Xaverian College

Xaverian College

Motto	Concordia res parvae crescunt 'In harmony, small things grow'
Established	1862
Type	Sixth Form College
Religion	Roman Catholic
Principal	Ms. Mary Hunter
Founder	The Congregation of the Xaverian Brothers
Location	Lower Park Road Victoria Park, Manchester Greater Manchester M14 5RB England
Local authority	Manchester
DfE number	352/8602
DfE URN	130504
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1,800 (approx.)
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	16–18
Colours	Blue, Yellow, White
Diocese	Salford
Former name	Xaverian School
Website	Xaverian College

Xaverian Roman Catholic College (known informally as 'Xaverian') is a college and former grammar School on the outskirts of Manchester City Centre.

Xaverian College is the oldest of a network consisting of Xaverian Schools spanning the globe, being founded by the Xaverian Brothers in 1862. There have been reports of Xaverian on the current Victoria Park, Manchester site, dating as far back as 1848 when a group of Brothers moved into the City.

Admissions

Located in the inner city suburb of Rusholme close to Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road, the college's location often influences its intake as extremely diverse with many students coming from ethnic minorities as well as from various socio-economic classes. Admissions often consist of three hierarchal priorities:

[1] Pupils studying at one of the few Manchester Roman Catholic partnership schools 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 not in partnership with Xaverian.

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

All prospective students must first meet the Colleges entry requirements in terms of GCSE results.

Xaverian also accommodates a group of around 50 students from The University of Manchester, taking foundation degrees in dentistry and medicine. Although unconfirmed officially, several publications state that Xaverian students are thought to be in the top 30% of the ability range in Manchester.

History

The College has rich and diverse history spanning over several decades, including connections with first Irish Prime Minister Éamon de Valera, Piccadilly records and Mancunian Films, a film production company.

1862-1976

The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier (CFX) are a religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier. The order is dedicated to Catholic education in the United Kingdom, the United States and many other countries. The Xaverian Brothers are, to this day, travelling around the world establishing Xaverian institutes where they are needed most.

The College was founded by the Xaverian Brothers in 1862 and until 1903 was located in a four storey building on Oxford Road Manchester opposite what was to become the BBC Manchester HQ (personal reminiscence of former pupil (1902 - 1907) Reginald Nairn Rourke of Palatine Road, Didsbury, Manchester). On the move to the then gated Victoria Park it was originally housed in just a single building known as Firwood but over time through new building projects and acquisition, the Campus has grown. For this reason, buildings on Victoria Park campus date from 1840 onwards.

Firwood was home to the brothers up until 1993 when the last of them left. It has been rumoured that the first Irish Prime Minister, Éamon de Valera, was hidden within the building while fleeing the British authorities.^{[citation needed]} Another former house which has now become part of the college, Ward Hall, was used as a camp for American servicemen during the Second World War.^{[citation needed]}

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 local 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 their present location on Oxford Road, Xaverian College inherited their lighting rigs, now used in the drama studio in Redcliffe. From 1946-77 the school was a direct grant grammar school.

1977 to present

The College operated as a Roman Catholic grammar school for boys until 1977, when it became a mixed sixth-form college. This allowed a 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 rates it as outstanding: grade 1, the highest grade of the scheme. The college has a very strong academic reputation in Manchester and indeed the rest of the country with many subjects having 100% pass rates and 80% of students progressing to Red Brick Universities.

Buildings

The college consists of many buildings situated on two sides of Lower Park Road. In total there are 8 buildings that make up the campus. They are; Ward Hall, Redcliffe, Marylands, Firwood, Xavier, Sunbury, Ryken and Mayfield. The buildings on campus date from 1840 onwards. More recently, additions and renovations have been ongoing, the expansion of Redclyffe is continuing. The Ryken and Mayfield buildings have been added within the last decade and provide students with high-tech information technology equipment. The Ryken building was suitably named after one of the founders of the Xaverian order, Theodore James Ryken. The college buildings are located around a central green area where sports and social activities take place.

• Ward Hall accommodating Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, History, Modern Languages and Uniformed Public Services.
• Redcliffe for Sport Studies, Drama and Music.
• Marylands for English Language and English Literature.
• Firwood houses the main student common room, catering facilities, student services, learning support suite, additional learning support and tutorial rooms, college chapel and RE rooms, administration offices and the main reception.
• Xavier is home to the Manchester University foundation courses in Biology, Medicine and Dentistry and also houses Mathematics and Sciences.
• Sunbury houses RE classes and the NHS cadet course, among others.
• Ryken holds the careers service and library. It also provides a seminar room for visiting speakers and a large drop centre where students are able to make use of college ICT facilities. The ground floor of the building plays host the College Art Department and Photographic Studio.
• Mayfield accommodating Business Studies, Computing, Economics, Film Studies, Geography, Health and Social Care, ICT, Media Studies, Psychology and Sociology.

The Lady of Firwood Tower

A legend upheld by students, staff and residents alike, for up to 100 years, is that of the Lady of Firwood Tower.

Firwood being the oldest, most central and tallest building on campus, has been reported by some to house a ghost. The lady has been described as being; tall, slim, dressed in blue and seen with a sad expression looking out to the West from the tower in the centre of the building.

Amongst believers in the myth, it is thought that since Firwood was the original building, in which the Xaverian Brothers lived (1903-1993), that The Lady would more than likely have a connection to them.

Notable alumni

Sixth form college

• Caroline Aherne – actress and comedy writer
• Peter Ash – actor
• Afshan Azad – British actress; best known for playing Padma Patil in the Harry Potter films
• Mark Collins – guitarist, member of the British indie/rock band The Charlatans
• Wilfred Hopkins – author, under the pseudonym Billy Hopkins, of Our Kid and other works^{[citation needed]}
• Sally Lindsay – actress, comedienne and friend of Peter Kay
• Tachia Newall – actor, plays the character of Bolton Smilie in Waterloo Road
• Chris Ofili – Turner Prize award-winning artist
• Nedum Onuoha – Premier League footballer for Manchester City F.C.
• Shaun Wright-Phillips – Premier League footballer for Manchester City F.C.

Grammar school

• David Ansbro, Chief Executive from 1988-91 of Leeds City Council
• Brian Bagnall, cartoonist and writer for Private Eye, notably Dear Bill
• Chris Boffey, journalist
• Chris Buckley (footballer)
• Anthony Burgess – author, poet; author of the novel A Clockwork Orange
• Prof Wilfred Carr, Professor of the School of Education since 1994 at the University of Sheffield
• Rt Rev James Cunningham, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle from 1958-74
• Augustine Hailwood, Conservative MP for Manchester Ardwick, 1916-22
• Martin Hannett – record producer and Factory Records co-founder
• Peter Hebblethwaite, journalist
• Bernard Hill – British actor; best known for playing Yosser Hughes in Boys from the Blackstuff, Captain Edward John Smith in Titanic, King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and as the Warden of San Quentin Prison in the Clint Eastwood film True Crime
• Tony Howell, Chief Education Officer since 2002 of Birmingham City Council
• Major Henry Kelly (VC)
• Rt Rev Bernard Longley – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham since 2009
• Terence Maher, Chairman from 1977-93 of Dillons Bookstores
• Gary Mounfield – musician (Mani), member of The Stone Roses
• Tim Willocks – British doctor and novelist

See also

• List of direct grant grammar schools

External links

• Xaverian College website
• Audio interview with Brother Cyril - headmaster of Xaverian College from 1962 to 1989.
• EduBase