St. Paul's College, Sunbury-on-Thames
Encyclopedia
St Paul's Catholic College is an 11-18 mixed Catholic Comprehensive school
in Sunbury-on-Thames
, Surrey
, England
. The College was formed from two previous schools, Cardinal Godfrey Boys' School and St Theresa's Girls' School. St Paul's is a school of the Diocese of Westminster
and has 1080 students and approximately 90 staff. The College is a specialist Technology College
as well as an International School
. The current Headteacher is Ceri Bacon, who has been Headteacher since 2011. St Paul's was 'the most improved secondary school
in Surrey' in 2008, witnessing an improvement in five good A*-C passes of over 20% in one year.
Tours of the school will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9.00am and on Wednesdays at 10.00am until half term. Please contact the Admissions Secretary to make an appointment.
Our new Prospectus is now available to view online, please follow the link from the home page. Our Supplementary Information Form and Priest's Reference Forms, together with our Admissions Supplement and Examination Results 2010 are available to download below. Completed forms and supporting documentation to be returned to the Admissions Office by 31 October 2010. Parents/carers should note that they will also need to complete their Local Authority secondary transfer form & return it to the LA by the stated deadline.
St. Paul's Catholic College, a DCSF designated Technology College; this description defines the school and the Technology College status reflects the opportunities and ethos of the school as a whole.
Our status as a Technology College can be seen as a tool to raise standards by improving the learning and teaching across the school. The use of additional funding to enable additional classes to take place, the opportunities for 3 separate sciences and further maths classes, the improved computer facilities both in the main school and the Sixth form all add to an enhanced experience for our students.
For more information or to see what we have been doing please go to http://www.stpaulsconnect.com/.
As a Catholic College we take seriously the challenge to nurture the spiritual. In our mission statement we explicitly aim for success spiritually, as well as in other areas.
The Spiritual Journey: “Gaudium et Spes” (‘Joy and Hope’), a teaching document of the Second Vatican Council (1965) refers to our ability as human beings to “surpass the material universe”, to “share in the light of the divine mind”. It recognises that human beings search for “more penetrating truths”, “the quest and love of what is true and good”.
This is the essence of spiritual journey. St Paul’s strives to provide real opportunities and real experiences across the breadth and depth of the curriculum to all students in their own unique way to think, appreciate, question, struggle, suffer, wonder, love and reflect.
We pray that we follow the teaching of St Paul:
may we always speak the truth;
share with others;
use good words to encourage others;
be understanding and forgiving.
Grant us the strength to meet this challenge.
Amen.
(Based on St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 4:23-30)
School Motto:
DISCE PRODESSE ‘Learn to serve’
School Badge:
The 'S' stands for Saint, the 'P' stands for Paul.
The open book and quill symbolise the significant contribution St Paul made to the New Testament. Thirteen epistles (letters) are attributed to St Paul. The sword represents both St Paul’s eloquence in preaching the Word of God, and the manner of his martyrdom (he was beheaded in Rome). Most statues and icons of St Paul show him holding a sword and holding a book (Bible).
After the death of Mr Mitchinson, the house changed hands several times. It was owned at one time by a non-Catholic group who were not pleased that the newly built St. Ignatius’ Church could be viewed from their windows, so they decided to sell the house and lands. At some time the property was owned by Major Peters and his family. Major Peters had two sons, one of whom was killed in World War I and the other killed in a polo playing accident. The grief stricken family did not wish to live there any longer so it was put on the market.
The Sisters of Charity of St. Paul purchased the house and lands in 1926. The Sisters worked in St. Ignatius Primary School which was situated by the Church and Presbytery on Green Street. A new building, consisting of three classrooms, a staff room and office, was built on the opposite side of Green Street to accommodate the increasing number of pupils.
Changes in the Education Policy meant that the independent school, St. Teresa’s, was no longer viable and it became incorporated into the public sector. To facilitate this change, the Sisters built a new school joined to the original building, as well as tennis courts and developed the playing field. At some time the London Irish Rugby Club used this field at weekends to train future members of the club. The reputation of St Theresa's grew and grew.
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 Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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 College was formed from two previous schools, Cardinal Godfrey Boys' School and St Theresa's Girls' School. St Paul's is a school of the Diocese of Westminster
Diocese of Westminster
The Diocese of Westminster was a short-lived diocese of the Church of England, extant from 1540 - 1550.The Diocese was created from part of the Diocese of London, and comprised Westminster , and the county of Middlesex, with the exception of Fulham...
and has 1080 students and approximately 90 staff. The College is a specialist 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...
as well as an International School
International school
An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national...
. The current Headteacher is Ceri Bacon, who has been Headteacher since 2011. St Paul's was 'the most improved secondary school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Surrey' in 2008, witnessing an improvement in five good A*-C passes of over 20% in one year.
Admissions
Our Open Day & Evening was held on Wednesday, 22 September 2010Tours of the school will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9.00am and on Wednesdays at 10.00am until half term. Please contact the Admissions Secretary to make an appointment.
