St Mary's College, Wallasey

Infobox UK school
name = St Mary's Catholic College


size =
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motto = "Christ within us all"
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established =
approx = 20th century
closed =
c_approx =
type = Comprehensive voluntary aided school
religion = Roman Catholic
president =
head_label =
head = P.D Heitzman
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chair_label =
chair =
founder =
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specialist = Performing Arts College
street = Wallasey Village
city = Wirral
Wirral
county = Merseyside/Lancashire
country = England
postcode = CH45 3LN
LEA = Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
ofsted = 105110
staff =
enrollment = 1,516
gender = Co-educational
lower_age = 11
upper_age = 18
houses =
colours =
publication =
free_label_1 =
free_1 =
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free_3 =
website = http://www.stmaryscollege.wirral.sch.uk/
website_name = St. Mary's Website

St Mary's Catholic College is a Catholic secondary school located in Wallasey, Wirral, in the Northwest of England. St Mary's is one of four Catholic secondary schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. The others are St Anselm's College, St John Plessington Catholic College and Upton Hall School FCJ. The school has been awarded Specialist Arts College status, resulting in more funding for concentrated arts education.

Alumni

* Louise Delamere (b 1974), actress. Her work includes "No Angels" and "The Chatterley Affair".
* Martin Carr (b 1968), chief songwriter and lead guitarist with The Boo Radleys.
* Chiefrocka (b 1978), British born club and radio DJ.
* Michelle Butterly (b 1969), actress. U.K. television work includes "Casualty", "Heartbeat" and "Soldier Soldier".
*Bean (b 1988), pain in the bum.

New buildings

Over the last few years a £12.5 million building programme has taken place at St. Mary's. This has physically almost doubled the accommodation size of the whole school. The school can now deal comfortably with rising pupil numbers due to its increasing popularity. This building programme has also addressed all of the accommodation shortfalls highlighted in the Ofsted report of March 2002.

In April 2003 the Science and Technology Building opened, along with a new school chapel, extended library, Sixth form common room and study base, extra classrooms and two computer resource bases.

In May 2004 the new Arts Block was opened, in time for the school to become a Specialist College for the Arts in September. There were two new drama studios, a fully-equipped dance studio, three art rooms, two new computer rooms and five additional classrooms. Our Music Department now has its own recording studio and soundproof practice rooms.

The current buildings' capacity accommodates 1454 students. Nine forms of entry and an anticipated sixth form roll of 300 + (in the near future), require a further building programme. This is expected to start in May 2006.

It will include 19 new classrooms (16 general and 3 Design and Technology), larger PE changing rooms, expanded and upgraded office/reception areas, improved access for students with limited mobility, three refurbished laboratories, more appropriate staff room facilities and more dining room space.

On completion of this programme, the buildings' capacity will increase to 1654.

Controversy

According to the "Wallasey News", in May 2008, a "boy, from Birkenhead, was handcuffed and escorted from St Mary’s College, Wallasey Village, by police." This was apparently because "the boy had 12 knives and a hit list." [cite news |first=Carrie |last=Catterall |title=Boy took knives in to school |url=http://icwirral.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wallaseynews/tm_headline=boy-took-knives-in-to-school%26method=full%26objectid=20870594%26siteid=80898-name_page.html |publisher="Wallasey News" |date=2008-05-07 |accessdate=2008-05-07]

References

* [http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/3444611/overview/ Directgov data]

a boy was escorted from the st mary's college grounds after being found with a knife he was not as some claim carrying 12 knives and a hitlist.