Nicholas Breakspear School
| Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Colney Heath Lane , , AL4 0TT England , United Kingdom | |
| Coordinates | 51°44′51″N 0°17′20″W / 51.74747°N 0.28881°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | Per Tuas Semitas (English: "In thy ways") |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1963 |
| Founder | Father John Farnsborough |
| Local authority | Hertfordshire County Council |
| Area trustee | Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust |
| Department for Education URN | 137938 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Chair of governors | Mrs Sue McLellen [1] |
| Religious head | Mr Declan Linnane[1] |
| Staff | 124 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 574[1] |
| Houses | Ten Houses |
| Colour(s) | Navy blue and yellow
|
| Slogan | Nurture Believe Succeed |
| Publication | NBS School Magazine |
| Website | Official Website |
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School (NBS) is a secondary school with academy status situated on the rural fringe of St Albans, an old Roman city in Hertfordshire, England.
The school takes its name from the 12th-century priest St Albans-born and educated Nicholas Breakspear, who, as Pope Adrian IV, is the only Englishman ever to have occupied the papal chair. The school makes an annual pilgrimage to his tomb in Rome.[2]
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School is a vibrant place of activity, inclusivity and kindness. It is a unique environment where the character of young people is formed, developed and encouraged to flourish. The school thrives on the Gospel Values of Peace, Justice, Truth and Love. They believe believe that each individual is a unique creation of God and that our role is to nurture every child’s talents and gifts to their full potential. The NBS Pupil Profile guides their students to grow into confident citizens to fulfill the school’s Mission – to build a better world.
The school takes on the responsibility of a child’s education, they expect the very best from them in order to achieve their full potential. Their examination results makes us one of the leading schools in Hertfordshire and places NBS in the top 7% of schools nationally. Standards are important Their programme of academic development is specifically designed to focus on improving every pupil’s chance of achieving the highest academic success. It is based on a flexible structure of pastoral care that individually monitors each child. They use methods of tailored guidance and intervention to make sure pupils stay on the right path to success. They emphasise the importance of parental support and independent learning. By working together with our highly committed and dedicated staff, they ensure that the academic programme at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School is the right choice for all.
Recent history
After a 2008 renovation of the science classrooms, Chris Reeves made a nativity scene composed of sculptures made from the discarded 1960's desks.[3]
In September 2013 the school celebrated its golden anniversary with a service offered by the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster at SS Alban and Stephen Church in the presence of the mayor of St Albans. The mass was followed by a tree-planting ceremony on the school grounds.[4]
It was recently categorized in 2016 as a 'Good' school but still remains a school with below average teachers.[1]
On 13 January 2016, Prince William ate lunch with Breakspear students at John Henry Newman School as he waited for paramedics. The East Anglian Air Ambulance, of which the Duke of Cambridge is part of, frequently uses the Newman School fields.[5]
The student leaders' take part in a trip to Hoima and Kasambya in Uganda supporting a charity; Kiddies Support Scheme (KiSS) helping families become self-sufficient. To date this team has led a school community to raise over £50000 for this charity.
House system
Breakspear has six houses, each named after a saint whose life is intended to serve as an example to the community. Students are assigned to one of the houses on entrance to the school in Year 7 where they remain until the end of 6th form; whenever possible younger siblings become a member of the same house.
Each member of staff is also attached to a house.
Each house has two designated Year 11 House Captains, and one Sixth Form House Leader, who aides in coordinating house teams, organise activities and events and represent their house at relevant meetings. Houses compete between themselves for the most point accumulated during both terms of the school year.
List of houses
Extracurricular activities
School staff
| Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| From | To | |
| J C White | pre-2000 | 2005 |
| Phil Jakszta | 2005 | 2013 |
| Declan Linnane | 2014 | present day |
Notable faculty
- Jonathan Collings - former teacher, later found out to be and convicted for child pornography offenses (ret. 2010).[6]
- Norman Sofier - former history and careers teacher (1972-1995).[7]
- Emma Westbury - Head of Religious Education.[8]
Distinguished alumni
- Martin Brophy MBE - former chairman of the London Gay Men's Choir.[9]
- Tom Cahill - musician, he played in the band Saving Aimee.[10]
- Matthew Connolly - professional football player, he started his career at Arsenal and most notably played for Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City.
- Naomi Czuba - starred in an international advertising campaign for Sweaty Betty.[11]
- Ryan Henson - Conservative Party candidate for Bedford at the 2019 United Kingdom general election. He finished runner up to Mohammad Yasin of the Labour Party, who won by just 145 votes.
- Satoshi Ishida - musician, he played in the band Saving Aimee.[10]
- Nick Isiekwe - professional English rugby union player, he has stated that Breakspear aided in his formation.[12]
- Sean Lemon - musician, he played in the band Saving Aimee[10] and is a member of the band Room 94.
- Jessica Martins - Miss Global Madeira 2013-2014.[13]
- Gail Radley - co-founder of Harper & Guy Recruitment Solutions.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d School report: Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School (PDF) (Report). Ofsted. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Welch, Jon (12 March 2013). "Nicholas Breakspear: The only English Pope". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Nativity scene carved from classroom desks by school handyman". The Telegraph. 4 December 2008. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Burton, Madeleine (25 September 2013). "Commemorating golden anniversary of St Albans' Nicholas Breakspear school". The Herts Advertiser. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ White, Debbie (14 January 2016). "Prince William "really charming" according to St Albans pupils after surprise lunch". The Herts Adviser. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Ex-teacher sentenced for child pornography offences". The Independent. 30 September 2010. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Quinn, Debbie (17 April 2020). "Norman Sofier obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Over 150 Catholic teachers attend first ATCRE national conference". Independent Catholic News. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Perring, Rebecca (18 June 2013). "St Albans businessman Martin Brophy awarded MBE for worldwide LGBT choir work". St Albans & Harpenden Review. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ a b c "Local band supporting McFly".
- ^ Berry, Franki (14 September 2019). "St Albans women are new faces of global Sweaty Betty advertising campaign". The Herts Advertiser. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Edwards, Michael (4 May 2015). "Isiekwe on England, Saracens and preparing for exams". The Herts Advertiser. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Perring, Rebecca (9 September 2013). "St Albans teen, Jessica Martins, vies to win Miss Global International title". St Albans & Harpenden Review. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Kelly, Liam (12 May 2019). "Charlotte Harper and Gail Radley, co-founders of H&G; Recruitment: we got behind the wheel in hiring". The Times. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
