St John's Catholic School for the Deaf

Last updated

St John's Catholic School for the Deaf
StJohnsCatholicSchoolfortheDeaf.jpg
Address
St John's Catholic School for the Deaf
Church Street

Boston Spa, Wetherby
,
West Yorkshire
,
LS23 6DF

England
Coordinates 53°53′58″N1°21′06″W / 53.899417°N 1.351650°W / 53.899417; -1.351650
Information
TypeNon-maintained special school; SEN Specialism Sensory and/or Physical Needs
Religious affiliation(s)Catholic
Established1870
Founder Désiré de Haerne
Local authority Leeds
Department for Education URN 108120 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Head teacherAnn Bradbury
Staff25 teachers, 11 learning support assistants, 22 care staff and others
Gendermixed
Age3to 19
Enrolment84
Website http://www.stjohns.org.uk

St John's Catholic School for the Deaf is a school for deaf and hearing impaired children in Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. Monsignor de Haerne, an influential Belgian priest and senator founded the School at a small house in Handsworth in 1870 with the help from the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The School was relocated to Boston Spa in 1875. With efforts from the Daughters of Charity, the School has had a Vincentian Family ethos for almost a century and a half. The School will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2020.

Contents

St John's Catholic School for the Deaf is referred to as "Boston Spa" in British Sign Language. Many past pupils are leaders, educators, teachers and businessmen in the Deaf Community. Lara Crooks, a past pupil, was a regular presenter for See Hear , a TV programme for deaf and hard of hearing people in the United Kingdom. Gerry Hughes, the round the world yachtsman, was also a pupil. [1] [2]

St John's School provides a day and boarding education for deaf and hard of hearing children and young people. In the primary department, teachers use the Maternal Reflective Method of English language teaching, pioneered by Father van Uden, a Dutch oralist based at the Institution for the Deaf in Sint Michielsgestel. [3] In the Post-16 section, young people are provided with note-takers to support them when they attend local colleges, in particular York College and Askham Bryan College. [4]

The School was subject to controversy in 2008, when compensation was awarded to seven men who were victims of a paedophile priest employed at the school between 1975 and 1980.

Gabby Logan (the school's patron) presented a BBC Radio 4 Appeal on Easter Sunday 2009 to raise funds for an Expressive Arts Resource (EAR). The new drama studio was officially opened in October 2012 by Monsignor John Wilson of the Diocese of Leeds. [5]

Nickname

While the School's official name is St John's Catholic School for the Deaf, it is referred to by the past pupils and the deaf community as "Boston Spa", the village where the School is situated, and as it is easier to lipread.

Belgian Sign Language

Boston Spa was the only school in England that used a sign language other than British Sign Language, namely Belgian Sign Language introduced from Brussels by the two Daughters of Charity. St Vincent's School for the Deaf (Tollcross) in Glasgow previously used Irish Sign Language.

Language policy

In the early days,[ when? ] Boston Spa used Belgian Sign Language which was imported from de Haerne's school in Brussels. After the Second World War, it was decided to introduce oralism through the demands of parents. A St Vincent's Unit was set up half a mile away from the main school to cater for children who could not cope in the main school. St Vincent's Unit eventually adopted Signed English, using British Sign Language. The School has adopted van Uden's Maternal Reflective Method, which promotes Spoken English using written texts.

The Chapel

The barrel-vaulted chapel, opened on 30 October 1889, was designed in a late Tudor and early Elizabethan styles, by Charles Hadfield. Hadfield's father was Matthew E. Hadfield who was the Secretary to the School in its early years. Two memorial windows were erected there, one to Monsignor de Haerne the founder. [6] and another to Matthew E. Hadfield the Secretary.

Catholic priest paedophile settlement controversy

In September 2008, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds agreed to out-of-court settlements with seven men who had attended the school in the 1970s, and had been victims of abuse by a paedophile priest employed by the school. [7] The priest, Father Neil Gallanagh was not imprisoned, [8] for the abuses which took place at the school from 1975 to 1980 but no longer practices or dresses as a priest. [9]

Ofsted reports

2015 inspection

Ofsted inspected the School in February 2015 judging it to be Grade 2 (Good), stating that "School leaders have continued to build upon the good standards identified in the previous inspection report", "Teaching is nearly always good, with some examples of outstanding practice", "Students who attend the sixth form unit make excellent progress". [10]

