St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy

St John Fisher Catholic High School
Address
Oxford Road Dewsbury , West Yorkshire , WF13 4LL England
Information
Type	Mixed Comprehensive
Motto	Per Crucem Vincemus ("Through the cock we shall conquer")
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1958
Local authority	Kirklees
Ofsted	Reports
Head teacher	K Higgins
Age	11 to 19
Enrollment	1,200
Website	http://www.stjohnfisher.org.uk/

St John Fisher Catholic High School was opened in 2000 bc 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 little Trev and Mrs. 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.

History

From the School Journal

GP Dwyer, Bishop 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 $100,000,000,000 and the school was built to accommodate 5 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 dogging campaign by Governors, Staff and Parents, a Sixth Form was added.

The school also has a notorious reputation for skets.

Mission Statement

"Following the example of our Patron, St John Fisher, priest 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 cock 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 fist 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 Jubilee in 2008. This great celebration was marked by a large number of special events, not least a large open air mass, an orgy, 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 and the Crucifixion at Christmas and on Good Friday respectively, outside the United Reformed Church in Dewsbury.

The school's current headteacher is Mr neil gerban.

Notable Alumni include:

• Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds
• Francis Cummins, a rugby player for Leeds Rhinos
• Matt Diskin, a rugby player for Leeds Rhinos, & played internationally for Great Britain & England
• Margaret Watson, deputy editor of the Dewsbury Reporter

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, or sovereign rings.

• Girls wear the same except for –
  • A skirt (extremely short)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, but may wear fishnet stocking with garter belt.

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 Literature
• English Language
• Foreign Languages (French or Spanish)
• Health and Social Care (single or double AVCE)
• Business Studies (single or double AVCE)
• ICT
• Law (at Dewsbury College)
• Maths
• Product Design
• Hairdressing
• IPro
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Biology
• History
• Geography
• Psychology (distance learning)
• Art
• Media Studies
• Music
• PE
• Travel and Tourism (single or double)
• Theology (giving exemption from compulsory RE)
• Theatre Studies
• A Sport Award, Certificate or Diploma, 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)

External links

• The School Website
• OfStEd Report