St Wilfrid's Catholic School, Crawley
Encyclopedia
St Wilfrid's Catholic School is a voluntary aided
comprehensive
Catholic
secondary school
in Crawley
, West Sussex
, England
for pupils aged 11 to 18. It caters for around 900 pupils in years 7 to 13, including around 100 in its sixth form
. It is now a Business & Enterprise Specialist School With Ethics
.
to provide Catholic secondary education for the children of the town. At first, based in an old manor house, additional buildings were developed over the next ten years to accommodate increasing numbers. In 1967, the school became comprehensive.
Further increases in numbers on roll led to changes in 1970 which saw the school change to become an upper school providing education for pupils aged 13 to 18, with younger pupils attending one of the two newly-opened middle school
s in the town: Holy Cross Intermediate School and Notre Dame Intermediate School. This arrangement continued until 1996, when falling rolls led to a return to the school becoming a full secondary accepting pupils aged 11+.
From 2007, preparations went underway for a complete re-build of the school on its existing campus which opened in 2008.
in 1952 to provide a Catholic secondary school in the new town. It was accompanied by 21 ac (8.5 ha) of land that makes up the modern campus.
The school moved in to its new home in May 2008. It still maintains the same address as before, but, besides that, the building is different. The new school premises provide facilities set within a building. The facilities include a Sports England standard sports hall and external pitches, a drama studio; multi-use activity space for drama, dance and physical education; a range of laboratories and workshops; a music suite and art gallery; together with a Learning Resource Centre and ICT facilities throughout the school. The new facilities also enable the school to offer its local community an Enterprise and Learning Centre and a chapel in which school and parish can gather in worship.
and East Grinstead
and their surrounding villages.
Although this year’s GCSE results (2010) were not quite matching the previous year, in their efforts, the school did very well.
The A Level results this year (2010) were reported as the highest results in the school's history with Year 13 students attaining a remarkable 99% pass rate, which is above the national average, with 15% achieving A*-A grade, 40% achieving an A*-B grade and 70% achieving A*-C.
, the lead singer for The Cure
, and more recently three members of the band The Feeling
, namely drummer Paul Stewart
, guitarist Kevin Jeremiah , and keyboard player Ciaran Jeremiah.
It is also the claimed school of vocalist 2D
of the virtual band Gorillaz
. Well-known Brighton foreign language teacher Gill O'Connor and her brother, Peter, press secretary to government minister Harriet Harman, UK government minister in the 1990s and 2000s, also went to the school.
Voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, 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...
for pupils aged 11 to 18. It caters for around 900 pupils in years 7 to 13, including around 100 in its sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
. It is now a Business & Enterprise Specialist School With Ethics
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
.
History
St Wilfrid's Roman Catholic (Aided) modern school opened in 1953 on its current campus in Crawley New TownCrawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
to provide Catholic secondary education for the children of the town. At first, based in an old manor house, additional buildings were developed over the next ten years to accommodate increasing numbers. In 1967, the school became comprehensive.
Further increases in numbers on roll led to changes in 1970 which saw the school change to become an upper school providing education for pupils aged 13 to 18, with younger pupils attending one of the two newly-opened middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s in the town: Holy Cross Intermediate School and Notre Dame Intermediate School. This arrangement continued until 1996, when falling rolls led to a return to the school becoming a full secondary accepting pupils aged 11+.
From 2007, preparations went underway for a complete re-build of the school on its existing campus which opened in 2008.
Campus
The campus for the school was originally based around the school building, named "Oakwood" which lies alongside Goffs Park. The residence was purchased by the dioceseDiocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in 1952 to provide a Catholic secondary school in the new town. It was accompanied by 21 ac (8.5 ha) of land that makes up the modern campus.
The school moved in to its new home in May 2008. It still maintains the same address as before, but, besides that, the building is different. The new school premises provide facilities set within a building. The facilities include a Sports England standard sports hall and external pitches, a drama studio; multi-use activity space for drama, dance and physical education; a range of laboratories and workshops; a music suite and art gallery; together with a Learning Resource Centre and ICT facilities throughout the school. The new facilities also enable the school to offer its local community an Enterprise and Learning Centre and a chapel in which school and parish can gather in worship.
Students
The school is comprehensive, providing education for around 900 pupils aged between 11 and 18 of all abilities. It sets its own admissions criteria in line with other voluntary aided schools. It provides education for pupils from Crawley, and the nearby towns of HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
and East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
and their surrounding villages.
Although this year’s GCSE results (2010) were not quite matching the previous year, in their efforts, the school did very well.
The A Level results this year (2010) were reported as the highest results in the school's history with Year 13 students attaining a remarkable 99% pass rate, which is above the national average, with 15% achieving A*-A grade, 40% achieving an A*-B grade and 70% achieving A*-C.
Notable alumni
The school is noted for its musical alumni, boasting that it once educated Robert SmithRobert Smith (musician)
Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
, the lead singer for The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, and more recently three members of the band The Feeling
The Feeling
The Feeling are a BRIT award-nominated English pop band from West Sussex and London. The band categorise their music as "pop".Following a limited release of their first single "Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release "Sewn" in...
, namely drummer Paul Stewart
Paul Stewart (musician)
Paul Ronald Stewart is the drummer in the British band The Feeling.He went to St Wilfrid's Catholic School, Crawley, where he met Kevin Jeremiah and Ciaran Jeremiah, now fellow members of The Feeling....
, guitarist Kevin Jeremiah , and keyboard player Ciaran Jeremiah.
It is also the claimed school of vocalist 2D
2D (Gorillaz)
The fictional character Stuart Pot , better known by his stage name 2-D, also simply spelled as 2D, is a member of the British virtual band Gorillaz...
of the virtual band Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
. Well-known Brighton foreign language teacher Gill O'Connor and her brother, Peter, press secretary to government minister Harriet Harman, UK government minister in the 1990s and 2000s, also went to the school.