St Ignatius' College
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| St Ignatius' College |
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| Motto | "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam" |
| Established | 1894 |
| Type | Secondary school |
| Chairman | Mr P. Bolger |
| Headmaster | Mr P Adams |
| Chaplain | Fr J Moffatt |
| Students | 1,300 approx. (2006) |
| Grades | 73.8% in 2006 |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| District | Enfield |
| Website | St Ignatius' College, Enfield |
St Ignatius' College is a Catholic secondary school for boys, now located in Enfield, Greater London. Formerly a grammar school, only accepting boys who had passed their 11-plus exam, its educational philosophy was originally based upon the Jesuit precept of Ignatius of Loyola:
- Give me the boy and I'll give you the man.
Nowadays, St. Ignatius' College adopts a more liberal and relaxed approach, while its pupils continue to achieve very good academic results.
Its current Headmaster is Mr Paul Adams who replaced Mr Michael Blundell in 2003.
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[edit] History
The school was founded in Stamford Hill, South Tottenham, London N.15. in 1894.
The College and the Jesuit community were initially accommodated in two houses called Morecombe Lodge and Burleigh House, located near Tottenham High Road. In 1907 the College was recognised by the Board of Education and began to receive public money towards its support.
From the early 1950s the school complement averaged about 700 boys. Its longest serving Headmaster, Fr Guy Brinkworth SJ, (nicknamed Chang), retired in 1967. Today the school has about 1,300 pupils. The school remained at Stamford Hill as a grammar school until 1968. The school then became a two-tier, seven-form entry comprehensive school. The Lower School being located at the old Cardinal Allen School, which had been there for eight years prior to the school moving there, and the Upper School located in Stamford Hill.
In 1987, schools amalgamated at Turkey Street, a development made possible by a major building programme. The school became Grant maintained in 1993 but since has returned to the Voluntary Aided status in September 1999. At the centenary celebrations in 1994, the new refurbished chapel was unveiled. Also every pupil received a book detailing the history of the school and past teachers. In 1998 the school started to build the 'Octagon' which houses a computer suite and a library. The building work was completed in 2000 and was handed over to the school later that year. Also in 2000, the newly refurbished Roselands centre for the sixth form was opened.
In 2006 the school won a specialist status in Humanities after successfully raising £50,000 through various events held at the school and successful donations from past pupils.
[edit] Old Ignatian Association
Former pupils of the school are commonly referred to as "Old Ignatians." The main objective of the Old Ignatian Association is to serve the interests of the former pupils of the College. They provide spiritual, social, recreational and sporting facilities so that they may serve the interests of not only the Old Ignatians but, the current pupils at the College.
Although having been in existence for many years, the Old Ignatian Association changed dramatically in the early 1960's. Through the efforts of a dedicated and enthusiastic group of Old Ignatians a sports ground was acquired and a pavilion built on a site in Woodford. In the 1970s the proposed motorway, the M11, caused the association to be subject to a compulsory purchase order and were left without a suitable meeting place for the good part of the 1970's.
In 1999 the Old Ignatians purchased a former sports ground in Turkey Street, Enfield, and planned to build their new headquarters there. Their plans are to re-establish a social centre and to provide some new sporting facilities that were not available in the Woodford centre. Their plan also, is to make sure that the new facilities at the new site not only cater for the sports minded people, but the less so as well. In 2002, after obtaining planning permission for the new pavilion, building began. The Old Ignatian Association are collaborating with the school about the possibility of sharing the new sports pitches that they had acquired.
[edit] Motto
The school motto ad majorem Dei gloriam – meaning to the greater glory of God – was abbreviated to AMDG and is still customarily appended to students' essays or homework, in much the same way as quod erat demonstrandum or Q.E.D. was used to sign off the proof of a mathematical theorem.
[edit] Sports
Soccer was frowned upon at St Ignatius, since rugby union and cricket were the school's preferred sports. However, its playing fields at White Hart Lane were adjacent to the Tottenham Hotspur F.C. football stadium.
The school has a prestigious sporting background. One notable achievement is the under 11s winning a soccer tournament and obtaining a mini-bus for the school.
The school recently signed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur to allow the use of Tottenham's playing fields.
[edit] Discipline
Most Old Ignatians will recall the form of corporal punishment administered at the school. The cane was never used: instead it was the ferula (whale bone covered in leather) which was administered on one hand. In serious cases the punishment would be twice six on two hands, but administered on separate days on account of the hand becoming numb. Adding psychological to corporal punishment, offenders were given a week to decide when they would receive their ferula otherwise additional punishment was liable to be added (according to the school rules). Corporal punishment ended in the early 1990s.
[edit] Notable Staff
Michael Blundell became the college's first lay Headmaster when he succeeded Fr Antony Forrester SJ, in 1986. Mr Blundell was in turn succeeded as Headmaster by Mr P Adams, who is the current Headmaster. Mr A M Dickson and Mr J Duffy, are Deputy Headmasters. Brian Duffy was a highly respected Deputy Headmaster for much of Father Forester's Headship. He had formerly been Head of PE.
[edit] Notable former pupils
Famous alumni include:
- Alfred Hitchcock, film director
- Bernard Butler, musician
- Paul McKenna, hypnotist
- George Sewell, actor (Get Carter, Z Cars, Canned Carrott and many more)
- Mathew Lorenzo, Sky Sports presenter
- Reginald Dunne, Former Second in Command of the London IRA
- Cardinal Heenan, Head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales 1965 -75
- Brian Hanrahan, BBC Diplomatic Editor
- Patrick Haseldine, former British diplomat, who accused apartheid South Africa of responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing
- George Martin, who signed The Beatles and greatly influenced their sound and success by producing many of their albums, including the 1967 Sergeant Pepper LP
- Dave Sexton, Manchester United F.C. manager (1977 -1981)
- Edmund Purdom, British actor/producer (star of the 1954 MGM film The Student Prince)
[edit] Performance
St Ignatius' College has a high pass rate for pupils who take GCSE. In 2006, 73.8% of pupils received at least 5 A*-C grades, which is up 7.1% from 2005.[1]
[edit] External link
- St Ignatius' College, Enfield
- Old Ignatians
- 'Your Tube' map produced by TfL for the DfES, featuring St Ignatius College (see Wood Green, Turnpike Lane and Manor House)
