectural features including a main hall, known as the salle, with a high vaulted ceiling
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
. As the school has expanded other buildings have been built that complement the architecture of the site making use of local sandstone or red pantiles depending where the building fits in. The Hallam City Learning Centre which is hosted on site has distinct modern architectural merit and receives a mention in the Pevsner guide
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
to the architecture of Sheffield.
Achievements
OFSTED described the school as outstanding in every way in 2005 and 2008.School Specialism
It has been a SpecialistSpecialist 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...
Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
since 1995 and was awarded a second specialism in 2005 in Humanities
Humanities College
Humanities Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, humanities. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Humanities...
and a third as a Leading Edge school supporting a partnership of other schools. The Leading Edge specialism also includes a sub-specialism on sharing good practice with others around issues of educating Able, Gifted and Talented students.
Awards
ICT has been a prime focus of the school; recently winning the 2009 Becta Excellence ICT Award for the best whole school in Yorkshire and the Humber and in the past has won other awards including a national award at the Specialist Schools and Academies Conference in 2005 and again in 2007 in recognition of this work. A new environmental learning centre web site has been set up and an eco-classroom has been built by the on site Hallam CLCCity Learning Centre
A City Learning Centre is a facility in the United Kingdom which provides state-of-the-art ICT-based learning opportunities for the pupils at the host school, for pupils at a network of surrounding schools and for the wider community...
in the school woodland area which makes use of the latest technology to enhance learning and set an example for sustainable buildings as part of the approach to the sustainable schools strategy.
Academic
The GCSE (A*–C) rate in 2009 was the strongest in school's history with the 80% barrier of the number of students gaining 5 good GCSE being broken for the first time. The figure including English and Maths was well above average for Sheffield with 70% of 5th Year (Y11) students attaining these grades, compared with Sheffield's average of 39.9%. It was the second highest for Sheffield in the state sector, with Silverdale SchoolSilverdale School
Silverdale School is located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1957 as a Secondary Modern School, then became a Comprehensive School in 1969. It serves approximately 1200 pupils from the local area, from ages eleven to eighteen. Silverdale achieves excellent results in national...
being the highest. In 2007, there were 280 in the sixth form, 111 of whom took A-levels, with an average point score of 84.70, compared with the average of 79.9 in England overall.
Students
The students, aged 11–18, are all from varying ability backgrounds. The majority of the students are Roman Catholic, with only a small proportion (a quota of 30 per year-group) being of other faiths.Uniform
The traditional white shirt and school tie is unused by most students who now chose a green polo shirt they can wear combined with the compulsory school jumper. Standards of uniform are strict with tailored black trousers and black leather shoes completing the uniform. Rules on jewellery are particularly strict, with students only being permitted to wear stud earrings and a religious necklace. This has caused some controversy amongst students as several pupils wearing bands supporting charities, such as [Help for Heroes] have been punished as these are deemed to be breaking the Notre Dame uniform policy.Houses
The school has four houses: PicardyPicardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
, Compiègne
Compiègne
Compiègne is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.The city is located along the Oise River...
, St Julie
Julie Billiart
Saint Julie Billiart was a French religious leader who founded, and was the first Superior General of, the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.-Childhood:...
, Cuvilly
Cuvilly
Cuvilly is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
, all having roots in places associated with St Julie Billart
Julie Billiart
Saint Julie Billiart was a French religious leader who founded, and was the first Superior General of, the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.-Childhood:...
, the founder of the Order of Notre Dame
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
. There are two school inter-house competitions: Firstly, the sports day, which is greatly competitive and is often held in higher esteem by the students than the house cup. The house cup is the award for the house with the most amount of merits (previously known as house points), and shows academic ability and effort of house. The houses are balanced equally, with two forms from each year, although houses occasionally go through bad patches, where they may not win anything for a period of years.
Discipline system
In recent years there has been a change in the discipline system, students previously received yellow slips for minor behaviour incident, i.e. forgetting homework or homework. Two yellow slips would result in a detention. Major incidents would have previously have resulted in a pink slip, which would have resulted in an immediate detention, and possibly the student will have been sent to the bungalow. The entire system is computer based.School Council
Students are encouraged to take a lead in the school and there are annual elections (usually in November) for the captaincy of the four houses, and also to select the student year council. In 2007 the school switched its nomination processes to its student web pages.Ethos and traditions
The school continues with its strong Catholic ethos and offers many opportunities for students and staff to work together to prepare for various pastoral occasions., for example, the whole school MassMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
at the end of the year, and for the 5th year leavers' mass during May.
Performing Arts
The school is known for its dramatic performances through musicals (performed by the students) and a Staff Pantomime. Drama Musicals are usually organized twice a year, one for an older age group in December and a musical (traditionally a collection of pieces).Charities
The school contributes to mainly Christian charitable work and often collections are organized to raise monies for campaigns such as CAFODCAFOD
The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development, previously known as the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, is a United Kingdom-based international aid agency working to alleviate poverty and suffering in developing. It is funded by the Catholic community in England and Wales, the UK government...
as well as some more light-hearted activities that take place on behalf of charities such as internal charity FOND (Friends of Notre Dame). There are two main times of fundraising: Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
Fundraising and Lenten
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
fundraising. The latter is always for the Good Shepherd Appeal, which is run for local charities such as the St. Wilfrid's Centre. Advent fundraising is usually done for a charity voted on by the students or the year council, where each year has a different charity.
Notre Dame Virtual School
The school collaborates with Notre Dame schools all over the world through the Global Virtual Learning Environment 'Notre Dame Virtual School' (NDVS).Notre Dame High School for Girls
- Judith English, Principal of St Hilda's College, OxfordSt Hilda's College, OxfordSt Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.The college was founded in 1893 as a hall for women, and remained an all-women's college until 2006....
from 2001-7, and psychiatrist - Prof Sheila Hollins, Professor of Psychiatry at St George's, University of LondonSt George's, University of LondonSt George's, University of London is a medical school located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
since 1990, President of the Royal College of PsychiatristsRoyal College of PsychiatristsThe Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
from 2005-8 - Judy ParfittJudy ParfittJudy Parfitt is a BAFTA-nominated English theatre, film and television actress who began her career on stage in 1954.-Life and work:...
, actress
Notre Dame High School
- Jon McClureJon McClureJon McClure, known as the Reverend, is lead singer and frontman of Reverend and The Makers and ex-vocalist of 1984 and Judan Suki. He claims that the name "Reverend" became his moniker because "I'm a big mouth and always running on at people"....
and Ed Cosens, singer and bassist respectively with Reverend and the MakersReverend and The MakersReverend and The Makers are an indie pop band based in Sheffield, England and signed to Wall of Sound. The band is fronted by Jon McClure, nicknamed "The Reverend"... - Chris McClure, lead vocalist of The Violet MayThe Violet MayThe Violet May are a 5-piece rock act rooted in Sheffield, UK, but their sound is influenced by a much broader spectrum. Formed in early 2009, the band earned an early reputation for a raukus live show and were named by Alan McGee in The Guardians “Top 15 Tips for 2010”.The 5-piece went on to...
, and whose image is the cover art of the Arctic Monkey's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It... - Joe Carnall, former lead singer of Milburn (band)Milburn (band)Milburn was an indie rock band from Sheffield, England that consisted of Joe Carnall, Louis Carnall, Tom Rowley, and Joe Green. They announced they would split on 28 March 2008, with the band playing their final gig at Sheffield's Carling Academy on 24 May 2008.-Formation:Milburn's formation came...