St Joseph's College is an independent co-educational school in Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is a Catholic day school for students aged 3 to 18. In September 2010, it changed its name to St Joseph's College to reflect the move into co-education.

The school was founded by the Sisters of St Marie Madeleine Postel. It is close to the University of Reading

University of Reading

The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...

 Whiteknights campus. Although a Catholic school, it is open to pupils of all denominations who meet the admissions criteria.

History

St Joseph's Convent School was founded in 1910 by the Sisters of St Marie Madeleine Postel, whose aim was to provide a good education in a warm and loving atmosphere. Julie Frances Catherine was born in Barfleur, France in 1756 and was a pioneer in education, basing her teaching on the De La Salle method. She took the name Marie Madeline after being made a superior

Mother Superior

A mother superior is an abbess or other nun in charge of a Christian religious order or congregation, a convent or house of women under vows.Mother superior may also refer to:*Mother Superior , a rock band who became ¾ of Rollins Band circa 2000...

 and was canonised in 1925, nearly a century after her death.

In September 2009, the board of governors voted for the school to become a fully co-educational school. St Joseph's Convent School became St Joseph's College in September 2010 to reflect this change.

Curriculum

During the first three years at the school, pupils study Mathematics, English, Modern and Classical Languages, Science, History, Geography, Religious Studies, Design and Technology, including Textiles, Food and Information Technology, Music, Drama and Physical Education. In Years 10 and 11 students are prepared for public examinations.

They all study the core subjects of Mathematics, English, Science and Religious Studies, with up to four further subjects chosen from option groups. Accelerated teaching also leads to many pupils being entered early for GCSE English. Pupils are guided carefully at all stages, particularly in their selection of GCSE options during Year 9 and sixth form options in the course of Year 11.

Notable former pupils

• Marianne Faithfull
  Marianne Faithfull
  Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
  
  , singer
• Alma Cogan
  Alma Cogan
  Alma Cogan was an English singer of traditional pop music in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed "The Girl With the Laugh/Giggle/Chuckle In Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era...
  
  , singer

External links

• St Joseph's Convent School website