Xaverian College

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Xaverian College
Motto Concordia res parvae crescunt
'In harmony, small things grow'
Established 1862
Type Sixth Form College
Religion Roman Catholic
Principal Ms. Mary Hunter
Founder The Congregation of the Xaverian Brothers
Location Lower Park Road
Victoria Park, Manchester
Greater Manchester
M14 5RB
England England Coordinates: 53°27′18″N 2°13′23″W / 53.455°N 2.223°W / 53.455; -2.223
Local authority Manchester
DfE number 352/8602
DfE URN 130504 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Students 2,000 (approx.)
Gender Coeducational
Ages 16–18
Colours Blue, Yellow, White
Diocese Salford
Former name The Catholic Collegiate Institute
Website Xaverian College

Xaverian Roman Catholic College (known informally as Xaverian) is a college and former grammar School on the outskirts of Manchester City Centre. Xaverian is the oldest institution in a worldwide Xaverian School network that was founded by the Xaverian Brothers in 1862.

Admissions

Located in the inner city suburb of Rusholme, close to Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road, the college's location often influences its intake, with a large diversity of applicants. Many of the college's students originate from ethnic minorities, as well as various socioeconomic classes. Admissions consist of three hierarchal priorities:

1. Pupils studying at one of the seven Associated Roman Catholic High Schools and Trinity Church of England High School are guaranteed a place at Xaverian if they wish to take it.

2. Next priority is given to students in Roman Catholic Schools who are in partnership with Xaverian.

3. Priority then falls to Roman Catholic pupils at non-RC schools who meet entry requirements.

4. There is a NHS Cadets vocational programme which has entry criteria that are not based on an applicant's religion or beliefs.

5. Xaverian College also accommodates a group of approximately fifty Manchester University students undertaking foundation degrees in dentistry, medicine and pharmacy.

History

1862-1976

The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier (CFX) are a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after St. Francis Xavier. The order is dedicated to Roman Catholic education in the United Kingdom, the United States and many other countries. The Xaverian Brothers are, to this day, travelling around the world establishing Xaverian institutes where they are needed most.

The College was founded by the Xaverian Brothers in 1862 and until 1903 was located in a four storey building on Oxford Road Manchester. On the move to the then gated Victoria Park it was originally housed in just a single building known as Firwood but over time through new building projects and acquisition, the campus has grown. For this reason, buildings on Victoria Park campus date from 1840 onwards.

Firwood was home to the brothers up until 1993 when the last of them left. Another former house which has now become part of the college, Ward Hall, was used as a camp for American servicemen during the Second World War. [citation needed]

Mancunian Films, a motion picture production company, used the exterior of the College in several of their films, including It's A Grand Life, starring Frank Randle and Diana Dors. The film company sold their local Dickenson Road Studios to the BBC in 1954, making Dickenson Road Studios the first regional BBC TV studio. When the BBC left in 1974 to move to their present location on Oxford Road, Xaverian inherited their lighting rigs, now used in the drama studio in Birtles. From 1946-77 the school was a direct grant grammar school. [citation needed]

1977 to present

The College operated as a Roman Catholic grammar school for boys until 1977, when it became a mixed sixth-form college.[1] This allowed a significant expansion.

Although focus on religion has been somewhat relaxed since the transition, 94% of Xaverian students in 2008 were baptised Roman Catholics.

The college's Ofsted report rates it as outstanding: grade 1, the highest grade of the scheme. The college has a very strong academic reputation in Manchester and indeed the rest of the country with many subjects having 100% pass rates and 80% of students progressing to Red Brick Universities.

Buildings

The college consists of numerous buildings that are situated on two sides of Lower Park Road — the campus utilises a total of eight buildings. The College's buildings are named: "Ward Hall", "Birtles", "Marylands", "Firwood", "Xavier", "Sunbury", "Ryken" and "Mayfield" — the structures were built from 1840 onwards. Additions and renovations have been an ongoing feature of the campus' development, with Birtles a key example of this process. The Ryken and Mayfield buildings were added at the commencement of the 21st century and house information technology equipment. The Ryken building was named after one of the founders of the Xaverian order, Theodore James Ryken. All of the college buildings are located around the perimeter of a central grassed area where sporting and social activities take place.

  • Ward Hall accommodating Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, History, Modern Languages and Uniformed Public Services.
  • Birtles for Sports Studies, Drama and Music.
  • Marylands for English Language and English Literature.
  • Firwood houses the main student common room, catering facilities, student services, learning support suite, additional learning support and tutorial rooms, college chapel and RE rooms, administration offices and the main reception.
  • Xavier is home to the University of Manchester foundation courses in Biology, Medicine and Dentistry and also houses Mathematics and Sciences.
  • Sunbury houses RE classes and the NHS cadet course, among others.
  • Ryken holds the careers service and library. It also provides a seminar room for visiting speakers and a large drop centre where students are able to make use of college ICT facilities. The ground floor of the building plays host the College's Art Department and Photographic Studio.
  • Mayfield accommodating Law, Business Studies, Computing, Economics, Film Studies, Geography, Government and Politics, Health and Social Care, ICT, Media Studies, Psychology and Sociology.

Notable alumni

Sixth form college

Grammar school

See also

References

  1. ↑ Staff (22 March 1978). "Direct Grant Schools". HANSARD 1803–2005. UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 May 2012. 
  2. ↑ Mark Bryant (18 August 2004). "Obituaries > Brian Bagnall". The Independent. Retrieved 9 June 2012. 
  3. ↑ Burgess joined the Xaverian College on 15 September 1928, and stayed to complete his School Certificate examinations. His first published poems appeared in the school magazine, The Manchester Xaverian, under his birthname of John Burgess Wilson.

External links

Universities and colleges in North West England
Universities
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Further Education colleges
Sixth form colleges
Primary schools
Secondary schools
Independent schools
FE & sixth form colleges
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