A visit to Yorkshire Martyrs Collegiate School (a comprehensive school in Bradford)

Abstract

The name of the school is Yorkshire Martyrs Collegiate School, it is a church school, situated on Westgate Hill in Tong Street, Bradford, West York. The whole area of the school and its surrounding grounds and facilities is about three Kilometres (Photo 1 in Appendix). The land is owned by the Government, but the school pays the rent. The school can be described as having 42 classrooms of various sizes, a language laboratory, a science laboratory, 4 workshops. two football pitches, a swimming pool, 3 halls, a chapel, two canteens, two LT. rooms, a music room, seven classes for home economics and food technology (The school map in Appendix 1). The school has an excellent staff who are experienced, well qualified and dedicated, with a long tradition of excellence. The preparation to put a considerable amount of their time and extra efforts into the education of their students is visible, apart from the fact that they have high expectations of all their students (The Teaching Staff 1995-6 in Appendix 3). Recently, the amount of financial investment in the school has been increased by the Church, the LEA and the Government. Consequently, the school is extremely well equipped with first class facilities and at the same time offers a wide range of courses to meet the various needs of the students. It was on the 26th June 1965 that Cardinal Heenan officially launched Catholic secondary education in Bradford. It was the amalgamation of Cardinal Hinsley and St. Margaret Clintherow Grammar Schools, in 1981, that Yorkshire Martyrs came to exist. The diocese decided that these two schools which were founded in 1962, should be merged and given another name, the one we know to-day as Yorkshire .Martyrs Collegiate School under the Headship of the newly appointed Headmaster Mr. J. A. Clarke. The school relies highly on the support of the parents. A lot has been done recently to change the school Ethos, and so the students are expected to maintain high standards of attendance, punctuality, self-presentation, behaviour and work. It was one of the first schools in England chosen to pioneer the Technical Vocational Educational Initiative (TVEI) which made it possible for the school to attract major funds and so furnish it with extensive facilities and appoint more highly qualified staff. The school was also involved in the development of Records of Achievement, Certificate in Pre-Vocational Education (CPVE), Work Experience placements and the Northern Partnership for Records of Achievement (NPRA). One must also mention the fact that this school was chosen as a centre for BTEC GNVQ Advanced courses in business and in Leisure and Tourism, as well as for City and Guilds Diploma in Vocational Education.