Xaverian College is a
Roman Catholic sixth form college in the city of
Manchester
. It lies in the inner city suburb of Rusholme
close to
Wilmslow
Road
and Oxford Road.
The College's location means that its intake is extremely diverse
with many students coming from ethnic minorities as well as from
various socio-economic classes.
As well as running conventional
AS-Level and
A-Level courses, the college also
provides facilities for the resitting of core
GCSE subjects and various vocational courses. The
college also accommodates a group of around 50 students from the
University of Manchester taking a foundation degree in dentistry
and medicine.
As well as accommodating for Roman Catholic students primarily, the
College also accommodates for any students from any faith that
comply and adhere to the colleges policy of Peace and Harmony. The
college prayer is the
Salve
Regina.
History
The College has rich and diverse history spanning over several
decades, including connections with first Irish Prime Minister
Eamon de Valera and
Mancunian Films, a film production
company.
Pre-1977
The
Xaverian Brothers or
Congregation of
St. Francis
Xavier (CFX) are a religious order founded by Theodore James
Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis
Xavier. The order is dedicated to Catholic education in the
Britain, The United States and many other countries around the
world. The existing Xaverian brothers are, to this day, travelling
around the world inplacing Xaverian institutes where they are
needed most.
The College was founded by the
Xaverian Brothers in 1872 on open
parklands. It was originally housed in just a single building known
as Firwood but over time through new building projects and
acquisition, the Campus has grown. For this reason, buildings date
from 1840 onwards.
Firwood was home to the brothers up until 1993 when the last of
them left. It has been rumoured that the first Irish Prime
Minister,
Eamon de Valera, was
hidden within the building while fleeing the British authorities.
Another former house which has now become part of the college, Ward
Hall, was used as a camp for American servicemen during the
Second World War.
Mancunian Films, a motion picture
production company, used the exterior of the College in several of
their films, including
It’s A Grand Life starring
Frank Randle and
Diana
Dors. The film company sold their local Dickenson Road Studios
to the
BBC in 1954, making Dickenson Road
Studios the first regional BBC TV studio. When the BBC left in 1974
to move to their present location on Oxford Road, Xaverian College
inherited their lighting rigs, now used in the Drama studio in
Redcliffe.
Post-1977
The College operated as a Roman Catholic grammar school for boys
until 1977, when it became a mixed sixth-form college. This allowed
a significant expansion.
The
College is very well known in the City of Manchester where it is one of the most successful and renowned
colleges in the city. The college's outstanding
Ofsted report rates it as outstanding: grade 1, the
highest grade of the scheme. In addition, the college has a very
strong Academic reputation in Manchester and indeed the rest of the
country with many subjects having 100% pass rates.
More recently, additions and renovations have been ongoing. The
Ryken Centre and Mayfield buildings have been added within the last
decade and provide students with high-tech
information technology equipment. The
Ryken building was suitably named after one of the institutions
founders,
Theodore James Ryken
of the Xaverian brothers.
Buildings
Xaverian College consists of many buildings situated on two sides
of Lower Park Road. In total there are 8 buildings that make up the
campus. They are; Ward Hall, Redcliffe, Marlylands, Firwood,
Xavier, Sunbury, Ryken and Mayfield. The buildings on campus date
back from 1840 onwards. The college buildings revolve around a
central green where sports and social activities take place.
Ward Hall accommodating Modern Languages,
Geography, History, Ancient History and Classical
Civilisation.
Redcliffe for Sport Studies, Drama and
Music.
Marylands for English Language and English
Literature.
Firwood houses the main student common room,
Catering Facilities, student services, learning support suite,
additional learning support and tutorial rooms, college chapel and
RE rooms, administration offices and the main reception.
Xavier is home to the
University of
Manchester
foundation courses in Biology, Medicine and
Dentistry and also houses Mathematics and Sciences.
Sunbury housing RE classes, Art Foundation
students and a computer network laboratory.
Ryken holds the careers service and library. It
also provides a seminar room for visiting speakers and a large drop
centre where students are able to make use of college ICT
facilities. The ground floor of the building plays host the College
Art Department and Photographic Studio.
Mayfield accommodating Business Studies,
Economics, Film Studies, Health and Social Care, ICT, Computing,
Media Studies, Psychology and Sociology.
Notable alumni
External links
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