English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College
The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College is a secondary school and sixth form college located in Hartlepool, County Durham with academy status. English Martyrs is the only Catholic secondary school in Hartlepool. The school and college are both located on the same site on Catcote Road, however, a newly built specialist sixth form block provides the majority of A-Level classes, as well as some 11–16 school lessons.
In the summer 2013 examinations the school achieved record results - 83% of students achieved 5 or more GCSE grades at C or higher, including English and Maths.
History
St Joseph's Convent School was founded in 1885, and became a direct grant grammar school following the Education Act of 1944.St Francis RC Grammar School was opened in 1956, and two new secondary schools, St Bede's for boys and St Anne's for girls, were opened in 1963.
St Peter's secondary modern school opened in King Oswy Drive in 1960 replacing St Bega's school. The school had approximately 200 students and the headmasters were Mr Timothy McCarthy, followed by Mr Robert Garraghan.
In 1973, the national policy of Comprehensive education led to all the Catholic secondary schools in the town being merged as the English Martyrs' Comprehensive School. These were St Anne's, St Bede's, St Francis', St Joseph's and St Peter's schools, each of which is represented by a star on the school badge. The new site was the buildings of St Bede's and St Anne's and the St Francis site which was closed down in 1985.
List of previous headmasters
Previous headmasters include:- Canon John "Dickie" Bell
Bell was the first headmaster of English Martyrs, having previously been headmaster of the subsumed St Francis Grammar School. Prior to that, Father Bell had been Latin teacher at St Francis. After his retirement as headmaster, Canon Bell became parish priest of St Joseph's RC parish church, Hartlepool, until his death, aged 74, in 1991. - David Relton
- Joseph Hughes
Hughes joined English Martyrs as headteacher in 1995 after working in schools in Oldham, Stoke-on-Trent, Norwich and Gateshead. During his time at the helm the school went through a string of highs with rising results, strong Ofsted reports and successes in art, sport and theatre. In September 2010 he left English Martyrs to start a new role with the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, overseeing more than 160 Catholic schools. - Michael Lee BA
Lee began his career at English Martyrs teaching history in 1977. His first classroom was on the Normanhurst site, a building which is now the White House Pub. Before being appointed head in September 2010, he had been head of sixth form and deputy headteacher. - Stephen Hammond
Statistics
National averages are given in after the school's score.
| Year | Number of children on the school roll | % eligible for free school meals | Value added score | Ratio of pupils to teachers | Total school spend per pupil / £ | Budget spent on supply staff | % Gaining 5 A*-C GCSEs incl. English and Maths | % of pupils persistent / missing 15%+ of sessions | % of pupils staying on in any education | A/AS-Level performance |
| 2014-15 | 1,520 | 11.7% | 1011.9 | 14.1 | - | - | - | 4.2% | 96.2% | - |
| 2013-14 | 1,559 | 13.3% | 993.7 | 14 | 5,577 | 1% | 62% | 5% | - | - |
| 2012-13 | 1,638 | 13.2% | 1000.3 | 14.9 | 5,677 | 1% | 83% | 5.53% | 88.9% | - |
| 2011-12 | 1,665 | 12.4% | 995.5 | 15 | 5,438 | 1% | 68% | 9.4% | 90.6% | - |
| 2010-11 | 1,700 | - | 997 | 14.5 | 5,338 | 1% | 72% | 9.3% | 91% | - |
| 2009-10 | - | - | - | - | 4,945 | 1% | 51% | 3.7% | 90.7% | - |
| 2008-9 | - | - | 990.1 | - | - | - | 66% | 2.6% | - | 793.2 |
| 2007-8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 51% | - | - | 820.3 |
| 2006-7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 54% | - | - | 789.7 |
| 2005-6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 51% | - | - | 773.7 |
Gazette ratings
Ofsted ratings
Aims of the school
Intake
Main School
The majority of secondary school students come from 6 feeder primary schools, which are:Sixth Form
- If you obtain 5 grade Cs or better at GCSE then you can choose any Level 3 course i.e. an A Level or an Applied A Level course
- If you obtain 4 grade Cs or above at GCSE then you are advised to follow a double award Applied A Level course, plus additional AS subject/s
- If you obtain fewer than 4 grade Cs at GCSE then you are advised to follow a Level 2 course – either the BTEC First Diploma in Business or in Health and Social Care
Houses
St John Boste
- Saint John Boste who was hanged, drawn and quartered in 1594.
