Maricourt Catholic High School

Maricourt Catholic High School

Motto	Latin: Gaudeamus in Domino "Let us Rejoice in the Lord"
Established	1957
Religion	Roman Catholic
Headteacher	Mr Brendan McLoughlin
Chair of Governors	Sister Marie Moore RSM
Founder	Sisters of Mercy
Specialism	Technology College
Location	Maghull Merseyside L31 3DZ United Kingdom
Local authority	Sefton
DfE URN	104960
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1,400
Gender	Mixed
Ages	11–18
Colours	Maroon and Gold
Publication	Maricourt Voice
Former pupils	Old Maricourtians
Website	Maricourt Website

Coordinates: 53°30′29″N 2°56′17″W / 53.508°N 2.938°W / 53.508; -2.938

Maricourt Catholic High School, in Maghull, Merseyside, United Kingdom, formerly Mater Misericordiae Grammar School, is a Roman Catholic comprehensive school. Maricourt is one of two secondary school's administered by the Sisters of Mercy in Merseyside, the other being Broughton Hall High School in West Derby. Maricourt caters for both male and female students from ages eleven to eighteen. Former headmistress Sister Mary Teresa RSM BSc was the last Sister to be Headmistress at the school and ceased her duties as Headmistress in 2007 with the new Headmaster being Mr Brendan McLoughlin MA. The school offers both GCSE as well as Advanced Level qualifications from the highly acclaimed facilities it provides to students.

History

Maricourt Catholic High School was founded by the Sisters of Mercy on 12 September 1957 under the title of Mater Misericordiae High School with Sister Mary Magdalen as the first head, a position she held for 32 years. It opened in the convent parlour of Quarry Brook House, former home of Meccano inventor and Conservative MP Frank Hornby, with only 16 eleven year old girls, but they moved to the first small section of the school in January 1958. This was formally blessed by Cardinal Heenan on 8 March. Due to the interest taken in it by the Bootle Education Committee, it rapidly grew in building and numbers and became a voluntary aided Grammar School in September 1964, maintained by the Bootle Authority. The Government, however, favoured Comprehensive education and so, in November 1967, the then Archbishop of Liverpool, Dr. Andrew Beck, approached the Sisters to see if they would take over a nearby St. Paul's Catholic Secondary Modern and annexed it to their building as a Co-educational Comprehensive. This they agreed to do and, in September 1968, the first Co-educational Comprehensive School in the Archdiocese opened under the new title of Maricourt Catholic Comprehensive with Sister Mary Magdalen still as Headmistress. Sister Mary Magdalen retired at Christmas 1989 and was followed by Sister Mary Teresa who led the school from 1989 to 2007. The school is now the largest Catholic High School in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton. A Jubilee Mass was celebrated on 21 September 2007 in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ The King, Liverpool in Thanksgiving for the first fifty years of Maricourt's existence. The chief celebrant was His Grace The Archbishop of Liverpool, Patrick Kelly. Thousands of friends, students, past and present filled the Cathedral to celebrate this milestone in the school's life and to pray for the next fifty years of educational and fundamental service and endevaur in the community set by Maricourt to the pool of students from across Merseyside.

Sixth Form

The Sixth Form at Maricourt was rated as gaining some of the highest Advanced Level results in Merseyside and stand consistently above the national average, as well as enjoying a regular 100% pass rate for Advanced Level students. Maricourt works alongside Maghull High School and Deyes High School to form the Maghull Collaborative in which students may study with a combination of these schools to broaden the A-Level curriculum available in the local area and amongst the students studying at Maricourt's Sixth Form. Facilities at Maricourt, based in Quarry Brook House, were subject to substantial refurbishment during the 2011 August Holidays with modified study areas as well as the conversion of one of Quarry Brook's larger first floor rooms into an Oratory for use by students.

Mission

Maricourt seeks to provide and sustain a living Roman Catholic community which is rooted in Christian values and where growth and knowledge, respect, love and friendship are shared by all. The school motto 'Gaudeamus in Domino' (Let us Rejoice in the Lord) implies peace, tolerance and mutual respect and it is within this atmosphere that pupils will develop into the whole person ready to greet the threshold of adult life. As a Specialist Maths and Computing College Maricourt can offers excellence in these specialist areas as well as support for all subject areas through sharing new technology and developments. The Mission Statement at Maricourt is represented by a tree to represent Maricourt is a living community with each year new people joining whilst others move to pastures new. The School ethos fosters the development of each individual, a proper sense of self-worth, a sense of responsibility and respect for others. Maricourt Catholic High School was founded in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, an institute founded for the service of those in need. The provision of a high quality education for young people today is as important as it was in 1831.

Headteachers

• Sister Mary Magdalen RSM 1957 - 1989
• Sister Mary Teresa RSM BSc 1989 - 2007
• Mr Brendan McLoughlin MA 2007–present

Notable alumni

Alumni of Maricourt Catholic High School are known as Old Maricourtians. Noted Old Maricourtians include:

• Heidi Range, member of British girlband Sugababes
• Kent Riley, actor who starred in the British soap Hollyoaks
• Simon Richman, professional footballer
• Stephen Darby, professional footballer
• Terry McPhillips, former professional footballer^[1]

External links

• Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council official site
• Associates of the Sisters of Mercy official site
• Website of the Sisters of Mercy

References

1. ^ Liverpool echo