Our new Prospectus is now available to view online, please follow the link from the home page. Our Supplementary Information Form and Priest's Reference Forms, together with our Admissions Supplement and Examination Results 2010 are available to download below. Completed forms and supporting documentation to be returned to the Admissions Office by 31 October 2010. Parents/carers should note that they will also need to complete their Local Authority secondary transfer form & return it to the LA by the stated deadline.
Technology College
Technology College Specialism:St. Paul's Catholic College, a DCSF designated Technology College; this description defines the school and the Technology College status reflects the opportunities and ethos of the school as a whole.
Our status as a Technology College can be seen as a tool to raise standards by improving the learning and teaching across the school. The use of additional funding to enable additional classes to take place, the opportunities for 3 separate sciences and further maths classes, the improved computer facilities both in the main school and the Sixth form all add to an enhanced experience for our students.
St Paul’s Connect
Three years ago St Paul's Catholic College started an enterprise called St Paul's Connect. The enterprise was set up to offer ICT support to surrounding primary schools at an affordable price. Since then the enterprise has grown significantly and we now provide services to over 35 primary/secondary schools and businesses.For more information or to see what we have been doing please go to http://www.stpaulsconnect.com/.
Spiritual Prospectus
Our mission: At St Pauls Catholic College we endeavour to provide an outstanding educational experience that fully supports a child’s spiritual development.As a Catholic College we take seriously the challenge to nurture the spiritual. In our mission statement we explicitly aim for success spiritually, as well as in other areas.
The Spiritual Journey: “Gaudium et Spes” (‘Joy and Hope’), a teaching document of the Second Vatican Council (1965) refers to our ability as human beings to “surpass the material universe”, to “share in the light of the divine mind”. It recognises that human beings search for “more penetrating truths”, “the quest and love of what is true and good”.
This is the essence of spiritual journey. St Paul’s strives to provide real opportunities and real experiences across the breadth and depth of the curriculum to all students in their own unique way to think, appreciate, question, struggle, suffer, wonder, love and reflect.
Catholic Ethos
School Prayer:We pray that we follow the teaching of St Paul:
may we always speak the truth;
share with others;
use good words to encourage others;
be understanding and forgiving.
Grant us the strength to meet this challenge.
Amen.
(Based on St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 4:23-30)
School Motto:
DISCE PRODESSE ‘Learn to serve’
School Badge:
The 'S' stands for Saint, the 'P' stands for Paul.
The open book and quill symbolise the significant contribution St Paul made to the New Testament. Thirteen epistles (letters) are attributed to St Paul. The sword represents both St Paul’s eloquence in preaching the Word of God, and the manner of his martyrdom (he was beheaded in Rome). Most statues and icons of St Paul show him holding a sword and holding a book (Bible).
Historic House
The original house at the end of the Ridings in Green Street was built during the brief reign of William IV, at some point before 1837. It is a Grade 2 listed building. It has a Doric portico and was sometimes called the Manor House, being described as such in a map of 1865. In 1898, it was the home of William Anthony Mitchinson, the Lord of the Manor, who planted the avenue of fine chestnut trees, which is a feature of The Avenue today. Before the opening of Sunbury Police Station in 1882, Mr Mitchinson, who was the local Justice of the Peace (magistrate) had special permission to conduct the court in his grand house. We believe the room that was used for the court is now a history classroom!After the death of Mr Mitchinson, the house changed hands several times. It was owned at one time by a non-Catholic group who were not pleased that the newly built St. Ignatius’ Church could be viewed from their windows, so they decided to sell the house and lands. At some time the property was owned by Major Peters and his family. Major Peters had two sons, one of whom was killed in World War I and the other killed in a polo playing accident. The grief stricken family did not wish to live there any longer so it was put on the market.
The Sisters of Charity of St. Paul purchased the house and lands in 1926. The Sisters worked in St. Ignatius Primary School which was situated by the Church and Presbytery on Green Street. A new building, consisting of three classrooms, a staff room and office, was built on the opposite side of Green Street to accommodate the increasing number of pupils.
St Teresa’s Girls Covent School
At the same time the Sisters opened an independent school in the main building. The entrance to the convent was from Green Street. This was a drive way which led up to the house, the gate of which was near where the present new St. Ignatius’ School was built. It led also to the stable buildings and houses for carriages. These were later converted into Art rooms for the school. A wall divided the circular drive way to the entrance hall from a large wooded area. On this wall were planted apple trees specially grown for cider making. There was a large greenhouse in which was a vine reputed to be a cutting from the one at Hampton Court. The present playing field was originally divided by hedges into four fields. These fields were let to a gentleman who owned a shop on the Feltham Road. He grazed his ponies there. He sold ice cream from carts drawn by the ponies (fore-runners of Mr. Whippy!).Changes in the Education Policy meant that the independent school, St. Teresa’s, was no longer viable and it became incorporated into the public sector. To facilitate this change, the Sisters built a new school joined to the original building, as well as tennis courts and developed the playing field. At some time the London Irish Rugby Club used this field at weekends to train future members of the club. The reputation of St Theresa's grew and grew.