St Benedict's Catholic College
St Benedict's Catholic College is a coeducational secondary school in Colchester, Essex, England.[1] As the only remaining Catholic secondary school in Colchester, it has a fairly large catchment area which includes North Essex[2] and is one of the top performing non-selective state schools in Colchester.[3]
| St Benedict's Catholic College | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| |
Norman Way , , CO3 3US England | |
| Coordinates | 51.88517°N 0.87525°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Voluntary aided school |
| Motto | Ora et labora (Pray and work) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1963 |
| Local authority | Essex |
| Department for Education URN | 115382 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Head teacher | Joanne Santinelli |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Age | 11 (Year 7) to 16 (Year 11) |
| Enrolment | 840+ |
| Colour(s) | Black, blue and gold |
| Website | www |
History
St Benedict's Roman Catholic Secondary School opened in 1963 as a voluntary aided secondary modern. It became comprehensive in 1976 when the tripartite system was scrapped.[4] In 1999 it reverted to voluntary aided status.[5] The school's first female headteacher Mrs Jo Santinelli, the incumbent, was appointed prior to the 2012–13 academic year.[2]
Subjects
The range of subjects taught at St Benedict's is broad. There is the traditional English, Mathematics and Science (split into Physics, Chemistry and Biology at the beginning of Year 9). St Benedict's is known as a Business and Languages College, meaning that the students have the option to be taught business skills from Year 9 upwards and French from Year 7 upwards with the opportunity to learn a second language from the beginning of Year 9. The main language taught is French, the Year 9 option is Spanish. As the school is a Catholic College, religious education is included in the timetable. During these lessons, students not only learn more about Christianity, but about other religions too, Judaism for example is part of the Year 8 curriculum. History and Geography are also included as well as PSHE lessons. During Year 7, there is the chance to achieve Respect Form status for the tutor groups which is achieved through posters, discussions and role plays. Computer Science (Information Technology) is also taught with four computer suites and four computers available in the Library. PE (Physical Education) is taught and there are many lunchtime and after school sports clubs. Technology is taught with the classes being Resistant Materials, systems and control, Food and Textiles.
Facilities
The school is equipped with computer labs and a well-stocked library. There are six science laboratories with equipment for all experiments. The Technology classrooms are also well equipped. Since receiving Business and Enterprise College specialist status, the extra funding was used to add a new business studies suite.[6]
The PE department has had a new block built with updated changing rooms (male and female) and a new gymnasium. There are two gymnasiums, a running track, long jump, two rounders pitches, tennis courts, netball courts, indoor and outdoor basketball courts football pitches and a rugby pitch as well as equipment to do high jump and indoor sports such as basketball, badminton, gymnastics, dance, table tennis.
Notable former pupils
- Dermot O'Leary, comedian and presenter[7]
- Tristan Nydam, Professional Footballer
References
- "St Benedict's Catholic College". BBC News. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- "Colchester college principal Jo brings new school of thought". Gazette News. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- "North Essex: Who tops the table?". Essex County Standard. 28 February 2008. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- 'Education', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9: The Borough of Colchester. Courtesy of British History Online. 1994. pp. 352–66. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- "Colchester school must count cost of opting in". Essex County Standard. 8 January 1999. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- "Colchester: New business suite at St Benedict's". Essex County Standard. 1 July 2004. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- Joseph, Anne (17 December 2010). "My best teacher - Dermot O'Leary". Times Educational Supplement. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2013.