Mottoes Semper Fidelis Type Academy Headteacher Terence (Ted) Hammond Phone +44 1562 883193 Number of students 1,025 (2006) | Established 1959 Religion Roman Catholic Chair Elaine Yates (2006) Motto Semper Fidelis Founded 1959 | |
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Address Brake Ln, Hagley, Stourbridge DY8 2XL, UK Houses Anselm of Canterbury, Bede, Wulfstan Similar Haybridge Teaching School, Stourport High School, Redhill School, Waseley Hills High School, Windsor High School | ||
Hagley Catholic High School is a mixed 11-18 school in Hagley, Worcestershire. The school holds specialist academy status, and was accorded a Grade 1 (Outstanding) in its most recent Ofsted report in 2011. The school plays host to students studying for Key Stage 3, GCSE, AS and A-level examinations. The chosen Patron Saint is Catholic martyr Saint Nicholas Owen, and the school is divided into houses named after saints: Anselm, Bede, Chad, Gregory, Kenelm, and Wulstan.
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In 2007, the school agreed to work in correspondence with Haybridge High School, located over the road, to share subject teaching in the less commonly chosen subjects by students. They have shared common ground for sporting events for some time.
Present Day
The current headteacher is Mr T. Hammond, who has been in post since 2000. He is only the fifth headteacher during the 50+ years the school has been operating. Hagley Catholic High School obtains impressive examination results for its pupils. According to BBC league tables, Hagley Catholic High School has the 6th highest performance rate of the 20 or so state schools in the county, based on GCSE results, with 73% of students in 2010 gaining 5+ GCSEs A* to C including Maths and English.
History
The Catholic community in Worcestershire first began collecting funds to build a secondary school in 1942. Hagley Roman Catholic Secondary School was opened in 1959 (the current name was adopted when the school became comprehensive in 1974). Originally, the school was to be built in Stourport-on-Severn, but land was donated in Hagley.
In 1969, in the building which would later become Lab 5, a full-scale replica of a Bristol Scout aeroplane was built by five pupils and their history teacher. The aeroplane could only be removed when the window frames were removed. Though A Levels had been taught in the school since the 1960s - the first A-Level History lesson taking place on the steps outside the staffroom - they became an important part of the curriculum in the 1970s. A Sixth Form common room and adjacent teaching rooms were built in 1976, and pupils began regularly to go on to university.
An extensive collection of catalogued records relating to the history of the school can be found in the library. A history of the school, written by teacher Stephen Roberts, was published in 2009.
Notable former pupils
School bus accident
The school became known for a tragic M40 minibus crash that occurred on November 18, 1993 in which twelve children and a teacher lost their lives. Several memorials were put in place, including a stained glass window in the entrance foyer, and several charities were also formed in the wake of the crash. One of the consequences of the crash was the launch of a national campaign to improve safety and driving standards for Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCV). The huge number of letters which were sent to the school in the weeks after this tragic event were placed for safekeeping in the care of Worcestershire County Archives in 2012.