Catholic Reorganisation

Reorganisation of Catholic secondary schools in Manchester, 1977  

Although Manchester’s state secondary schools had been reorganised in 1967 along the comprehensive model following the abolition of the Eleven Plus examination, the city’s Catholic secondary schools had remained relatively unchanged. The Eleven Plus was still taken and upon its results determined whether children went to grammar, technical or secondary modern schools. This state of affairs remained until, by the mid-1970s, it was recognised by the authorities that reorganisation was needed. 

Most of Manchester’s Catholic secondary schools were in the Salford diocese, with some, in Wythenshawe, in the Shrewsbury diocese. A Diocesan Schools Commission had established a working party for the purpose of looking into the existing state of Catholic education, Mr A.L. Smith of St Gregory’s being one of its members. There was undoubtedly a need for reorganisation. Manchester’s Catholic population was in decline, as was the birth rate. Many secondary schools had empty desks and spare capacity. Small secondary moderns did not have the resources and means to provide greater choices for pupils. These factors, and others, pointed to a rather bleak and unsustainable future that could be predicted in terms of future numbers and places taken up in secondary schools. 

After much research, discussion and consultation, the Schools Commission published its findings and recommendations. It recommended the dismantling of the existing secondary school structure. In its place were to be twelve new high schools and two sixth-form colleges. Six of the high schools would be mixed, for ages 11 to 16, with the rest being single sex.  Xaverian College and Loreto College, both situated to the south of the city centre, were to become co-educational sixth-form colleges, initially to each provide appropriate full-time education for approximately 600 students aged 16 to 19, largely from the feeder Catholic high schools. St Bede’s College, at Whalley Range, decided not to be part of the reorganisation process and it became an independent school. This would result in some highly intelligent children going to St Bede’s rather than to their local Catholic high schools. In addition, other very able youngsters went on to study at Catholic schools outside Manchester, with some also sitting entrance exams for non-Catholic selective schools in the city. From the very start, therefore, the reorganised system would never be “fully and truly comprehensive”.  

The process of reorganisation would necessitate the amalgamation of existing institutions, with the new high schools adopting a new name in most instances. Where schools amalgamated, they became split-site schools, sometimes up to a couple of miles apart. One school, St Thomas More, was spread over three sites. Where a school was split-site, there would be a lower school and an upper school. With the Eleven Plus examination having been taken for the last time in 1976, each of the new high schools would receive its intake of first-year pupils in September 1977 from designated feeder primary schools. Admission would now be by non-selection and not on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude as previously. 

The twelve new Catholic high schools were named as Our Lady’s, St Matthew’s, St Thomas More, St Gregory’s, St Alban’s, St Pius, St Joseph’s, St Thomas Aquinas, St Mark’s, The Hollies, St John Plessington, and Cardinal Newman. It is worth recalling that these schools were referred to as high schools even though they were comprehensives in intake.

In preparation for the implementation of the reorganisation, the Manchester Education Committee organised a series of public meetings at various schools across the city, where officers displayed plans and explained the finer points of procedures as well as answering parents’ questions and attempting to allay their fears. A demand for additional single-sex schooling led to the establishment of St Mark’s and The Hollies for boys and girls respectively. Again, this meant that the system from the outset was “never fully and truly comprehensive” – depending, of course, on one’s definition of a comprehensive school.

To oversee the implementation of the reorganisation process, a Joint Agency had been established; its task, among other things, was to advertise teaching posts for the new high schools and sixth-form colleges, receive applications, draw up shortlists and make appointments. This process, which did not take long, commenced at the top with the appointment of head teachers and principals, followed by deputy heads, senior teachers, heads of faculty and so on. An appeals procedure had been put in place for any teachers who felt unhappy about their appointment.

The new high schools and sixth-form colleges, 1977

The origin, type and location of the new Catholic 11 to 16 high schools and sixth-form colleges may be summarised as follows:

Our Lady’s RC High School – This mixed comprehensive school opened in September 1977 as an amalgamation of St Clare’s Secondary Modern, Higher Blackley, and Notre Dame Girls’ Grammar, Cheetham Hill. 

Its first headteacher was Mr P.R. Cusack

St Matthew’s RC High School – This mixed comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St Anthony’s Secondary Modern, Beverley Street, Blackley, and St Gerard’s Secondary Modern, Nuthurst Road, New Moston. 

Its first headteacher was Mr J.B. Goggins. 

St Thomas More RC High School – This mixed comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St John Southworth’s Boys’ Secondary Modern, Livesey Street, Collyhurst; St Margaret Clitherow’s Girls’ Secondary Modern, Ringstead Drive, Moston; and St Luke’s Secondary Modern, Palmerston Street, Ancoats.   

Its first headteacher was Sister Mary (Miss A. Collins).

St Gregory’s RC High School – This mixed comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St Gregory’s Boys’ Grammar, Higher Ardwick; St John the Evangelist Boys’ Secondary Modern, Stopford Street, Higher Openshaw; and St John the Evangelist Girls’ Secondary Modern, Higher Openshaw.

Its first headteacher was Mr W.P. Thoburn.

