Bishop Douglass Catholic School
Bishop Douglass Catholic School is a Roman Catholic co-educational secondary school and sixth form, situated in East Finchley area of the London Borough of Barnet, England. Its current Headmaster is Martin Tissot, a former pupil at the school.[1]
| Bishop Douglass Catholic School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Hamilton Road , , N2 0SQ England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | “In Pursuit of Excellence" |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Local authority | Barnet |
| Trust | The Cardinal Hume Academies Trust |
| Department for Education URN | 143082 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Chair of Governors | Michael Veal |
| Headmaster | Martin Tissot |
| Chaplain | Fr Kevin Ryan |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Houses | Campion, Fisher, Line, More, Owen, Ward, All-Saints, Southwell |
| Colour(s) | Royal Blue, School Colour (House Colours below) |
| Website | http://www.bishopdouglass.barnet.sch.uk/ |
History
Bishop Douglass opened with voluntary aided status as a mixed secondary modern Roman Catholic school in Hamilton Road in 1963. In 1969 it merged with the independent Manor House Convent School in the nearby East End Road, which thereafter housed the sixth form of the expanded school. New buildings were added in Hamilton Road in 1969, 1973, 1976 and 1982, when there were 1,140 pupils on the roll.[2]
Since this date standards have consistently improved. Bishop Douglass was taken out of special measures following HMI inspection in December 2005 and in its most recent inspection Ofsted described it as “a Good school of which students, parents, staff and governors are proud of” [3]
In 2007, the school was granted Specialist Science College status, and was renewed in 2010. Under the Academies Act 2010, in 2016, Bishop Douglass became an academy under the trusteeship of the Cardinal Hume Academies Trust.[4] The school's current headmaster, former pupil Martin Tissot,[1] is also Headmaster of the other schools in the Trust – St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School in Maida Vale and St Thomas More Catholic School, Wood Green.
Bishop Douglass' traditions
School houses
Before the merger with Manor House Covent there were four houses: Bourne, Godfrey, Griffen and Hindsley. After the merger, a further two were established. Each house is named after a Christian Martyr, canonised by the Roman Catholic Church and has a distinctive colour which pupils of the house wear on their uniform. Each House supports its chosen social causes, ideas and charities. Inter-house competitions, such as poetry, chess, art and sport, take place throughout the academic year.[5]
- Campion House's namesake is Saint Edmumd Campion and bears the colour Royal Blue. Campion's work in spreading and supporting the Roman Catholic faith, which lead to his death by capital punishment in Anglican England, is widely championed and he was canonised by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.
- Fisher House's namesake is Saint John Fisher and bears the colour Yellow. Fisher's contributions to the faith, academia and society are widely celebrated, eventually being imprisoned for his faith, and he was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1935.
- Line House's namesake is Saint Anne Line and bears the colour pink. Line became a prominent protector and provider of shelter to clandestine Roman Catholic Priests in Anglican England, for which she faced capital punishment under Queen Elizabeth I. She was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
- More House's namesake is Sir Thomas More and bears the colour orange. More was a statesman and advisor to King Henry VIII who refused to accept the King's separation from the Roman Catholic Church and was thus convicted of treason. He was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1935.
- Owen House's namesake is Saint Nicholas Owen and bears the colour green. Owen was a builder of hiding shelter for Catholic Priests in the 1500s, when Catholics were persecuted in Anglican England, he was duly captured and tortured. He was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
- Ward House's namesake is Saint Margaret Ward and bears the colour lilac. Ward was martyred by the Roman Catholic Church for her support of the Catholic fath after receiving capital punishment for helping a Priest escape from prison. She was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
House colours: Campion , Fisher , Line , More , Owen , Ward
Originally, each house had a "Head of House" teacher and a deputy. In 1974, houses were paired together with one "Head of House" for each pair and two deputies. The pairings were Campion & Ward, Fisher & Line and More & Owen. The "Head of House" role was later superseded by the "Head of Year".
Additionally, there are two houses that do not bear the name of Catholic Saints nor colours: All-Saints and Southwell. These houses were introduced after 2013, primarily for administrative purposes, to allow for the expansion of the sixth form and are only used in the sixth form.
In addition to school houses, for many years the form years were named. First year students were classified as "Discovery" Year students in recognition of their new status in the school. Second year was named "Exploration"; the third year was "Understanding"; the fourth year was "Preparation" – as they prepared for their examination years; and the fifth year was "Appreciation" – a somewhat arrogant statement that the students were appreciating all the school had done for them. The sixth form was named Lower and Upper Sixth years. The naming convention was abandoned in 2002.
References
- "Former pupil to return to school as headteacher". Times Series. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- "Finchley: Education | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- OFSTED summary for Bishop Douglass School 2008
- "Bishop Douglass Becomes an Academy". 1 September 2016.
- "Bishop Douglass House System".