- House colour:
St Margaret Clitherow
- Saint Margaret Clitherow who was crushed to death by rocks in York in 1586 for harbouring priests.
- House colour:
Blessed John Ingram
- The Blessed John Ingram who was executed in Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1594 as a priest ordained abroad, an act of high treason.
- House colour:
St Anne Line
- Saint Anne Line who was hung at Tyburn in 1601 for harbouring a priest.
- House colour:
St Thomas More
- The Right Honourable Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII of England, who was executed in 1535 and canonized in 1935 for refusing to accept the king as Supreme Head of the Church of England or his marriage to Anne Boleyn.
- House colour:
Annual School Events
Annual Awards Evening Principal Guests 1981-2012
A tradition of the school since 1981 where awards are given to students of both the school and sixth form college for reasons including: "excellent attendance, reliability, hard work, social and academic progress, caring for others, academic excellence and artistic, cultural and sporting achievements. Recognition is given to achievement at GCSE, 'A' level and GNVQ levels."There are prizes donated by local individuals and groups as well as Huntsman Tioxide, Teesside University and The Daily Telegraph.
Each year attracts over 1000 guests and a Principal Guest of Honour "who themselves represent achievement in a range of fields". The evening also features music by the school orchestra and individual student musicians with refreshments to end the night.
Annual School Show
Another tradition of the school is an annual school musical, usually held around the end of November. This features pupils from all years, although older students and sixth formers generally get the leading roles. The music department, orchestra and drama department work together on its production. Tickets are made available to parents throughout the school to buy.Annual John Bell Lecture
This now traditional once a year lecture is usually given around March in the school's St Anne's hall. The lecture is in honour of Canon John Bell, the last headmaster of St Francis and the first headmaster of the new English Martyrs school, and lasts around 40 minutes followed by audience questions. Complimentary tickets to attend are made available free of charge.Principal Guests, School Shows and John Bell Lecturers
| Academic Year Start | Awards Evening Principal Guest | School Show | John Bell Lecturer | Headteacher |
| 2017 | TBA | Annie | TBA | Stephen Hammond |
| 2016 | Craig Hignett | Little Shop of Horrors | Tony Green, former Royal Marine and Police Officer | Stephen Hammond |
| 2015 | Gary Pallister | The Sound of Music | Michael Lee, former-headmaster of the school | Stephen Hammond |
| 2014 | Jeff Stelling | The Wizard of Oz | Daniel Robinson, Alumnus and only non-American to have flown the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. | Michael Lee |
| 2013 | Graham Onions | Jesus Christ Superstar | David Eagle, Alumnus and member of the sea shanty band the Young Uns | Michael Lee |
| 2012 | Stuart Whincup, BBC Look North, with special guest Savannah Marshall. | Beauty and the Beast | Chris Joseph, Alumnus and autobiographer | Michael Lee |
| 2011 | Tony Mowbray | We Will Rock You | Jez Lowe, Alumnus and folk musician | Michael Lee |
| 2010 | The Right Reverend Séamus Cunningham, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle | Les Misérables | Anne, Tony and Declan Stokle | Michael Lee |
| 2009 | Philippa Gregory | Oliver! | Father Phil Marsh | Joe Hughes |
| 2008 | Wendy Gibson, BBC Look North | Grease | Joy Yates, Editor of the Hartlepool Mail | Joe Hughes |
| 2007 | Peter Beardsley MBE | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Joe Hughes | |
| 2006 | Jonny Wilkinson OBE | Bugsy Malone | Chris Gorman OBE, Alumnus and entrepreneur | Joe Hughes |
| 2005 | The Right Reverend Kevin Dunn, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle | The Wiz | Joe Hughes | |
