St Augustine's RC High School is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 ...

located in Billington,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England.

History

The school opened in 1963 originally intaking 450 pupils. It is now the largest Roman Catholic high school in its LEA. St Augustine's won the DfES School Achievement Award for both 2000–2001 and 2001–2002. It was the only high school in Lancashire to be awarded Beacon status in 2002. In 2003, it became one of the first Leading Edge Schools in England and one of Lancashire’s first three Specialist Science Colleges. In 2008, it achieved High Performing Specialist College status and was also awarded Specialist Languages College status. Previously a

voluntary aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation) contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

administered by

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...

, in December 2022 St Augustine's converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by the Romero Catholic Academy Trust, but continues to be under the jurisdiction of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford The Diocese of Salford () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church centred on the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. The diocese was founded in 1852 as one of the first post-Reformation Catholic dioceses in Great Britain. Since 191 ...

Curriculum

Curriculum at KS3

Curriculum at KS4

Every student must take maths and English along with either Double Award Science, or separate sciences. These are allocated 3 slots per week. Although St Augustines is a specialist language college, learning a language is not obligatory. Pupils must select more courses in order to fill the timetable. Each non-core subject takes up 2 periods per week on the timetable.

Lessons

There are many different subjects taught at St Augustine's. In year 9, options are taken for pupils to choose their own subjects. All subjects are taken in years 7-9. *English - split into English language and English literature in year 10. *Mathematics *Science - in year 9 pupils can opt for 'triple science' (biology, chemistry and physics) or 'science' (a grouping of all three) *Modern foreign languages - split into French and Spanish. *Art *Electronics *Food technology *Graphic design *Music *Information computer technology (ICT) *History *Geography *Drama *Religious education *Physical education *PHSE

Attainment

Notable former pupils

* David Dunn, footballer *

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

, professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

Gareth Ainsworth Gareth Ainsworth (born 10 May 1973) is an English professional former player and football manager who is the manager of club Gillingham. A former youth player at Blackburn Rovers, the midfielder, who was known for his crossing ability, moved ...

, former professional footballer and Shrewsbury manager

References

External links

St Augustine's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Augustine's Roman Catholic High School Schools in Ribble Valley Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Salford Secondary schools in Lancashire Educational institutions established in 1963 1963 establishments in England Academies in Lancashire