Page 12 - link magazine

12
EDUCATION MATTERS
St. Joseph's Concluding our 'photo tourof secondary schools designated
to take West Swindon children, headteacher John Williams
Roman Catholic School describes 'St. Joe's'
Potential parents are frequently con- Libraries, Canteens, etc. but whereas
fused when they see the School ad- the total school population exceeds
dress listed as Queen's Drive, Swin- 1,000 pupils, there are less than 400 at
don and Nythe Road, Covinghani. Queen's Drive and a more sheltered
The answer is that the school is a 'Middle' School atmosphere can be
'split-site' because of historical rea- maintained which helps younger
sons. Successive Headteachers have pupils to bridge the gap between
turned this potential disadvantage Primary and Secondary Education.
into a positive attribute for St. Jo- In a recent survey to discover the
seph's pupils. 10 'best' maintained Secondary
Years I and 2 are situated at the Schools in London, 6 (including the
Lower School, Queen's Drive, which top of the list) were voluntary aided
is quite separate from the Upper schools with a religious foundation.
School site at Nythe Road. Both build- St. Joseph's aims to follow this pat-
ings are complete schools with Labo- tern and the whole ethos of the school
ratories, Computer Rooms, Drama centres around the Christian message.
Workshops, Halls, Gymnasiums, Thus, first and foremost, the pupils
Below: A hymn practice in the Lower School chapel.
Above: First year students wih art teacher Louise Shaw,from right, Natalie Hender-
son from Show, Emma Niebieska from Toothill, Rebecca Burke, Tooth ill and Samuel
Baker, Freshbrook.
are taught to care- for their colleagues, On the sports field Lee qo, from
their families, their school, their Freshbrook, is the present County
church and the wider community. under 16's cross country champion,
This unified central aim leads to a runs for England and has represented
disciplined approach to study and Catholic Schools in Europe.
play and has resulted in the excep- Apart from West Swindon, St. Jo-
tional examination successes that the seph's reputation attracts pupils from
school has enjoyed over the years, Malmesbury, Caine, Shrivenham and
coupled with its traditional domi- outlying districts of Swindon whose
nance in football, netball and cross parents seek traditional values and
country events. Local employers, too, disciplined teaching for their young-
frequently remark on the 'quality' of sters and are generally more than
St. Joseph's ex-pupils. satisfied with the outcome.
More that 120 West Swindon Below: Headteacher John Williams helps
youngsters take advantage of thefree Jusev Ojo on the computer
transport provided by the Local
Authority to bring them to St. Jo-
seph's. Each site has its own chapel
and all children have two periods per
week of Religious Education. Last
year 167 fifth year pupils took Relig-
Tm4 i*a passed with 78 gaining 'top' grades.
ious Education at GCSE, in addition
to their 'normal' subjects and 163
The school has maintained its Sixth
Fdi Form and recent past pupils include
& kaw
Patrick Wall from Purton who went
up to Oxford and became President
Choose Us First of the University Students Union.
Three years ago Helen Kenny gained
a place at Balliol College, Oxford, and
For the Best Quality Take Home has proved her worth by winning the
Greville-Smith prize for Chemistry at
Food Available the University.
Below: Mrs Anne-Marie Rogers sets up a science experiment with second years from
West Swindon. From left: Damian Wasylkiew, Gerald Harvey, Victoria Tooze,
Fried Freshly For You - Vicky Merritt, Georgina Burt
Cod, Plaice, Haddock, Skate, Huss, Scampi,
Chips, Various Pies, Sausages and Chicken.

Why not try one of our delicious
Curries for a change?

Have you had one of our big beefburgers?
They're Great.

Open Monday - Saturday
11.30am - 2pm; 4.30pm - 11pm
Car Park 'A'West Swindon Centre

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