Xaverian College

Admissions

In the inner city suburb of Rusholme, close to Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road, many of the college's students originate from ethnic minorities, as well as various socioeconomic classes. Admissions consist of three hierarchal priorities:

1. Pupils studying at one of the seven associated Roman Catholic High Schools and Trinity Church of England High School are guaranteed a place at Xaverian if they wish to take it.

2. Next priority is given to students in Roman Catholic schools who are in partnership with Xaverian.

3. Priority then falls to Roman Catholic pupils at non-Roman Catholic schools who meet entry requirements.

4. There is a NHS Cadets vocational programme which has entry criteria that are not based on an applicant's religion or beliefs.

5. Xaverian College also accommodates a group of approximately fifty Manchester University students undertaking foundation degrees in dentistry, medicine and pharmacy.

1862-1976

The Xaverian Brothers, or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier (CFX), are a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium, in 1839 and named after St. Francis Xavier. The order is dedicated to Roman Catholic education in the United Kingdom, the United States and many other countries.

The College was founded by the Xaverian Brothers in 1862 and until 1903 was housed in a four storey building on Oxford Road, Manchester. On the move to the then gated Victoria Park, it was originally housed in a building known as Firwood, but over time, through new building projects and acquisition, the campus grew.

Firwood was home to the Brothers until 1993 when the last of them left. Another former house which has now become part of the college, Ward Hall, was used as a camp for American servicemen in the Second World War.

Mancunian Films, a motion picture production company, used the exterior of the College in several of their films, including It's A Grand Life, starring Frank Randle and Diana Dors. The film company sold their Dickenson Road Studios to the BBC in 1954, making Dickenson Road Studios the first regional BBC TV studio. When the BBC left in 1974 to move to Oxford Road, Xaverian inherited their lighting rigs, now used in the drama studio. From 1946-77, the school was a direct grant grammar school.

1977 to present

The College was a Roman Catholic grammar school for boys until 1977, when it became a mixed sixth-form college. This led to significant expansion.

Although focus on religion has been somewhat relaxed since the transition, 94% of Xaverian students in 2008 were baptised Roman Catholics.

The college's Ofsted report in March 2008 rated it as outstanding: grade 1, the highest grade of the scheme. The college has a very strong academic reputation in Manchester, with many subjects having 100% pass rates and 80% of students progressing to university.

Buildings

The college consists of eight buildings on two sides of Lower Park Road: Ward Hall, Birtles, Marylands, Firwood, Xavier, Sunbury, Ryken and Mayfield, built from 1840 onwards. Additions and renovations have been an ongoing feature of the campus's development, with Birtles a key example of this process. The Ryken and Mayfield buildings, added at the start of the 21st century, house information technology equipment. The Ryken building was named after one of the founders of the Xaverian order, Theodore James Ryken. The college buildings are around the perimeter of a central grassed area where sporting and social activities take place.

Sixth form college

Grammar school