St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy
Entrance from Oxford Road
Address
Oxford Road Dewsbury , West Yorkshire , WF13 4LL England
Coordinates	53°41′40″N1°38′40″W / 53.69450°N 1.64455°W / 53.69450; -1.64455
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Per Crucem Vincemus ("Through the cross we shall conquer")
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1958
Local authority	Kirklees
Department for Education URN	141470 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Head teacher	Richard Williams temporary until August 2020 then Sarah Wilkinson November 2022 Jackie Rose (Temporary) currently Carl Mackey
Age	11to 19
Enrolment	1,200
Website	http://www.stjohnfisher.org.uk/

The St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy (formerly the St John Fisher Catholic High School) is a Roman Catholic Mixed Comprehensive in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England.

The school was opened in 1958 under the trusteeship of the Roman Catholic 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.

The 11–19 mixed Roman Catholic secondary school has about 1200 pupils on roll, including 200 in the Sixth Form. It has also been a specialist Sports College since 2005. ^[1] As of 2019 ^[update] , the headteacher was Richard Williams until August 2020 when Sarah Wilkinson became the head. As of 2022, Jackie Rose was the temporary Head Teacher. ^[2]

History

St John Fisher, built at a cost of £225,000, was designed to accommodate 500 pupils of secondary modern standard. George Dwyer, Bishop of Leeds, opened the school in 1958 to provide Roman Catholic education to children of the Heavy Woollen District. In 1958, the initial intake of pupils included children from St Joseph's (Batley Carr), St Mary's, St Paulinus, St Patrick's (Birstall) and Holy Spirit (Heckmondwike). In 1974, an all-ability comprehensive intake was granted. After a campaign by governors, staff and parents, the Sixth Form was added. ^[3]

St John Fisher celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2008. This was marked by a number of special events, such as an open-air mass, a festival of sport and various pilgrimages by the different year groups in school. ^{[ citation needed ]}

In the GCSE results of 2009, 75% of students attained 5 A*-C grades, the highest percentage ever achieved by the school. However, only 38% of pupils achieved 5 A*-C including English and Mathematics, ranking St John Fisher 16th out of the 25 maintained secondary schools in Kirklees for this measure. ^[4]

The school converted to the academy status on 1 October 2014 and was renamed the St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy. ^[5]

Motto and Logo

The academy motto is "Per Crucem Vincemus", Latin for "through the cross we shall conquer" (though the academy no longer offers either Latin or classics as a subject). The logo is a red and white shield with a green fish in front of it. The motto is always written beneath it.

Extracurricular activities

The academy currently runs trips in Year 7 – bushcraft and team building, Year 9 retreat to Ampleforth and Ardeche outdoor ed in France, Year 9 Battlefields, Year 10 Lourdes and a ski trip for Year 11 and Sixth Form every other year. The Sixth Form also goes to New York every other year. Visits to further and higher education take place from Year 9 upwards and other day visits take place to scientific, historical, religious or cultural places. The academy holds academic and sports awards evening. At these evenings, pupils are presented with awards for outstanding achievement or effort within the academy or sport. The Sixth Form performs a Live Crib at Christmas and a Re-enactiment of the Crucifixion on Good Friday, both outside the United Reformed Church in Dewsbury.^{[ citation needed ]} There are a wealth of sports clubs on offer to students with rugby league, an area of excellence in the school.

Uniform

The academy colours of black, grey, dark red and white are present in the uniform that consist of a black blazer and trousers, white shirt, school tie and black shoes for all.

Sixth Form

The Sixth Form is now in its 27th year. Although religious criteria apply to lower school admissions, the Sixth Form considers all applications and offers BTEC First Awards to those not achieving sufficient GCSE grades to study at A-Level. The Sixth Form A-Level curriculum includes Humanities, Sciences, ITC, Music, Visual Arts and Design, PE, and Business Studies. At A-Level is Theology, Theatre Studies, Psychology and Law.

The Sixth Form is also responsible for electing male and female academy presidents.

Notable former pupils

• Arthur Roche – Bishop of Leeds ^[6]
• Francis Cummins – rugby player for Leeds Rhinos ^[7]
• Matt Diskin – rugby player for Leeds Rhinos, & played internationally for Great Britain & England ^[8]
• Victoria O'Keefe (1969–1990) – stage and film actor best known for playing nuclear war survivor Jane Beckett in made-for-TV movie "Threads" (1984). ^[9]

References

1. "St John Fisher Catholic High School" School Prospectus, p.18. Retrieved 13 March 2012;
2. "Headteacher's Welcome". St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
3. St John Fisher School Journal
4. "Secondary schools in Kirklees", BBC News , 13 January 2010; retrieved 4 November 2013.
5. "URN 141470 St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy: Links". Edubase2. Department for Education. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
6. "Bishop Arthur comes home". Dewsbury Reporter . 20 September 2002. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
7. "Rodillian realise their dream". The Yorkshire Post . 17 November 2002. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
8. "Matt's love match". Yorkshire Evening Post. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
9. "Edited newspaper articles from 1990". victoriaokeefe.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

External links

• The School Website