All Saints Catholic School
Address
Mill Mount Lane

Bar Convent (Lower) Site Mill Mount (Upper) Site

Yorkshire

South Bank, York
,
North Yorkshire
,
YO24 1BJ

England
Coordinates53°57′05″N 1°05′39″W / 53.9513°N 1.0941°W / 53.9513; -1.0941
Information
Former namesAll Saints RC School, Bar Convent Grammar School, Bar Convent Girls School, St George's RC Secondary School, St Margaret Clitherow RC Secondary School
TypeAcademy
MottoFides Caritas Unitas
(Faith Love Unity)
Religious affiliation(s)Christianity
DenominationCatholic
Established5 November 1686 (1686-11-05)
FoundersFrances Bedingfield, Mary Ward
Sister schoolSt Francis Xavier School, North Yorkshire
Local authorityCity of York
TrustNicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust
Department for Education URN149517 Tables
OfstedReports
Head teacherSharon Keelan-Beardsley[1]
Staff135
Years taughtYears 7–13
GenderMixed
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1,408
Capacity1,421
Campus typeUrban Split-Site
Houses  Bernadette
  Clitherow
  Bosco
  Kolbe
  Romero
  Teresa
  Aloysius
  De Porres
  Francis
Colour(s)School Colours:
                                               
Trust Colours:
                                               
NicknameCatholic Canaries
Feeder schoolsAll Saints Catholic Primary School – Thirsk
Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School – Barkston Ash
Our Lady Queen of Martyrs RC Primary School – York
Sacred Heart RC Primary School – Northallerton
St Aelred’s RC Primary School – York
St Benedict’s RC Primary School – Ampleforth
St George’s RC Primary School – York;
St John of Beverley RC School – Beverley
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School – Tadcaster
St Mary’s RC Primary School – Malton
St Mary’s RC Primary School – Market Weighton
St Mary & St Joseph’s RC Primary School – Pocklington
St Wilfrid’s RC Primary School – York[2]
AffiliationBar Convent
Alumni nameOld Saints
WebsiteOfficial website
Trust website

Uppersite Mill Mount

All Saints Catholic School is a split site, coeducational Catholic secondary school and sixth form. It is regarded as the best Catholic school in the North.[3][4][5][6]

The school has a split site. The Upper Site is between South Bank and Scarcroft Road in the south side of York, England and is where years 10–13 are taught. The Lower Site is on Nunnery Lane close to Micklegate Bar and is where years 7–9 are taught.

In 2022, it was announced that All Saints is the best school in York, fifth best School in the North.[6][5][4][3]

The school has been serving the Catholic population of York and more broadly Yorkshire (in some form) since 1665, and plays a role in the Catholic education of the region as the only Catholic Secondary school and Sixth Form in York.

Admissions

All Saints is a secondary school and sixth form (being the single largest Catholic school in the region) for children from the York and Yorkshire Catholic Parishes, however welcomes students from other faiths and belief backgrounds.[7][8][9][10][11]

History

Founding

Mary Ward, a nun from York, initiated a mission in 1665 to educate girls in the Catholic faith, with the aim of preserving Catholicism for future generations. She assumed leadership of the community and established convent-run schools on the Continent, where Catholicism was still legal. Following her passing, the Sisterhood returned to York in 1686. With the assistance of Thomas Gascoigne, a Yorkshire businessman who desired his daughters to receive a local Catholic education, the Bar Convent Girls School was founded. Gascoigne provided a £500 donation to set up the school.[12] The school eventually became the first Roman Catholic institution to teach girls in the nation.[13]

'no more than a boarding school for young ladies of Roman Catholic families'. – Drake describing the Convent and school in 1736

During the 1800s, an additional wing was added for a day school, as the school was growing.[13]

In 1925, the Bar Convent School became a grammar school, allowing locals to apply for scholarships.[13]

Second World War

During the Baedeker raids of 1942, the school infirmary was demolished. At the time, the school was being utilized as a military hospital, and medical equipment was installed in the school hall. Following the conclusion of the Second World War, the school's facilities were expanded, and an additional seven classrooms, a laboratory, a needlework room, and a dining room were constructed, effectively doubling the school's accommodation.[13]

