History

Established by St Andrew's Church in 1857, St Andrew's CofE Voluntary Aided High School moved to its current site in 1964. St Andrew’s Church stands on the corner of Southbridge Rd and Lower Coombe St. and is 153yrs old (2010). The priest and people were responsible for building ‘The Ragged School’ on the site of the current Church Hall back in the 1860s. The school was moved to the site on Duppas Hill to facilitate the building of Croydon Flyover. The Church and School continue in a healthy relationship on a number of levels. It is located on a hill to the west of the town centre where it is surrounded by parkland and residential areas. There are playing fields on site. A joint sixth form was established with Archbishop Tenison's School in 1978 which resides on the Tenison's premises. At the Year 10 Aspirations evening on 11 October 2011, parents were told that St Andrew's would be opening its own sixth form in 2013-2014, enabling Year 10s to look forward to staying at the school for their sixth form. The school contains, amongst other things, two laboratories and an art room, a new music and drama centre with a large number of practice rooms and, in 2010/2011, two new buildings were erected next to the Duppas Hill Terrace entrance containing an additional 12 classrooms and a library.

The School Crest

The idea of the St Andrew's crest comes from the Scottish national flag showing a shield with the white saltire cross of St Andrew on a blue ground. The cross pierces a red five-leafed open coronet. On the under side of the shield is the Latin school motto: per crucem ad coronam. It means 'By the cross to a crown'
The blue is described as heraldic azure.

Sister School

The annual admissions procedure is shared with St Andrew's sister school, Archbishop Tenison's.

School Uniform

Black blazer with School badge woven on pocket. Plain white shirt, with firm collar, short or long sleeve. House colour tie, (or Honours or Prefect if awarded). Plain Black school trousers or, for girls, a grey skirt. Plain black school shoes. V neck sweater in plain burgundy (optional) or, for Year 10 & 11, a black V neck jumper.

Houses

The school is sorted into Houses

House system

The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...

. These Houses determine the colour of the bands on each pupil's school tie. (Wells-green, Salisbury-blue, York-red, Lincoln-yellow, Durham-white)

The houses at St Andrew's are named after famous Cathedrals:

• Wells
  Wells Cathedral
  Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
  
  
• Salisbury
  Salisbury Cathedral
  Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
  
  
• York
• Lincoln
  Lincoln Cathedral
  Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
  
  
• Durham
  Durham Cathedral
  The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
  
  

The Joint Sixth Form

St Andrew's and Archbishop Tenisons Joint Sixth Form although from 2013–14, St Andrew's will have its own sixth form facilities on-site.