St Francis Xavier's College, Liverpool
 | |
| Motto | Jesus came that we might have life, "........life in all its fullness." Jn 10:10 |
|---|---|
| Established | Thursday 27 October 1842 |
| Type | Academy |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Headteacher | Mr J.D Rippon |
| Chair | Mr. H. N. King[1] |
| Founder | Society of Jesus |
| Location |
Beaconsfield Road Woolton Liverpool Merseyside L25 6EG England Coordinates: 53°22′58″N 2°52′49″W / 53.382662°N 2.880281°W |
| Local authority | Liverpool City Council |
| DfE URN | 138463 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 130 |
| Students | 1297 |
| Gender | Boys, Coeducational in the 6th form |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Colours |
Year 7-11 Maroon & Blue Year 12-13 Black & Blue |
| Publication | SFX Extra and Prospectus |
| Website |
www |
St Francis Xavier's College is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in Woolton, Liverpool, England. Year 7 to Year 11 are male only, whereas the Sixth Form (years 12 and 13) are coeducational.
The College is under the trusteeship of the Brothers of Christian Instruction. Their mission is that of their founder, Jean Marie de la Mennais, ‘To make Jesus better known and loved’.
The school is a specialist school for Mathematics and Computing, and was the first school in Liverpool to gain specialist school status in that category.
Origins and History
The college was founded in 1842 in association with Stonyhurst College, Lancashire by the Society of Jesus which is a Roman Catholic religious order.[2]
1842–1843: Soho Street
The college had a rector from 1842 to 1844. It had two pupils.[3]
1843–1845: St. Anne Street
A year later, it had a dozen pupils. Father Francis Lythgoe moved the college to St. Anne Street where it stayed until 1845.[3]
1846–1877: Salisbury Street
In 1844 Father Johnson took over from Father Francis Lythgoe and moved his 24 pupils to the newly opened Presbytery on Salisbury Street. Father Collyns took over the college in 1853.
With more than 50 pupils the rector Father Collyns decided that a new premises was needed. By 1856 the college had its own building built alongside the Presbytery and in 1877 a new college was built on 6 Salisbury Street.[4]
Second College Building
The newest Salisbury Street building was designed by Henry Clutton, a Catholic architect. He used the designs of Father Vaughan as the bases of his designs. The new college was completed in the summer of 1877 and cost £30,000.[4]
Move to Woolton
In 1961 the college was transferred as a grammar school to its present twenty-six acre site at High Lee, Woolton. From 1984-1990 the Lower School site for Years 7, 8 and 9 was located on Queens Drive (Formerly Cardinal Newman RC) in Wavertree L15. Later, the Lower School was re-sited with the Upper School at High Lee. In 1990, the college opted out of local authority control, becoming a grant-maintained school. The college was granted Technology College status from April 1996. In September 1999 it became a Foundation School. In 1992, the college became co-educational in the sixth form and in September 2000 the De La Mennais Sixth Form Centre was opened.
School choir
The choir was formed in 1994 and has performed in front of Pope John Paul II. They have toured Europe and the United States, and gained a place in the Guinness Book of Records for singing at every cathedral in England and Wales.[5]
The school sang on the reworked version of The Farm's 1990 hit "Alltogethernow", remixed by BBC Radio 1's DJ Spoony. The single, which reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart, was the official song for the England football team at the UEFA Euro 2004 competition. It was performed by the choir on Top of the Pops in 2004.[6]
Head Teachers
| Headteacher | Start year | End year |
|---|---|---|
| Mr G Flowers | 2016 | Present |
| Mr L.D Rippon | 2004 | 2016 (now Executive HeadTeacher) |
| Brother Francis Patterson | 1979 | 2004 |
| Brother Robert Power | 1974 | 1979 |
| Father Doyle | 1962 | 1974 |
| Father Edward James Warner | 1953 | 1961 |
| Father Neylan | 1939 | 1953 |
| Father Brinkworth | 1937 | 1938 |
| Father Woodlock | 1919 | 1937 |
| Father J. Sponson | 1902 | 1919 |
| Father Thomas Poter | 1870 | 1902 |
| Father Collyns | 1853 | 1870 |
| Father West | 1851 | 1853 |
| Father Johnson | 1844 | 1853 |
| Father Francis Lythgoe | 1842 | 1844 |
Notable alumni
- Sir Peter Baxendell – former Shell executive[7]
- James Clement Baxter – Liberal politician and former Chairman of Everton[8]
- Charles Brabin – American film director[9]
- Tom Cannon – Professor of Strategic Development at the University of Liverpool
- Sir Bernard Caulfield – former High Court judge on the Queen's Bench
- Gabriel George Coury – VC winner[10]
- Chris Crookall – actor[11]
- Dixie Dean – professional footballer[12]
- Ryan Doyle - World freerunning champion 2007 and 2011
- Walter Bryan Emery – Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology at University College London from 1951–70
- Jon Flanagan – English Footballer who plays for Liverpool F.C.
