The Cardinal Wiseman School
Encyclopedia
The Cardinal Wiseman Roman Catholic School, commonly known as The Cardinal Wiseman School, is a Roman Catholic school comprising a comprehensive secondary school
and The Cardinal Wiseman School Sixth Form located in Greenford
, London. Its headteacher is Michael Kiely and its student body consists of 11 to 18 year olds; it has specialist status in technology, art and humanities.
In 2006, it was featured on the BBC
's list of 197 schools in England with the best "value added" measures from Key Stage 2
to Key Stage 4
.
Monetary prizes are awarded for the best musicians and dancers in upper and lower school and one for the overall best performance. These are decided on the second night by a panel of judges that usually contains various professionals and ex-pupils, and also on occasion, famouse celebs also attend the show as judges.
The event is always well attended, with tickets for the second night always selling out on the first day of sales. As well as pupils, teachers and parents are regularly in attendance.
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...
and The Cardinal Wiseman School Sixth Form located in Greenford
Greenford
Greenford is a large suburb in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, UK. It was historically an ancient parish in the former county of Middlesex. The most prominent landmarks in the suburb are the A40, a major dual-carriageway; Horsenden Hill, above sea level; the small Parish Church of...
, London. Its headteacher is Michael Kiely and its student body consists of 11 to 18 year olds; it has specialist status in technology, art and humanities.
In 2006, it was featured on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's list of 197 schools in England with the best "value added" measures from Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
to Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
.
History
It is named after the Catholic Cardinal Wiseman, a Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster in 1850. It was originally opened in 1959, but has been reorganised several times since, including an amalgamation with the Cardinal Newman School in 1986.Location
It is located on Greenford Road ingreenford, near Greenford Broadway; there are many buses that stop close to it, including the E1, E2, E3, E5, E6, E7, E9, E10, E11, 92, 95, 105 and 282. It is next to, and is often twinned with Our Lady of The Visitation Roman Catholic Primary School, and the Our Lady of the Visitation Church.Years 7 to 11
The students wear a uniform, consisting of a royal blue blazer, navy and white tie, white shirt, grey skirt (for girls) and charcoal trousers for boys. However, as of April 2007, ties were not required to be worn during the summer term, for a trial period. This rule has now been lifted, and ties are once again compulsory for all students all year. During the summer terms, girls can choose to wear summer blouses which they do not have to wear a tie with.Sixth Form
The uniform for the Sixth Form differs to the lower school. Students are required to wear a black tie with the school crest over a plain white shirt with black trousers or skirts. A blazer is available although most students prefer their own choice of plain black jumpers...Notable alumni
- Popular band The Magic NumbersThe Magic NumbersThe Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band comprising two pairs of brothers and sisters from Greenford. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their critically acclaimed debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005...
attended Cardinal Wiseman and, as well as Jason RobertsJason Roberts (footballer)Jason Andre Davis Roberts MBE is an English-born Grenadian footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. Born in Park Royal, London, Roberts began playing football from an early age, and spent time in the youth academies at several professional clubs, but was not...
, a Blackburn Rovers striker. - Power Metal band, DragonForceDragonForceDragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
's keyboardist; Vadim Pruzhanov attended Cardinal Wiseman. - Young actor James FordeJames FordeJames Forde is a young British character actor.James Forde is currently starring as Liam Butcher the son of Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson in long running soap EastEnders and has been there since April 2008 at the age of ten, taking over the role from Nathaniel Gleed. He is the 6th actor to play...
, who plays Liam ButcherLiam ButcherLiam Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by twins Jack and Tom Godolphin in 1998 and 1999, Gavin and Mitchell Vaughan in 2002, and by Nathaniel Gleed from 2002 to 2004...
in the soap EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
is currently a student at the school.
Arts Festival
Every year, the Music and Drama departments at Cardinal Wiseman organise a two night event at which numerous musicians and dancers come together to showcase the wealth of talent within the school community. This will normally take place on the Wednesday and Thursday of the first week of November, with auditions for acts occurring in mid September.Monetary prizes are awarded for the best musicians and dancers in upper and lower school and one for the overall best performance. These are decided on the second night by a panel of judges that usually contains various professionals and ex-pupils, and also on occasion, famouse celebs also attend the show as judges.
The event is always well attended, with tickets for the second night always selling out on the first day of sales. As well as pupils, teachers and parents are regularly in attendance.