St John Fisher Catholic High School (Dewsbury)
Encyclopedia
St John Fisher Catholic High School was opened in 1958 under the trusteeship of the Diocese of Leeds
to serve Catholics living in Dewsbury
, Batley
and the surrounding areas. It was reorganised in 1974 and the Sixth Form was added in 1979.
In 1958 the initial intake of pupils included children from St. Joseph's, Batley Carr, St Mary's, St. Paulinus, St Patrick's of Birstall and St Patrick's of Heckmondwike. The school, guided by the headmaster Mr. Duffy and Sportsmaster Derek Brown, was very successful in its aim of integrating pupils from myriad locations. In fact, the original intake of pupils included sportsmen who went on to make their name in professional areas, such as Trevor Oldroyd and Phil Doyle.
Today, the school, an 11-19 mixed Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Comprehensive School, has about 1200 pupils on roll, including 200 in the Sixth Form
. It is also a specialist Sports College
, as of 2005.
of Leeds
, opened St John Fisher in 1958 to provide a Catholic
education to the children of the Heavy Woollen District
. The cost of the school was £225,000 and the school was built to accommodate 500 pupils of secondary modern standard.
At the opening ceremony, the Bishop stressed the need of tolerance of other creeds and the then Mayor of Dewsbury, Cllr. C. Fox, emphasized that a spiritual education was the foundation stone for real learning.
Sixteen years later, an all-ability comprehensive intake was granted in 1974, and after a very effective and dogged campaign by Governors, Staff and Parents, a Sixth Form was added.
and scholar, we aim to love one another throughout our life at school, to learn and develop our full potential in the image of Christ.”
The school’s logo is a red shield with a white cross and a green fish in front of it. The school motto is always written beneath it. An example of the school’s logo can be seen at the school's website.
in 2008. This great celebration was marked by a large number of special events, not least a large open air mass, a festival of sport and various pilgrimages by the different year groups in school.
It also performs the Nativity
and the Crucifixion
at Christmas
and on Good Friday
respectively, outside the United Reformed Church
in Dewsbury
.
The school's current headteacher is Mr Kevin Higgins.
Notable Alumni include:
Students who entered the school in 2004 and 2005 still wear the old school uniform. The old uniform is similar to the new, except blazers are not worn, and the old school tie is used (alternating red and grey diagonal stripes). Upper school girls wearing the old uniform do not wear ties.
P.E. kits are the same for both boys and girls throughout all years of the school, and comprises a red and black rugby shirt for outdoor P.E., or a white polo shirt for indoor P.E.. Both are worn with black shorts and either white trainers or football boots (only used when playing games on the fields during winter months).
There is no uniform for Sixth Form students, provided that clothes worn are appropriate for a learning environment.
The Sixth Form, now in its 27th year, offers the following subjects at A-Level:
Because the resources of the Sixth Form are not infinite, it is not possible to take any combination of subjects - option blocks must be adhered to. Although this may be a fair way of organising a timetable, it means that each year some people may be unable to take their ideal choice of subjects.
Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to Sport, but attendance is not enforced.
The Sixth Form is responsible for electing the Male and Female School Presidents - (i.e. Head Boy and Girl)
Diocese of Leeds
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite centred around Leeds Cathedral in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which had covered all of Yorkshire...
to serve Catholics living in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
and the surrounding areas. It was reorganised in 1974 and the Sixth Form was added in 1979.
In 1958 the initial intake of pupils included children from St. Joseph's, Batley Carr, St Mary's, St. Paulinus, St Patrick's of Birstall and St Patrick's of Heckmondwike. The school, guided by the headmaster Mr. Duffy and Sportsmaster Derek Brown, was very successful in its aim of integrating pupils from myriad locations. In fact, the original intake of pupils included sportsmen who went on to make their name in professional areas, such as Trevor Oldroyd and Phil Doyle.
Today, the school, an 11-19 mixed Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Comprehensive School, has about 1200 pupils on roll, including 200 in the Sixth Form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
. It is also a 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...
, as of 2005.
From the School Journal
GP Dwyer, BishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, opened St John Fisher in 1958 to provide a Catholic
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"...
education to the children of the Heavy Woollen District
Heavy Woollen District
The Heavy Woollen District is named because of the heavyweight cloth manufactured in an area of West Yorkshire, England. Dewsbury, Batley, Heckmondwike and Ossett are the core of the area. Liversedge, Gomersal, Gildersome, Birkenshaw, Mirfield, Cleckheaton, Morley, Tingley, East Ardsley, Birstall...
. The cost of the school was £225,000 and the school was built to accommodate 500 pupils of secondary modern standard.
At the opening ceremony, the Bishop stressed the need of tolerance of other creeds and the then Mayor of Dewsbury, Cllr. C. Fox, emphasized that a spiritual education was the foundation stone for real learning.
Sixteen years later, an all-ability comprehensive intake was granted in 1974, and after a very effective and dogged campaign by Governors, Staff and Parents, a Sixth Form was added.
Mission Statement
"Following the example of our Patron, St John Fisher, priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and scholar, we aim to love one another throughout our life at school, to learn and develop our full potential in the image of Christ.”
