St. Joseph's R.C. Comprehensive School
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph's R.C. Comprehensive School is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic secondary school in Hebburn
, Tyne and Wear
, England.
and Leading Edge School and has been a Technology College since 1996, providing a commitment to a technology, ethos and culture. The school has shown a continuous improvement at all levels of public examination results, in particular maths, science and technology and has an increased proportion of Year 11 students staying on at Sixth Form. The school currently caters for students aged 11 to 18 and also a number of Vocational courses for 14 to 19 year olds.
It is the only secondary school in the local authority area that has a sixth form. The only other sixth form is found at South Tyneside College
, which has a site next door. This school is situated next to St James RC church.
The school is on the B1306, near the A185 junction, in the south of Hebburn, one mile north of the terminus of the A194(M)
. It is on the district boundary with Gateshead. Further down Mill Lane until 1992 was the Monkton Coke Works
.
. It was a grammar school
with a technical focus (similar to a technical school
) for catholic children in the north of County Durham
, and the County Borough of South Shields. Further grammar technical schools were to be opened in Gateshead, Lanchester, Stockton and Whitley Bay.
St Joseph's became a comprehensive in 1974 when it merged with the neighbouring St James' RC Secondary Modern School, which was on the same site.
Austin Kane, Headmaster 1959? - 1974
James Vincent Curran, Headmaster 1974 - ?
report credited the students for "exemplary behaviour in lessons and throughout the school".
At GCSE in 2010, the school came second in the local authority area, above the England average and second to another faith school, Whitburn Church of England Academy in Whitburn
.
For a faith school, the results are quite low at A-level, although North East England
is generally low-performing at age 18, compared to other regions.
gimps r us
Hebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, England.
Admissions
The school is a specialist Technology CollegeTechnology 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...
and Leading Edge School and has been a Technology College since 1996, providing a commitment to a technology, ethos and culture. The school has shown a continuous improvement at all levels of public examination results, in particular maths, science and technology and has an increased proportion of Year 11 students staying on at Sixth Form. The school currently caters for students aged 11 to 18 and also a number of Vocational courses for 14 to 19 year olds.
It is the only secondary school in the local authority area that has a sixth form. The only other sixth form is found at South Tyneside College
South Tyneside College
South Tyneside College is a large further education college in South Tyneside in North East England, with its main sites in the towns of South Shields and Hebburn. The college offers part-time and full-time courses for both young students and adults alike...
, which has a site next door. This school is situated next to St James RC church.
The school is on the B1306, near the A185 junction, in the south of Hebburn, one mile north of the terminus of the A194(M)
A194 road
The A194 road is a road in Tyne and Wear, England. It runs northeast from its start at junction 65 of the A1/A1 near Washington, and the first are motorway standard, designated the A194...
. It is on the district boundary with Gateshead. Further down Mill Lane until 1992 was the Monkton Coke Works
Monkton Coke Works
Monkton Coke Works was a coking plant near Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, England.-History:The works were constructed in 1936, as the government's response to the Jarrow Hunger March in 1932. The plant closed in 1990 and was demolished in 1992.-External links:...
.
History
The school opened as St. Joseph's Grammar Technical School in 1959, being officially opened on 9 June 1960 by James Cunningham, the Bishop of Hexham and NewcastleBishop of Hexham and Newcastle
The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...
. It was a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
with a technical focus (similar to a technical school
Secondary Technical School
A Secondary Technical School was a type of secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed in the mid-20th century under the Tripartite System of education. For various reasons few were ever built, and their main interest is on a theoretical level....
) for catholic children in the north of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, and the County Borough of South Shields. Further grammar technical schools were to be opened in Gateshead, Lanchester, Stockton and Whitley Bay.
St Joseph's became a comprehensive in 1974 when it merged with the neighbouring St James' RC Secondary Modern School, which was on the same site.
Former teachers
- Bryan Purvis, Headmaster from 1997-9 of William Hulme's Grammar SchoolWilliam Hulme's Grammar SchoolWilliam Hulme's Grammar School is an Academy in Whalley Range, Manchester, England.-History:WHGS was founded on 26 January 1887 as a grammar school. It ceased to be a direct grant school when the Labour government abolished the scheme, and was therefore forced to become private...
, and from 1993-7 of Altrincham Grammar School for BoysAltrincham Grammar School For Boys-Admissions:The school is non-fee paying with admission via an entrance exam. It had foundation school status which allowed a degree of independence from the local education authority, but from 2011 under the UK Government's Free School Programme it attained Academy status.-Foundation:The school...
(taught biology from 1969-74)
Austin Kane, Headmaster 1959? - 1974
James Vincent Curran, Headmaster 1974 - ?
School prayer
Lord, help us to become the people you want us to be.
In our School, may there be prayer,learning
and humour,hard work, faith and friendship.
May we respect everyone we meet,
use our gifts and encourage each other.
Send your angels to guide us and
let your peace be with us and our families aways.
We ask all these things through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Academic performance
The school performs well above the local authority average and currently holds the best GCSE and AS/A level scores in South Tyneside, with 84% of its students reaching grades A*-C at GCSE and an average AS/A level point score of 645.9. The academic achievement, vocational and pastoral targets of the school was recognised by the DfES in the award of "Leading Edge" status in September 2003. An OfstedOfsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report credited the students for "exemplary behaviour in lessons and throughout the school".
At GCSE in 2010, the school came second in the local authority area, above the England average and second to another faith school, Whitburn Church of England Academy in Whitburn
Whitburn, South Tyneside
Whitburn is a village in South Tyneside, on the coast of North East England. It lies just to the north of the City of Sunderland in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear. Until 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into being, it was part of County Durham...
.
For a faith school, the results are quite low at A-level, although North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
is generally low-performing at age 18, compared to other regions.
gimps r us
Notable former pupils
Notable former pupils of St. Joseph's RC Grammar Technical School include:- David AlmondDavid AlmondDavid Almond is a British children's writer who has written several novels, each one to critical acclaim.-Early life:Almond was born and raised in Felling and Newcastle in post-industrial North East England and educated at the University of East Anglia, he was born in 1951...
, children's writer - Phil Brown, football manager
- Brendan FosterBrendan FosterBrendan Foster CBE is a British former distance runner, entrepreneur and the founder of the Great North Run. He won the Bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics...
CBE, 10,000 and 5,000 metre runner, 1974 BBC Sports Personality of the YearBBC Sports Personality of the YearThe BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
, and Chancellor from 2005-2009 of Leeds Metropolitan UniversityLeeds Metropolitan UniversityLeeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
. Foster also taught chemistry at the school.