Our Lady's Catholic College (OLCC) is a mixed sex

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

for pupils aged 11–18. It is located in

Skerton Skerton is an area in the north of Lancaster, Lancashire, England, on the other side of the River Lune to the castle. It was formerly a township, but in the late 1800s it was incorporated into Lancaster and the neighbouring townships. Skerton Bri ...

, just off the A6 road, north of the

River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. Etymology Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic languages, Brittonic ...

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

in the

North West of England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

. Formerly Our Lady's Catholic High School, it changed its name after being awarded 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 sec ...

status in September 2003. The college teaches Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, and Sixth Form. Helen Seddon, a former pupil, has been head teacher since September 2015. She took over from Brendan Conroy, who retired in July 2015. Conboy had been at Our Lady's since September 2007.

Description

This is an 11-19 secondary school principally for Roman Catholic pupils and students: it draws from 28 feeder primary schools from

and Northern Lancashire. Pupils entered the school in 2016 with a significantly lower prior attainment than national average. While at the school, low-and middle-ability pupils make the fastest progress while high-ability pupils make progress in line with the national average. By the end of year eleven the proportion of pupils attaining at least a C grade in both English and mathematics mirrors the national average. Mathematics is stronger than English: impressive rates of progress were made in vocational courses, information technology and religious studies.

Curriculum

Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the

National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or othe ...

, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'. The school has to decide whether

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...

contains years 7, 8 and 9- or whether year 9 should be in

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

and the students just study subjects that will be examined by the

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

exams at 16. Our Lady's aim that all students experience a broad and balanced curriculum in their first three years, with an academic approach to the curriculum in order to prepare for KS4 studies. The KS3 curriculum encompasses the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, plus RE, history, geography and languages. The practical and creative subjects; PE, Technology, including Product design, Food, Textiles and also Art, Drama, Dance and Music are an important part of a students education, the school believes, so has decided to maximise the time available doing a full three year KS 3. In

students principally study a range of

courses. The

English Baccalaureate The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...

subjects of English, Maths, Science, History, Geography and languages were at centre of the curriculum in KS3 and they are available to all students, so they each have the opportunity to study for the English Baccalaureate and obtain an EBacc APS. Too few pupils choose to study a language so can't obtain an EBacc. The course is structured on the

Progress 8 Progress 8 (), was a Soviet uncrewed Progress cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1980 to resupply the Salyut 6 space station. Spacecraft Progress 8 was a Progress 7K-TG spacecraft. The eighth of forty three to be launched, it had the seria ...

model. Students study the core subjects of English maths and science. RE is also compulsory. Students then choose the humanity from Geography, History and French. They then have choice of options from a range of GCSE and vocational subjects. A small minority of students will not take a Humanity but do the Work skills BTec and an IT qualification. At

Key Stage 5 Key Stage 5 is a label used to describe the two years of education for students aged 16–18 and at sixth form or college. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is aligned with previous Key Stages in the National Curriculum. Key Stage 5 is a ...

a range of

A level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

s and Level 3 BTECs are on offer. For example, in 2020, Art and Design, Biology Chemistry, Drama, English and English Literature, Geography, History, Mathematics, Physics, Religious Studies and Sociology were offered at A level and Applied Science, Art and Design, Business Studies, Food Science and Nutrition, Health and Social Care (optional Childcare module), ICT, Performing Arts, Sport and Travel and Tourism as BTECs. Modern Foreign Languages are notable by their absence.

Notable former students

Notable former students include: *

Scott McTominay Scott Francis McTominay (born 8 December 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Napoli and the Scotland national team. McTominay is a graduate of Manchester United's youth academy and made his senior debut for ...

, professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

and the Scotland national team. * Emma Atkins, actress

Notable events

On 22 June 2012, the

Olympic Flame The Olympic flame is a Olympic symbols, symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony s ...

passed through the college as part of the Olympic Torch Relays of 2012.

References

External links

OFSTED Inspection Report, October 2002Our Lady's Catholic College website
{{authority control Schools in Lancaster, Lancashire Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Lancaster Secondary schools in Lancashire Voluntary aided schools in England