St Alban’s RC High School – This mixed comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St Francis Secondary Modern, Aldergrove Place, Gorton, and SS Peter and Paul Secondary Modern, Holmcroft Road, Gorton. 

Its first headteacher was Mr F.W. McFadyen. 

St Joseph’s RC High School – This girls’ comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St Joseph’s Girls’ High School, Laindon Road, Victoria Park, Longsight; St Pius X Girls’ Secondary Modern, Victoria Park; and St Ignatius Girls’ Secondary Modern, Coupland Street, Greenheys. 

Its first headteacher was Sister Judith Elgey

St Pius RC High School – This boys’ comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St Pius X Boys’ Secondary Modern, Denison Road, Victoria Park, and St Ignatius Boys’ Secondary Modern, Boundary Lane, Greenheys. 

Its first headteacher was Mr J. Dowd.

St Thomas Aquinas RC High School – This mixed comprehensive school was an amalgamation of The Marist Girls’ High School, Nell Lane, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and St George’s Secondary Modern, Woodgate Road, Whalley Range.

Its first headteacher was Sister Sheila Mary (Miss Sheila M. Hunt).

The Hollies RC High School – This girls’ comprehensive school was formerly The Hollies Convent F.C.J., a girls’ grammar, situated on Mersey Road, West Didsbury.

Its first headteacher was Sister Victoire (Miss D. Murphy).

St Mark’s RC High School – This boys’ comprehensive school was formerly St Mark’s Secondary Modern, School Lane, East Didsbury.

Its first headteacher was Mr A.L. Smith.

St John Plessington RC High School* – This boys’ comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St Augustine’s Boys’ Grammar, Sharston Mount, Wythenshawe, and All Hallows’ Secondary Modern, Peel Hall, Wythenshawe.

Its first headteacher was the Rt. Rev. Mgr. F.J. McGuiness.

Cardinal Newman RC High School* – This girls’ comprehensive school was an amalgamation of St Columba’s Secondary Modern, Roundwood Road, Northenden, Wythenshawe, and St Paul’s Secondary Modern, Firbank Road, Newall Green, Wythenshawe.

Its first headteacher was Miss J. Fletcher.

* Denotes schools in Shrewsbury diocese.

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SIXTH-FORM COLLEGES

Loreto Sixth-Form College – This open access co-educational sixth-form college was formerly Loreto College, a girls’ grammar, situated on Chichester Road, Hulme.

Its first Principal was Mother Victorine.

Xaverian Sixth-Form College – This open access co-educational sixth-form college was formerly Xaverian College, a boys’ grammar, situated on Lower Park Road, Rusholme.

Its first Principal was Brother Cyril.

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St Gregory’s Grammar was designated to amalgamate with two schools which were situated in Higher Openshaw:  St John the Evangelist Boys’ Secondary Modern School, and St John the Evangelist Girls’ Secondary Modern School. Interestingly, these were separate schools but the buildings were joined together – there was a thick red line outside the Chapel marking the ‘border’. A further interesting point is that although it was never a big school in terms of numbers, the ‘new high school’ would have the largest floor area of any school in Manchester because it had been built above one of the old mine galleries of Bradford Colliery, so whatever was on the surface could not be ‘too heavy’. The new split-site school was named as St Gregory’s High School and Mr Bill Thoburn, the head of St John the Evangelist Boys’ School, was appointed its first headteacher.  Sister Patrick and Mr A.L. Slade were appointed deputy headteachers and Mr M.R. Gallagher was appointed second master. It was designated an 11-16 mixed high school and teaching staff would sometimes be required to commute about three miles along Chancellor Lane and Ashton Old Road between the Ardwick and Higher Openshaw sites. With the abolition of the Eleven Plus, its feeder primary schools in 1977 included St Willibrord’s, St Vincent’s, St Brigid’s (Grey Mare Lane), St Anne’s (Ancoats), some pupils from St Anne’s (Higher Openshaw, which was in Tameside), and some from Christ The King (Newton Heath).

As for the old St Gregory’s, most of its existing teachers were appointed to other institutions. A small number were to remain, with one or two contracted to move on to new schools after a year or so. Among those who remained were long-serving teacher Mr Bernard Clough, who would be placed in charge of the Ardwick site, Mr Tony Slade, as mentioned above, Mr Jim Trought, Mr Brian Makin, Miss Eileen Dolan, Mr Michael O’Brien, Mr Tony Hoyland, Mr Christopher Hill, Mr Albert Fletcher, Mr Roy Waddington, Mr Martin Jung and Mr Joseph O’Neill. Mr Tony Smith, headmaster of St Gregory’s since January 1975, was appointed headmaster of St Mark’s, Didsbury, a former mixed secondary modern designated to become a boys’ high school. In the spring of 1977, Mr Smith “departed” St Gregory’s in order to commence work on the preparations required for his new school in terms of planning, policies, staffing structure, responsibilities, curriculum, timetabling issues, together with the many other facets of the modern school that were now in need of attention.   His position at St Gregory’s was taken by his deputy, Mr Terence McSweeney, who became acting head for a short period. He too was destined to leave, having been appointed deputy head at the new triple-sited St Thomas More High School.

The end of the summer term in July 1977 saw the end of St Gregory’s as generations of boys had known it. It was to change forever.

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