Finchley Catholic High School

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Finchley Catholic High School for Boys is in North Finchley, part of the London Borough of Barnet. Founded in 1926, it has eighty years of history (which have seen two former schools, "Finchley Grammar School" and "The Challoner School" merge to become Finchley Catholic High School). The School has an inclusive and community-focused ethos of which staff and pupils are very proud.

The School newsletter, "The Albanian", is named after the School's patron saint, St Alban, Britain's Protomartyr. It is sent out six times a year (every half term) to all parents, governors and other key members of the school community.

Finchley Grammar School was founded by Father Clement Henry Parsons, Parish Priest of the local Roman Catholic parish of St. Alban's, Nether Street, North Finchley. He also founded the Challoner School, and St. Alban's Preparatory School (now absorbed into Woodside Park International School) as a feeder primary for the Grammar School.

[edit] School Houses

The school is made up of 5 (sometimes 6) houses, which are represented by each year's form classes, which in turn are represented by the colour of stripes on their ties. These are named after prominent catholics (mostly with some connection to Finchley): Bampfield (green), Bourne (blue), Feckenham (gold), Fisher (white), Challoner (red), More (purple) and Alban (orange). Purple is not always included, but sometimes another form is made to accommodate more students, typically every other year.

The forms (houses) each have their own letter, which together make up the initials of the school. This is FRCHSB, standing for Finchley Roman Catholic High School for Boys, and each letter is for a different form.

At the beginning of the 2006/07 school year, another tie colour, orange, was introduced due to a complication about the number of students admitted that year.

As stated by the School:

F(inchley) is Green Tie

R(oman) is Blue Tie

C(atholic) is Yellow Tie (often referred to as Gold - Yellow and Gold being heraldically equivalent)

H(igh) is White Tie

S(chool) is Red Tie

B(oys) is Purple Tie

A(lban) is Orange Tie

F,R,C,H and S are the only ties which appear in each year group. Once every 2 years, it seems a new year 7 group get purple (B). However as stated above Orange appeared through an excess of students and as it has happened to the year 7 of 2006/7.