Comprehensive Education

During the mid-1970s, the school began admitting boys.[12] Following the elimination of the grammar school system in the early 1980s, the responsibility for the school was transferred from the Sisterhood to the Diocese of Middlesbrough, ensuring the continuation of free Catholic education in the region. The school was reopened as All Saints Roman Catholic School in 1985, with the inclusion of pupils from St. George's and St Margaret Clitherow Secondary Schools (due to the Vale of York Catholic School re-structuring), resulting in a doubling of the school's size. Additionally, the Upper School and Sixth Form were relocated to Mill Mount, a neighbouring converted Manor House property obtained by the school from the council after the closure of the Mill Mount County Grammar School for Girls.[14]

Mill Mount County Grammar School For Girls

Charles Heneage Elsley Recorder of York, Owner of Mill Mount Manor House

The school was established in 1920 and was initially administered by the City of York Education Committee until 1974 when it was taken over by North Yorkshire County Council. The school had 124 girls enrolled in March 1921, some of whom were transferred from Queen Anne School.

The original Manor building and stables (still used on the upper site), which was built in 1850 for Charles Heneage Elsley Esq., J.P. and Recorder of York, was purchased and adapted by the municipal authority for use as a school.

The school added a chemistry laboratory in 1922 and a cookery centre in 1925. By 1933, there were 272 girls enrolled, and extensions were added in 1935 to provide accommodation for 150 more girls. A games field at Nunthorpe was opened in 1938. By March 1946, there were 383 girls attending the school.[13] The curriculum was expanded over the years, with subjects such as chemistry, general science, and physics being added, and the original School Certificate being replaced with General Certificate of Education (GCEs). In 1965, a plan was proposed to turn York into a comprehensive education system by 1970, with Nunthorpe and Mill Mount joining to become a sixth form college, and the two other grammar schools becoming a comprehensive. However, this plan fell through, and the school remained a girls' grammar school until 1985, and the site was sold to All Saints RC.

St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School

The exterior of the St George's RC Secondary School, which was located on Walmgate

During the period of 1927–1932, St George's School in Margaret Street underwent a reorganization, resulting in three separate departments for Senior Boys, Mixed, and Infants.

In 1939, construction of a new building for the Senior Boys department began, and was completed in 1948, adjacent to the Primary school.

By 1956, both schools had become voluntary aided schools, with 240 children enrolled in the primary school and 290 boys in the secondary modern school.[15]

However, the Senior school was eventually closed in 1985 due to discussions on the reorganization of York's Catholic Senior schools in the late 1970s. The buildings remained abandoned for many years before being demolished in 1996 to make way for housing. The school was incorporated into All Saints RC School, with the campus relocated to Nunnery Lane and Mill Mount respectively.[16]

Headteachers

Headteachers since the creation of the School in its current form:

  • Dr. Adrian Elliott 1985–2003
  • Mr. Bill Scriven 2003–2019
  • Mrs. Sharon Keelan-Beardsley 2019–Present[17]
The exterior of the Bar Convent, Located within the same building as All Saints RC School Lower Site

Specialist Schools Programme

All Saints School was formerly a Language and Performing Arts College which was part of the Specialist schools programme. This meant that it received extra funding for language teaching. It no longer holds this title as the programme was abolished.

Academisation

Previously a voluntary aided school administered by York City Council,[18] the school attempted to join the Saint Margaret Clitherow Catholic Academy Trust (SMCCAT) which was established by the Diocese of Middlesbrough for the central vicariate, however following a change in structure, SMCCAT[19] was dissolved and in May 2023, All Saints Roman Catholic School converted to academy status[20] sponsored by the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust[21] which had originally been formed for the northern vicariate. During the academisation process the school was renamed from All Saints RC School to All Saints Catholic School.

Present day

At present, the Bar Convent serves as a museum, guest house, and café. The Mary Ward sisters and Sacristan live in the Convent, and the Lower School shares the chapel.[22][23] The School is linked closely to Saint Francis-Xavier School (SFX) in Richmond since 2022, when All Saint's headteacher (previously headteacher of SFX) became executive headteacher of both schools.[24]

Chaplaincy & Tradition

Religion

English Martyrs Church on Dalton Terrace
Dome of the shared school and Bar Convent Chapel

All Saints, being the only Roman Catholic high school in York, plays an important role in the Catholic community and history of the city. In addition to serving the parishes in the Central Vicariate of the Diocese of Middlesbrough (York), the school accepts students from parishes and primary schools in Thirsk, Malton, Pocklington, and Tadcaster.

