Cardinal Griffin Catholic College

Coordinates: 52°41′49″N 2°02′10″W / 52.697°N 2.036°W / 52.697; -2.036
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cardinal Griffin Catholic College
College crest
College building
Address
Map
Cardinal Way

, ,
WS11 4AW

England
Coordinates52°41′49″N 2°02′10″W / 52.697°N 2.036°W / 52.697; -2.036
Information
TypeAcademy
MottoLatin: Da Mihi Animas
(Give Me Souls)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1960; 64 years ago (1960)
Local authorityStaffordshire
TrustThe Painsley Catholic Academy Trust
Department for Education URN149989 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherHermione Gibson[1]
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolment870 as of August 2023
HousesSix
Colour(s)   Black and Red
PublicationThe Griffin
Websitewww.cardinalgriffin.staffs.sch.uk

Cardinal Griffin Catholic College is a coeducational Catholic Secondary school and sixth form located in Cannock, Staffordshire, England.[2]

History[edit]

Foundation stone

On 22 October 1960, the foundation stone of the college was laid by Dom Basil Griffin OSB (died 1963). He was a monk at Douai Abbey in Woolhampton, Berkshire,[3] and twin brother of Cardinal Griffin, who the college was named after. The college was built to educate the children of the four Catholic parishes in Cannock Chase.[4] Those parishes were St Mary and St Thomas More in Cannock, Our Lady of Lourdes in Hednesford, St Joseph and Etheldreda in Rugeley and St Joseph in Burntwood.[5]

The school has a house system that names each of the six school houses after past cardinals of the Catholic church in England. The houses are Allen, Newman, Manning, Vaughan, Wiseman and Hinsley.

The college has played the sport of Handball since 1980s. In 1982, they won the national under-15s final and in the early 1980s came fourth in the under-14 championship of a Europe-wide Handball tournament in Teramo.[6]

In 2010 an observatory with two domes and what has been called the "largest collection of telescopes in the Midlands" was built on the school grounds. It was opened by Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, the official Vatican Astronomer.[7]

In 2013, Ofsted inspected the school and rated it in overall effectiveness as 'Good' and behaviour and safety of pupils as 'Outstanding'. The overall effectiveness was an improvement from its previous inspection, which was rated as 'Satisfactory'.[8]

Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Staffordshire County Council,[9] in September 2023 Cardinal Griffin Catholic College converted to academy status.[10] The school is now sponsored by The Painsley Catholic Academy Trust,[11] but continues to be under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Governing Body from Cardinal Griffin School, retrieved 5 March 2023
  2. ^ https://www.cardinalgriffin.staffs.sch.uk/
  3. ^ Plantata.org.uk, retrieved 29 July 2017
  4. ^ School history from CardinalGriffin.Staffs.sch.uk, retrieved 29 July 2017
  5. ^ Parish map Archived 2017-07-29 at the Wayback Machine from Archdiocese of Birmingham, retrieved 29 July 2017
  6. ^ Cardinal Griffin School from British Handball Memories, retrieved 29 July 2017
  7. ^ Lopuszynski, Jozef (22 September 2010). "Vatican Astronomer opens Cannock Civic Observatory". BBC. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  8. ^ Cardinal Griffin Catholic High School - Ofsted report, Ofsted, October 2013, retrieved 29 July 2017
  9. ^ https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/124468
  10. ^ https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/149989
  11. ^ https://www.painsleymac.co.uk/our-schools/

External links[edit]