| 2004 | The Right Honourable The Lord Puttnam CBE FRSA | Little Shop of Horrors | Joe Hughes | |
| 2003 | The Right Honourable The Lord Alton of Liverpool | Joe Hughes | ||
| 2002 | Lady Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE | Joe Hughes | ||
| 2001 | Niall Quinn | Joe Hughes | ||
| 2000 | Simon Weston OBE | Joe Hughes | ||
| 1999 | Philip Madoc | Joe Hughes | ||
| 1998 | Kevin Whately | Ann Widdecombe DSG PC, Shadow Home Secretary | Joe Hughes | |
| 1997 | Tessa Sanderson CBE | Joe Hughes | ||
| 1996 | Ronnie Corbett CBE | Joe Hughes | ||
| 1995 | Bob Holness | Journey to the Center of the Earth | Joe Hughes | |
| 1994 | Sir Ron Norman OBE DL and Lady Norman | David Relton | ||
| 1993 | Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Countess of Swinton DSG DL Baroness Masham of Ilton | David Relton | ||
| 1992 | The Right Reverend Ambrose Griffiths, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle | Peter Mandelson PC, MP for Hartlepool | David Relton | |
| 1991 | Jeremy Beadle MBE | David Relton | ||
| 1990 | Frank Carson KSG | The Boy Friend | David Relton | |
| 1989 | Sir John Hall | Oklahoma! | David Relton | |
| 1988 | Sir Cyril Smith MBE | David Relton | ||
| 1987 | Peter Egan | David Relton | ||
| 1986 | His Eminence Cardinal Basil Hume | David Relton | ||
| 1985 | Major Sir Denis Thatcher MBE TD | My Fair Lady | David Relton | |
| 1984 | Dr David Bellamy OBE | Calamity Jane | David Relton | |
| 1983 | Brian Clough OBE | David Relton | ||
| 1982 | Lord Longford KG PC | David Relton | ||
| 1981 | Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk | David Relton | ||
| 1980 | New creation. | David Relton | ||
| 1979 | New creation. | John Bell | ||
| 1978 | New creation. | John Bell | ||
| 1977 | New creation. | John Bell | ||
| 1976 | New creation. | John Bell | ||
| 1975 | New creation. | John Bell | ||
| 1974 | New creation. | John Bell | ||
| 1973 | New creation. | John Bell | ||
School founded. | School founded. | School founded. | School founded. | School founded. |
Notable alumni
| Name | Occupation/Notable Achievements |
| Paul Arnison | Professional footballer |
| Pete Donaldson | Radio Presenter |
| Kieran Bew | Actor. Played Beowulf in the 2016 TV series |
| Paul Brennan | Actor |
| Daniel Cook | Master of the Choristers and Organist at Durham Cathedral, former Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey |
| Anthony Day | Broadcast Journalist for the BBC |
| Matthew Dolan | Professional footballer - Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Bradford City, Yeovil |
| Janick Gers | Guitarist in Iron Maiden |
| Chris Gorman OBE | Entrepreneur, founder of MusicQubed |
| Michael Gough | Retired cricketer and cricket umpire |
| Corporal Owen Paul Green MBE | , Corps of Royal Engineers |
| Peter Hartley | Professional footballer |
| Steven Hetherington | Professional footballer |
| Dr Jim Hodgson FRCGP | GP |
| Michael Hunter | British, European and Commonwealth Bantamweight Boxing Champion |
| Chris Joseph | Sufferer of bipolar disorder and author of "" |
| Andy Linighan | Professional footballer |
| Brian Linighan | Professional footballer |
| David Linighan | Professional footballer |
| Jemma Lowe | Olympic swimmer |
| Jez Lowe | Successful musician, specialising in folk music with at least 15 albums to his name |
| Steven Magee | Principal Contrabassoon in the BBC Symphony Orchestra, formerly Hallé Orchestra |
| Savannah Marshall | Olympic boxer and boxing world champion |
| Philip Middlemiss | Actor |
| Professor Gerard Parkin FRSC | Professor of Chemistry, Columbia University |
| Dr Elizabeth Pender | Senior Lecturer in ancient philosophy, University of Leeds, author of "Images of Persons Unseen: Plato’s Metaphors for the Gods and the Soul" |
| Professor David Thwaites | Professor of Epithelial Physiology, Newcastle University |
| Kevin Walsh | Paralympic swimming bronze medallist |