St Wilfrid's Catholic High School is a mixed secondary school and

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

with academy status located in

Featherstone Featherstone is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 ...

, West Yorkshire, England. It has

Vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

specialisms.

School history and overview

St Wilfrid's was opened in 1963. In 1998, St Wilfrid's became a

Language College Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the specialist schools programme (SSP) in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages. Schools that successf ...

which offered six languages including French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian and Japanese. These courses have been discontinued in a bid to reduce costs. The most recent

OfSTED The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

and Section 48 Religious Education inspection which identified the school as "friendly school where pupils are supported by caring staff who are focused on helping them to succeed". St. Wilfrid's was awarded a second specialism as a Vocational specialist college which came into effect in September 2006. Courses on offer to pupils include: Health & Social care, Travel and Tourism, Performing Arts (Dance, Singing and Drama), IT for Practitioners, NVQ in European languages, NVQ Hairdressing,

CISCO Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...

IT networking and Construction. The school became an academy in November 2012. The school had its 50th birthday celebration in October 2013. The school has had various leadership, uniform and management issues in the past. The school has launched a theatrical production every year for approximately 20 years; the plays and musicals always draw in audiences of local families and the parents of pupils. The most recent of these productions was ''"Musicals Through the Ages"'' which was performed on 7 and 8 February 2023. They also have a "St Wilfrid's Day" once per year (stopped during the Coronavirus Pandemic, later resumed since 2022 as normal) to celebrate and gather students together.

Awards

The school has achieved several national awards including the Schools Curriculum Award,

Sportsmark Sportsmark is Sport England's accreditation scheme for secondary schools. The scheme recognises a school's out of hours sports provision.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 ...

results. The

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

Artsmark Artsmark is the quality standard for culture and creativity in schools and education settings, awarded by Arts Council England. The Artsmark award provides a clear framework for teachers and education professionals to plan, develop and evaluat ...

Silver award, the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

International School Award for outstanding global links, the Ramseys Award given to the school with the best global video-conferencing facilities and programme, as well as the

Investors in People Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard. From 1991 to January 2017, Investors in People was owned by the UK government. As of 1 February 20 ...

Award recognising excellence in training and development for all teaching and non-teaching staff have also been earned. In February 2007 the school was awarded the Arts Council

Gold award. In 2021 the school was awarded again for their effort to help the climate and make the school more eco friendly.

Vocational specialisms

In 2006 the school was awarded a second specialism as a Vocational College. Vocational specialism means that the school offers a distinctive range of courses that provide opportunities for pupils to gain qualifications. All vocational courses follow a curriculum developed by exam boards with the help of employers. Wherever possible, links to the world of employment are emphasised; this may be visiting speakers, work placements, visits or real work. This means that in most cases pupils will be occupationally competent to carry out a job in their chosen career.

A-Level and BTEC available courses

* Biology (A Level) * Business (A Level) * Chemistry (A Level) * English Language (A Level) * English Literature (A Level) * Extended Project (A Level) * Fine Art (A Level) * Geography (A Level) * History (A Level) * Mathematics (A Level) * Further Mathematics (A Level) * Media (A Level) * Photography (A Level) * Physical Education (A Level) * Physics (A Level) * Psychology (A Level) * Religious Studies (A Level) * Sociology (A Level) * Health and Social Care (BTEC Extended Diploma) * Applied Sciences (BTEC Extended Certificate and Diploma)

Language curriculum

The curriculum includes three languages, French, German and Spanish, two of which are taught at key stage 3 as first and second languages. In key stage 4 the department teaches three languages at

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 ...

level.

NVQ National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are practical work-based awards in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland that are achieved through training and assessment. The regulatory framework supporting NVQs was withdrawn in 2015 and replaced by th ...

level 1 language units qualification was introduced into the teaching of the department in September 2005. NVQ Level 2 qualifications were introduced in September 2006. At

A2 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 au ...

, French, German, Spanish and Italian are no longer taught.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Wilfrids Catholic High School, North Featherstone Secondary schools in the City of Wakefield Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Leeds Educational institutions established in 1963 1963 establishments in England Academies in the City of Wakefield Featherstone