Bishop Walsh Catholic School

Bishop Walsh Catholic School is a secondary school located in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham in the West Midlands of England.

Introduction

Bishop Walsh Catholic School is a Performing Arts, Mathematics and Computing College and Sixth Form centre. The school opened in 1966 and celebrated it's 40th anniversary in 2006 with a mass in the school building which was conducted by Vincent Gerard Nichols (Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Birmingham)

The schools is named after Bishop Thomas Walsh and currently teaches 800 pupils aged 11-16.

Specialist status

In 2006 the school applied to renew its bid as a performing arts college which was successful. It also achieved specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing College.

Mission statement

The school's mission statement is: "Caring to Learn: Learning to Care". Bishop Walsh aims to be a secure and happy Catholic school where they try to follow the example of Christ, enjoy learning and do their best. They believe in excellence and in developing their talents in a variety of ways.

School management

The current headteacher at the school is Mike Moran who is assisted by two deputy headteachers; John Farrell and Mary Casey. The head of the Sixth Form is Peter Howes. Other Assistant Heads are Deirdre Duignan and Belinda Dunphy. Elliot Bailey is a bit of a legend. Joe Roberts is ginger.

Catholic partnership

Bishop Walsh Catholic School is a Member of the Catholic Partnership.

The Core Purpose of the Catholic Partnership is to promote the Common Good, as outlined by the Bishops of England and Wales, in Birmingham's Catholic Secondary schools.

Admission criteria

11-16 education

Bishop Walsh Catholic School is a Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided School serving, in the first instance, the local Roman Catholic Community. Pupils are normally admitted to the school between the ages of 11 and 16 years, the operative date being September 1 of the current school year.

All pupils are expected to take part in Religious Education lessons. All the criteria apply for years 7 - 11 in the school.

To support their application, parents/ guardians will be required to provide evidence that their children are baptised Catholics.

The Governors have adopted Birmingham LEA's definition of brothers and sisters and residency. The Governors have the right to check with Parish Priests that the child's residency lies within the four Sutton Coldfield parish boundaries.

These priorities having been applied, in the event of over-subscription, applications will be admitted in an order of priority within the appropriate category, based upon the proximity of their domicile to the front door of Holy Trinity R.C. Church, measured in a straight line.

In cases of refusal of admission by the Governors, parents have the right of appeal against that decision and, in such a case, an Appeals body will be constituted in accordance with the arrangements laid down by the 1998 Education Act.

Sixth Form entry

There is a separate Admissions Criteria for the Sixth Form.

External Applicants who want to do A Level courses at Bishop Walsh Catholic School Sixth Form need 5 or above GCSE results between A* and C. They can also be admitted to one year intermediate courses (BTEC) in which they will 4 to 5 GCSEs at grades D to E. External applicants are only accepted if there are available places within.

External applicants are required to complete a Governors’ Application form for a Sixth form place and sign to accept the conditions of entry. All candidates will be interviewed and references will be called for from schools currently attended by applicants. In addition, if more applications are received than there are places available the Governors will allocate places in the following order:

• Baptised Catholic students with brothers or sisters already in the school
• Baptised Catholic students already attending Catholic Secondary schools
• Baptised Catholic students attending non-Catholic Secondary schools
• Non-Catholic students with brothers or sisters already in the school
• Non-Catholic students attending other Catholic schools
• Non-Catholic students

Internal applicants from Year 11 receive a priority if they meet the entry requirements for post-16 courses and who have submitted a Governors' application form.

External links

• Bishop Walsh School Website