Overview
Originally intended to be England's first Catholic university, Prior Park College was founded in 1830, and since then has been a Roman Catholic school. It was established by the Benedictine, Bishop Baines, as a seminary, and continues to provide co-educational schooling for boys and girls aged eleven to eighteen in the Catholic tradition and ecumenical spirit.
In 2008, Prior Park A-level pupils received the best results in the history of the school with over one-fifth of all students getting three A grades and 77% receiving A and B grades at A-level.
James Murphy-O'Connor replaced retiring head teacher Dr. Giles Mercer in July 2009. Mr Murphy-O'Connor is the nephew of former Prior Park pupil Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. Dr. Mercer had been head teacher since 1996 and with his previous position as head of Stonyhurst College, his twenty-four years as a head teacher made him the "longest serving Catholic senior school headmaster in England."
The school is part of the Prior Park Foundation which includes the Paragon School in Bath and Prior Park Preparatory School in Cricklade, Wiltshire.
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