Motto and Logo
The school motto is "Per Crucem Vincemus", which is Latin for "through the cross we shall conquer" (even though the school no longer offers Latin or Classics as a subject).The school’s logo is a red shield with a white cross and a green fish in front of it. The school motto is always written beneath it. An example of the school’s logo can be seen at the school's website.
50th Anniversary
St John Fisher celebrated its Golden JubileeGolden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
in 2008. This great celebration was marked by a large number of special events, not least a large open air mass, a festival of sport and various pilgrimages by the different year groups in school.
Examination Results
The GCSE results of 2009 saw 75% of students attain 5 A*-C, the highest ever. However, only 38% of pupils achieved 5 A* to C including English and Mathematics ranking St. John Fisher as 16th out of the 25 maintained secondary schools in Kirklees for this measure.In Public Life
The school holds a Prizegiving Night each October, hosted by a local dignitary (such as the editor of the local press, the Bishop of Leeds, etc).It also performs the Nativity
Nativity play
A Nativity play or Christmas pageant is a play which recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus. It is usually performed at Christmas, the feast of the Nativity.-Liturgical:...
and the Crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
respectively, outside the United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
.
The school's current headteacher is Mr Kevin Higgins.
Notable Alumni include:
- Rt Rev Arthur RocheArthur RocheArthur Roche is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the ninth and current Bishop of Leeds.-Early life and ministry:...
, Bishop of LeedsBishop of LeedsThe Bishop of Leeds is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds in the Province of Liverpool, England.The Vicariate Apostolic of the Yorkshire District was elevated to diocese status as the Diocese of Beverley on 29 September 1850, which was suppressed on 20 December 1878 and its area... - Francis CumminsFrancis CumminsFrancis Cummins is a former English rugby league footballer. His position of choice was fullback though he also regularly played at centre and winger.-Early Honours:...
, a rugby player for Leeds RhinosLeeds RhinosLeeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League... - Matt DiskinMatt DiskinMatt Diskin is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Bradford Bulls of Super League. A Great Britain and England international representative hooker, he played ten years with Leeds Rhinos, having won four Super League championships with the club, before moving to the Bulls for the...
, a rugby player for Leeds RhinosLeeds RhinosLeeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, & played internationally for Great Britain & England - Margaret Watson, deputy editor of the Dewsbury ReporterDewsbury ReporterThe Dewsbury Reporter is a local weekly publication, providing news for residents of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and surrounding areas.It is owned by Johnston Press Digital Publishing, and has sister newspapers covering Mirfield, Wakefield, Batley and Birstall....
Uniform
St John Fisher recently changed its uniform as part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations. The uniform is now as follows:- Boys –
- White shirt
- Grey jumper with school logo
- Black blazer
- New school tie (red with alternating horizontal stripes and school badges)
- Black shoes
- Black socks
- Boys may also wear a watch or a small crucifix.
- Girls wear the same except for –
- A skirt or trousers (trousers must be grey in years 7-9, but may be black from year 10 onwards, whereas skirts must be worn with thick black tights)
- One pair of stud type earrings in the ear lobes
Students who entered the school in 2004 and 2005 still wear the old school uniform. The old uniform is similar to the new, except blazers are not worn, and the old school tie is used (alternating red and grey diagonal stripes). Upper school girls wearing the old uniform do not wear ties.
P.E. kits are the same for both boys and girls throughout all years of the school, and comprises a red and black rugby shirt for outdoor P.E., or a white polo shirt for indoor P.E.. Both are worn with black shorts and either white trainers or football boots (only used when playing games on the fields during winter months).
There is no uniform for Sixth Form students, provided that clothes worn are appropriate for a learning environment.
The Sixth Form
Although religious criteria apply to school admissions, the sixth form considers all applications, and offers BTEC First Awards to those not receiving sufficient GCSE grades to study at A-Level Standard.The Sixth Form, now in its 27th year, offers the following subjects at A-Level:
- English LiteratureEnglish literatureEnglish literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
- English LanguageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- Foreign Languages (French or Spanish)
- Health and Social CareHealth and Social CareIn the UK, Health and Social Care is a broad term that relates to integrated services that are available from health and social care providers...
(single or double AVCE) - Business StudiesBusiness studiesBusiness studies is an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, as well as at university level in many countries...
(single or double AVCE) - ICTInformation and communication technologiesInformation and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
- LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
(at Dewsbury College) - Maths
- Product DesignProduct design-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
- Hairdressing
- IPro
- ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
- PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
- BiologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
- PsychologyPsychologyPsychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
(distance learning) - ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
- Media StudiesMedia studiesMedia studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
- MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
- PEPhysical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
- Travel and Tourism (single or double)
- TheologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
(giving exemption from compulsory RE) - Theatre Studies
- A Sport Award, CertificateAcademic certificateAn academic certificate is a document that certifies that a person has received specific education or has passed a test or series of tests.In many countries, certificate is a qualification attained in secondary education. For instance, students in the Republic of Ireland sit the Junior Certificate...
or DiplomaDiplomaA diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
, equal to one, two or three A-Levels respectively.
Because the resources of the Sixth Form are not infinite, it is not possible to take any combination of subjects - option blocks must be adhered to. Although this may be a fair way of organising a timetable, it means that each year some people may be unable to take their ideal choice of subjects.
Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to Sport, but attendance is not enforced.
The Sixth Form is responsible for electing the Male and Female School Presidents - (i.e. Head Boy and Girl)