The school has links with English Martyrs Church which is located 300 meters from the upper site. The school gathers regularly in English Martyrs to celebrate important masses such as Epiphany (which is traditionally celebrated within the first week of the Spring term) Ash Wednesday, Ascension, Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

In addition, every year, the whole school gathers at York Minster for All Saints Day mass and an Advent service (traditionally held in the evening of the first Monday of advent).

Annual pilgrimages are organized to Lourdes in collaboration with the diocese and other diocesan schools.[25]

In response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in 2022, All Saints organized a prayer chain along the streets of the city in solidarity with Ukrainians.[26]

Form System

The School operates a Form system for sports and school events, each Form is named after a Saint who represents a Catholic Virtue essential to spiritual development. Traditionally Form Feast Days are celebrated vertically between Forms of the same Saint in different years.

Building relocation/modernisation

Since its establishment in its current form, All Saints has operated a split-site school, which as (then Headteacher) William (Bill) Scriven described in 2013:

“Running a split-site school costs us about £300,000 extra a year, and we get a £137,000 split site allowance from the council with the rest of the money coming from our budget. If we were in one building we would be able to avoid a lot of the current duplication of costs.”[27]

Therefore the school has long sought to relocate to meet the demands of its growing student body as the largest Catholic school in Yorkshire. This posed a challenge as the site would need to be in close proximity to the rail station and other transport connections to facilitate the Catholic community from outside the York area attending the school. This was the reason for a failure for the bid of a £20 million new school in 2013.[14] In March 2022 the debate about whether the school buildings are fit for use and large enough was reignited due to the government announcing the School Rebuilding Programme. Local MP Rachael Maskell raised the safety and wellbeing of the school buildings for the student body in the House of Commons:

“Parts of the school date back over 300 years. I have had the tour with the estates team at the school; it is taking ever more of their time just to try to keep the site safe, which is a major challenge."[28]

The member of parliament for York Central also discussed the nature of the Mill Mount location as of note in the bid to rebuild the school:

“Needless to say, the behaviour of inebriated racegoers poses a risk, as they urinate on their way back to the city through the school premises (…) need to be taken into account in the programme for rebuilding schools"

In December 2022, It was announced that the school had succeeded in their application to the Schools Rebuilding Programme, and would receive funding for a refurbishment of one or more of the buildings. Rachael Maskell spoke again:

"While the details of the school rebuilding programme are yet to be released, I am delighted that, at long last, the school has been recognised as requiring an upgrade (…) This news is most definitely a fantastic Christmas present for all in the All Saints community"[29][30][31]

Attainment

In 2023, 9% of all GCSE grades were at grade 9 which is almost double the national average and 36% of all grades at were 7 or above which is double the average for Yorkshire and the Humber.[16]

All of the students studying A Level Further Maths attained an A* in the subject, In drama over 70% of the students achieved an A or A* and in philosophy and fine art this was 60% and 63% respectively. 77% of history students achieved an A*-B, in biology 69% achieved A*-B and psychology and English language 73% and 70% respectively attained the top grades.

All Saint's BTEC results are the best the school has ever achieved with all students achieving a merit or higher.[15]

In November 2022, the school achieved the fifth position amongst state schools in the North, as ranked in Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2023.[3] It also secured the first place in the northern comprehensive School, northern Catholic School and York Secondary School categories.[4]

The school was judged Outstanding by Ofsted in 2016.[32] In 2023, another inspection took place with the finding "There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection".[33]

In addition, the school has won many awards including UK linguistics Olympiad school of the year in 2011.[34]

Alumni

Due to All Saints being a merger of multiple schools and buildings, alumni before 1985 are very difficult to trace:[35]

St Georges RC Senior School

Incorporated into All Saints in 1985 during the reform of Catholic education in the Vale of York.

Mill Mount County Grammar School for Girls

This school was incorporated into Millthorpe school but was situated in All Saints upper site.

Bar Convent Grammar School

All Saints Catholic School

Curriculum

All Saints covers the national curriculum as well as the Catholic educational curriculum. Qualifications attainable from the school are BTEC, GCSE, A-level and Level 2 Qualifications.

