Ursuline College (formerly Ursuline Convent School) is a Catholic comprehensive secondary school with

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

status, located in

Westgate-on-Sea Westgate-on-Sea is a seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of Kent, England. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate. Its two sandy beaches have remained a popular touri ...

, in north-east

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Aimed at pupils aged 11 to 19, the college is based within the Ursuline and

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

ethos, aiding and teaching its pupils within this regime.

History

The school in Westgate-on-Sea was established in 1904 when a group of Ursuline Sisters fled

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

with a number of their pupils. Although their school in Boulogne-sur-Mer had existed since 1624, laws passed in France had made it impossible for the Sisters to continue their work of Christian education in France.Foundation of Westgate
ursulines.co.uk. Retrieved on 6 August 2012. Initially the school was set up as a boarding school for girls, meeting the needs of parents working in the Colonies or serving in the Forces. The school was based on the Ursuline movement, or, moreover, the Ursuline Community, which in turn was inherited from the actions of

Angela Merici Angela Merici or Angela de Merici ( , ; 21 March 1474 – 27 January 1540) was an Italian religious educator, who is honored as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. She founded the Company of St. Ursula in 1535 in Brescia, in which women ded ...

in Italy in 1535. In 1995, following the sudden closure of the neighbouring St Augustine’s College (a Catholic independent day and boarding school for boys), the school became coeducational. In mid-1998, due to social and local pressures from members of the prospective public, the school was reborn as an aided comprehensive for children aged 11 to 19. A separate school, St. Angela's, was born out of this disconnection, still providing a private education for its younger students, although this later also closed. Over the ensuing decade, the school became increasingly involved with sport, specifically football and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

, and in 2006 became a Catholic Comprehensive Specialist

Sports College Sports Colleges are senior secondary schools which promote sports alongside secondary education. United Kingdom Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The programme enabled seco ...

. In January 2015 the school converted to academy status.

Ursuline mission statement and sisterhood

As part of the Ursuline regime, the school's mission statement includes the promotion of a generic positive regime and environment for its students. Furthermore, the college relishes its sisterhood with the Ursulines and maintains good working relations with the other colleges, which can include

foreign student exchange A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but doe ...

programs.

Campus

The school includes the grade II listed Hatton House, which was built in 1886 as the home of William Jarrett, a tea planterSpring 2009 Newsletter
Margate Civic Society. Retrieved on 6 August 2012. and a chapel and cloisters constructed of Kentish ragstone. The school is currently made up of five buildings: *The main building (Hatton House) *The new building (St Ursula's) *The music block *The sports centre *The Sixth Form Centre St. Angela's

Notable alumni

Rula Lenska Rula Lenska (born Róża Maria Leopoldyna Łubieńska, 30 September 1947) is a British actress. She mainly appears in British stage and television productions and is known in the United States for a series of television advertisements in the 19 ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

known for her extensive television and theatre work. * Dame

Ann Dowling Dame Ann Patricia Dowling (born 15 July 1952) is a British mechanical engineer who researches combustion, acoustics and vibration, focusing on efficient, low-emission combustion and reduced road vehicle and aircraft noise. Dowling is a Deput ...

, Head of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge (2009-2014) and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering

References

External links

Official School WebsiteBBC League Tables
{{authority control Secondary schools in Kent Educational institutions established in 1904 Catholic secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark 1904 establishments in England Ursuline schools Academies in Kent