St Cuthbert's - History

History

Built in 1957, St Cuthberts is one of the oldest High Schools in St Helens, famous in the 1960s for its rugby and football achievements. In 2004, St Cuthberts became a Business and Enterprise High School thanks to funding from Scottish Power Learning. In 2006, St Cuthberts renamed itself as a College. The first Head Teacher was Frederick Grundy. The current Acting Principal is Angela New, following the death of serving Principal, Monica Gallimore, on February 16th 2013 in her 30th year at St Cuthbert's. Angela's deputy is Pat Lally.

A small number of former pupils have gone on to achieve celebrity status. Some even migrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States amogst other countries. Several distinguished themselves in the armed forces and others even became company directors. At one time its school uniform was the most distinctive in the town.

The school's academic record was somewhat poor in the first two decades with few pupils achieving any qualifications. Thankfully, that situation has been remedied. It started off as a secondary modern school and was not called a high school until education reforms of the early 1970s introduced comprehensive schools. Prior to that, children sat the 11 plus preliminary examination and upon passing that took the examination for to attend one of the then four single sex grammar schools: West Park (boys), Notre Dame (girls), Cowley Boys, Cowley Girls. There was one Secondary Technical School called Grange Park. This school took pupils who had passed the preliminary examination but failed the 11 plus examination. In those days 90% or more pupils failed the preliminary examination. Interestingly, many secondary modern pupils did better in later life than their grammar school brothers and sisters. The oldest of the original pupils who would have been 14 in 1957 are now well into their 60s and drawing their pensions. Three generations have passed through the school since the mid-1950s.

The school's buildings have increased over the last half century to accommodate increased pupil numbers and more facilities. During the early 1960s, pupils and teachers even built a stone grotto with a statue of our lady inside. That has long since been demolished. The playing field area of the school was also extended during the summer holidays of 1962. The upper half of today's playing fields once contained a pond and willow trees which were filled in and cut down then grassed over and fenced off.

The original houses of the school were: Lourdes, Walsingham, Carmel and Fatima each being named after a Marian shrine where our lady was reputed to have manifested herself to chosen children. The houses are now Dignity (Miss Feeney and Mr Arkell), Faith (Mr Mearns and Mrs Howard), Hope (Miss Bowler and Miss McGuiness) and Unity (Miss Anderson and Mr Haywood).

One former head of music, Patrick Booth, a then popular teacher, later became headteacher of a new secondary school, now defunct, and was later arrested, charged and convicted for sexual offences with pupils of that school in the late 1960s. Two long serving teachers also need mention. Mr Bradbury, who taught English and later became head of English, and Joe Ludden, who was once a physical education teacher who switched subjects and became a head of department. They were and remain still, the longest serving teachers at the school. They both taught the children of their original pupils at the school. In those days the school had a single pupil styled School Captain. There were also house captains and prefects. Each class elected a Class Captain in the first year who remained so for the next three years. In the then fourth and final year, the boys and girls were each placed into single sex classes. A fifth year class was introduced in 1962 but only for external pupils coming from other schools and they stayed on until age 16.

Within the past few months the college has received a few awards including the National Church Schools Award and the Commitment to ICT award.