Subjects offered in KS3 and KS4 Subjects offered in KS5 (Sixth Form)
  • Art
  • Biology
  • Business Studies*
  • Chemistry
  • Dance
  • Design Technology
  • Drama
  • English Language
  • English Literature
  • French
  • Food Technology
  • Geography
  • German
  • History
  • Latin*
  • Mathematics
  • Further Mathematics*
  • Music
  • Personal development (PSHCE)
  • Physics
  • Physical Education
  • Religious Education
  • Spanish
  • Textiles[40]

*only taught in KS4
  • Art & Design
  • Biology
  • Business Studies*
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science*
  • Design Technology & Product Design
  • Dance
  • Drama & Theatre Studies
  • English Language
  • English Literature
  • Ethics, Philosophy & Theology
  • Fashion & Textiles
  • Fine Art
  • French
  • Further Mathematics
  • Geography
  • German
  • Government & Politics
  • Health & Social Care
  • History
  • Latin
  • Mathematics
  • Media
  • Music Technology
  • Music
  • Physical Education*
  • Philosophy
  • Photography
  • Physics
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Spanish[41]

*offered as a BTEC Qualification also

See also

References

  1. ↑ "All Saints Roman Catholic School | Senior Leadership Team". Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "All Saints RC School Admissions Policy – September 2020". Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "York schools ranked in top 10 for performance in the north". York Press. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Parent Power 2023: Best UK schools guide and league table". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  5. 1 2 YorkMix (9 December 2022). "These six York schools have been named among the best in the North". YorkMix. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  6. 1 2 Rodrigues, Nick. "Best schools in the North of England 2023". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "All Saints Roman Catholic School York". allsaints.york.sch.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "All Saints RC School". yorkpress.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "All Saints Roman Catholic School". yor-ok.org.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "All Saints RC School, York". schoolsnet.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "All Saints RC School". goodschoolsguide.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  12. 1 2 "The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre". www.bar-convent.org.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Schools and colleges | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  14. 1 2 "York set for new £20m school". York Press. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Schools and colleges | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  16. 1 2 "The Rocky Road to York Re-organisation". The Catholic Herald.
  17. ↑ "New head Sharon Keelan-Beardsley takes helm at All Saints School". York Press. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  18. ↑ "All Saints RC School – GOV.UK". Get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Our Diocese | St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Academy Trust | SMCCAT". Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "All Saints Catholic School York – GOV.UK". Get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Nicholas Postgate". Catholic Academy Trust. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre in York". www.bar-convent.org.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  23. ↑ "This is how I felt after visiting York's Bar Convent this weekend". York Press. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  24. ↑ website, St Francis Xavier School. "Home". St Francis Xavier School. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  25. ↑ "Chaplaincy | All Saints Roman Catholic School". www.allsaints.york.sch.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "York school pupils form half-mile chain to pray for Ukraine". York Press. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  27. ↑ "York set for new £20m school". York Press. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  28. ↑ ""I cannot believe there is a more urgent case" – new York secondary school plans". York Press. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  29. ↑ "REVEALED: The most overcrowded primary and secondary schools in York". York Press. 8 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  30. ↑ "Oldest secondary school in York gets cash for new buildings". York Press. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  31. ↑ YorkMix (16 December 2022). "York school to get a big upgrade to improve its run-down buildings". YorkMix. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  32. ↑ Smith, Philip (2016). "All Saints RC School". Ofsted. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  33. ↑ Morris, Kate (2023). "Inspection of an outstanding school: All Saints RC School". Ofsted. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  34. ↑ "Able Gifted and Talented | All Saints Roman Catholic School". www.allsaints.york.sch.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  35. ↑ "York set for new £20m school". York Press. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  36. ↑ "David Bradley Interview: From a York childhood to Doctor Who". Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  37. ↑ "Venus Award honour for author Tricia Walker". York Press. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  38. ↑ "Anna's on the right track". York Press. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  39. ↑ "Deò, Amazon UK". Amazon UK. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  40. ↑ "Subjects | All Saints Roman Catholic School". www.allsaints.york.sch.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  41. ↑ "Sixth Form Prospectus | All Saints Roman Catholic School". www.allsaints.york.sch.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2023.

Further reading

  • The Last Windmill, a history of the school (1985)[1]
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