Earlier inspections

Ofsted inspected the School in October 2008 and found it to be Grade 4 (Inadequate), stating that "Significant improvement is required to ensure the School's recruitment policies and procedures comply with all the legislative requirements for the safeguarding of pupils", [11] however the "Effectiveness of the sixth form" (16–19 years of age) was rated Grade 1 (Outstanding). Ofsted inspected again in January 2009, and assessed the school as Grade 2 (Good), stating "The school has swiftly put matters right and all the procedures that are currently required to help safeguard children are now in place." [12] An inspection in February 2012 ranked the school as Grade 2 (Good), with "Behaviour and safety of pupils" ranked as Grade 1 (Outstanding). [13] Ofsted inspected the School's residential care provision in March 2013 and judged the school to be 'Outstanding' in all categories.[ citation needed ]

Community partnership

St John’s Catholic School for the Deaf was shortlisted in 2011 by the TES for the Outstanding Community Partnership Award. [14]

Gabby Logan

Gabby Logan, the school patron, presented the School with the Gabby Logan Gymnastics Trophy. The cup is awarded each year to the pupil making the most progress in gymnastics. [15]

Academic credentials

A 2012 survey by SIL International found that past pupils in Northern Ireland from Boston Spa and Mary Hare School are known for higher academic credentials than is usual in the deaf community and often obtain higher paying and more desirable jobs. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Spa</span> Village and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England

Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Situated 3 miles (5 km) south of Wetherby, Boston Spa is on the south bank of the River Wharfe across from Thorp Arch. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 4,006 rising to 4,079 in the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofsted</span> Department of the government of the United Kingdom

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training and childcare services in England do so to a high standard for children and students. Ofsted is responsible for inspecting a range of educational institutions, including state schools and some independent schools. It also inspects childcare, adoption and fostering agencies and initial teacher training, and regulates early years childcare facilities and children's social care services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ampleforth College</span> Public school in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England

Ampleforth College is a co-educational fee-charging boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located near the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the grounds of the Benedictine monastery, Ampleforth Abbey. The school is in a valley with sports pitches, wooded areas and lakes. Its affiliated preparatory school, St Martin's Ampleforth, which lay across the valley at Gilling Castle, closed in 2020 and was sold to an anonymous buyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Nicholas Catholic High School</span> Voluntary aided high school in Hartford, Cheshire, England

St Nicholas Catholic High School is a mixed voluntary aided school and sixth form in Hartford, near Northwich, Cheshire for students aged 11 to 18. The headteacher is Craig Burns. The students who enroll there study for 5 years and after GCSEs, they have the possibility of going to the associated Sixth Form.

St George Catholic VA College is a Catholic voluntary aided comprehensive secondary school for girls and boys in Swaythling, Southampton, Hampshire.

St. George's Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary school, with academy status, in Maida Vale, Westminster, London, England. The school also offers sixth form education franchised from St Thomas More Catholic School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Joan of Arc Catholic School, Rickmansworth</span> Academy in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England

Saint Joan of Arc Roman Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England. The catchment area for the school spreads over South West Hertfordshire, parts of Buckinghamshire and parts of North West London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfield Secondary School</span> Academy in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Newfield Secondary School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status for 11–16-year-old children, situated in the south of the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, specifically in the Norton Lees area. It is co-located with Talbot Specialist School with which it has some collaborative arrangements. There are approximately just over 1000 students at the school. The current headteacher is Mrs E Anderson, who was originally appointed the post as co-headteacher with Mr D Webster, who later went on to be headteacher at Mercia School. in October 2015. In 2013 the school was sponsored to become an academy as part of its ongoing partnership with King Ecgbert School in Sheffield, with Lesley Bowes assuming the role of executive headteacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Spa Academy</span> Academy in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, England

Boston Spa Academy is a coeducational secondary school for pupils aged 11–19 years old on Clifford Moor Road in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, England. It is larger than other secondary schools in the area, with 1500 students on roll, including 350 in the sixth form. Boston Spa and neighbouring Wetherby High School have large catchment areas and take pupils from much of north and east Leeds.Over recent years, the proportion of pupils attending Boston Spa Academy from the local areas has significantly increased as the reputation of the school has improved following on from significant improvements in performance. In 2019, Boston Spa was placed in the top 5% of schools nationally and for sixth form was in the highest 250 performing providers in the country.