- Paul Gallagher – Archbishop
- John Gregson – actor
- Franny Griffiths - Musician for indie rock band Space
- Augustine Harris – RC Bishop of Middlesbrough from 1978–92, Prison Chaplain to HM Prison Liverpool from 1952–65
- George Hartland – Conservative MP for Norwich from 1931–5
- Paul Aloysius Kenna – recipient of the VC in the Sudan Campaign
- Sammy Lee – ex-professional footballer and Assistant Manager of Liverpool Football Club[13]
- Sir George Lynskey – High Court judge on the (former) King's Bench
- Vincent Malone – Bishop
- Jimmy McGovern – BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter [14]
- Thomas Moran – food scientist, Director of Research at the Ministry of Food from 1940-6
- Mike Newell – professional footballer[15]
- Laurence O'Keeffe – Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1988–91, and to Senegal from 1982-5
- Edward J. Phelan – Director-General of the International Labour Organization[16]
- Paul Raymond – publisher of pornographic magazines such as Men Only, and proprietor of strip clubs
- Peter Serafinowicz – comic actor, writer, voice artist and composer[17]
- Leslie Stuart – composer of Edwardian musical comedies[18]
- Neil Ward – Chief Operating Officer of HM Courts Service from 2006-7
- Tony Warner – professional footballer
- James Webb – Commissioner of the Inland Revenue from 1968–78
- Michael Xavier - musical theatre actor and Olivier Award nominee
See also
- St Francis Xavier
- St Francis Xavier Church, Liverpool
- Brothers of Christian Instruction
- Secondary school
- Foundation school
References
- Notes
- ↑ "Contact Us". St Francis Xavier's College. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ↑ "College History". St. Francis Xavier’s College. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- 1 2 Heery, Pat; Bewley, Bill (2002). "Chapter 2: The College Premises". The History of St.Francis Xavier's College, Liverpool 1842-2001. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-9535782-1-4.
- 1 2 Heery, Pat (2002). "Chapter 2: The College Premises". The History of St. Francis Xavier's College Liverpool 1842 - 2001. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-9535782-1-4.
- ↑ "Liverpool choir's Number One goal". Liverpool City Council. May 2004. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ↑ "Gold disc for Euro anthem choir". BBC. June 2004. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ↑ "Family Record". http://www.burkes-peerage.net. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2009. External link in
|publisher=(help) - ↑ "The History of Everton Football Club - Dr James Baxter". http://www.efchistory.co.uk. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2009. External link in
|publisher=(help) - ↑ "Charles Brabin - Bio". http://connect.in.com/. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2009. External link in
|publisher=(help) - ↑ Gabriel Coury from Catholic Herald Archived October 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Grange Hill back for Series no. 27 from Liverpool Echo, 2 February 2004, retrieved 18 December 2014
- ↑ Heery, Pat (2002). "Chapter 7: The Fr Neylan Years 1939-1953". The History of St. Francis Xavier's College Liverpool 1842 - 2001. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-9535782-1-4.
- ↑ Sammy Lee from BobPaisley.com, retrieved 18 December 2014
- ↑ Rampton, James (30 November 1996). "Profile: Jimmy McGovern: TRUTH WILL OUT". The Independent. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ↑ Students looking to Ferry elite cup across the Mersey from Liverpool Echo, 14 May 2003, retrieved 18 December 2014
- ↑ "Edward J. Phelan". The Irish Times.
- ↑ "Peter Serafinowicz". The Sunday Telegraph. September 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ↑ Lamb, Andrew. "Barrett, Thomas Augustine (1863–1928)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, May 2007, accessed 26 May 2012 (subscription required)
- Bibliography
- Heery, Pat (2002). The History of St. Francis Xavier's College Liverpool 1842 - 2001. Pat Heery. ISBN 978-0-9535782-1-4.