Brookfield Community School is a large state-funded secondary school located in the Locks Heath ward of the Borough of Fareham. Brookfield serves 5 feeder schools in the local area. Brookfield is one of the largest co-educational, comprehensive secondary schools in Hampshire; the school currently has approximately 1800 students on-roll and there are approximately 120 teachers employed at the school. The school teaches years 7 to 11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildern School</span> Academy in Hedge End, Hampshire, England

Wildern School is an 11–16 mixed secondary school with academy status in Hedge End, Hampshire, England. It was formerly a foundation school that was established in 1933 and became an academy in 2011.

Caversham Primary School is a state primary school in Caversham, a suburb of Reading, Berkshire in England. The school was established in 1907 and educates around 450 children between the ages of 4 and 11.

Oak Lodge School is a specialist day school with a residential provision for students with hearing, speech, language and communication needs aged 10–19. It is located in the London borough of Wandsworth in England.

St. Augustine's Catholic College is a Catholic Academy secondary school in the town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. The school has a sixth form for years 12 and 13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School</span> School in Reading, Berkshire, England

Blessed Hugh Faringdon is a Catholic state secondary school in Reading in Berkshire, England. The school has approximately 850 pupils on roll and around 100 teaching and non teaching staff. The school specialises in Mathematics and the Performing Arts. Blessed Hugh Faringdon is one of the many Catholic schools in and around Reading but the only secondary and is under the Trusteeship of the Diocese of Portsmouth. The school is a member of the Partners in Excellence group of schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Désiré de Haerne</span>

Désiré de Haerne was a Catholic priest, who was one of the signers of the Belgian constitution. He also founded the St John's Catholic School for the Deaf, which today is located in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, and he was for a time director of the Royal Institution for Deaf in Brussels, Belgium.

St Edmund's Catholic School is a co-educational Roman Catholic secondary school located in Dover, Kent, England. The school is named after Edmund of Abingdon, and is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Benedict's Catholic High School, Alcester</span> Academy in Warwickshire, England

St Benedict's Catholic High School is a co-educational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form. It is located in Alcester in the English county of Warwickshire. The school is named after Saint Benedict of Nursia, the patron saint of Europe and students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme St Cuthbert School</span> A primary school in Cumbria, England

Holme St. Cuthbert School is a primary school which serves the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in the county of Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately one-and-a-quarter miles north-east of the village of Mawbray, the largest settlement in the parish, and twenty-three miles south-west of the city of Carlisle, Cumbria's county town. As of the 2018-19 academic year, there were sixty-two pupils enrolled in the school. This is just short of the school's capacity of sixty-six pupils. The current headteacher is Mrs Lynn Carini, who took over from Mrs Sheila Daniel in 2014.

References

  1. ↑ Gerrys Life. gerrysmhughes.com
  2. ↑ Joselyn Taylor (2007). Boston Spa: The Story of St. John's Catholic School for Deaf Children, 1875 – 1975. British Deaf History Society Publications. ISBN   978-1-902427-28-7.
  3. ↑ "Maternal Reflective Method". St John's Catholic School for the Deaf. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  4. ↑ "Post-16 department". St John's Catholic School for the Deaf. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  5. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 Appeal" . Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  6. ↑ "Picture of Monsignor de Haerne". Leodis – a photographic archive of Leeds. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Seven former deaf pupils win cash". Yorkshire Evening Post. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  8. ↑ Kate O'Hara (7 August 2006). "Victims of paedophile priest to sue church". The Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 11 August 2006.
  9. ↑ Minister & Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors. "Submission to Cumberlege Commission October 2006" (PDF). p. 50. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Inspection Report (11–12 February 2015)" (PDF). Ofsted. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Inspection Report (14–15 October 2008)" (PDF). Ofsted. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Inspection report (20–21 January 2009)" (PDF). Ofsted. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Inspection Report (29 February - 1 March 2012)" (PDF). Ofsted. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "The TES School Awards – 2011 Shortlist" . Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  15. ↑ "TV star presents new award to school for deaf – Your community". Wetherby News. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  16. ↑ Parks, Elizabeth; Parks, Jason (1 January 2012). "A Survey Report of the Deaf People of Northern Ireland" (PDF). SIL International. Retrieved 3 January 2013.

Further reading

Boston Spa : the story of St. John's Catholic School for Deaf Children, 1875–1975; Joselyn Taylor. Addlestone: British Deaf History Society Publications, 2007. vii, 132 p.  ISBN   978-1-902427-28-7

Deafness of the mind : the forgotten children of Boston Spa by Kevin Fitzgerald. Published Manchester : Kevin Fitzgerald 2010 ( ISBN   9780956475602)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.