Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic independent boarding and day school in the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, approximately 7 miles (11 km) from Leicester, England. The college, situated in 100 acres (0.40 km2) of parkland on the Fosse Way about six miles (10 km) north of Leicester, was founded on the instructions of Blessed Father Antonio Rosmini-Serbati in 1845 as a seminary. In 1847, the buildings were converted for use as a boarding school for upper-class boys. The college became coeducational under the presidency of Father Tony Baxter in the mid-1970s. As of the 2016â€"2017 academic years, there were 825 students on roll at Ratcliffe, from ages 3 to 18.
The school buildings were designed by the Victorian Gothic revivalist Augustus Welby Pugin. Pugin, who is associated with Catholic architecture throughout the Midlands and north of England, is also noted for his collaboration with Charles Barry in the reconstruction of the Palace of Westminster. The Square was designed by Charles Francis Hansom, brother of Joseph Hansom, the designer of the Hansom cab. various building works over the years have contributed to Pugin and Hansom's work, and modern buildings include a "new" gothic refectory (constructed in the early years of the twentieth century) and a Byzantine-style church.
Management
The school, operated by Rosmini's Institute of Charity, used to use the title "Father President" for the most senior member of staff who, up until 1996, was always a Father of the Institute. In 1996, the school appointed its first lay President, Tim Kilbride, and the position was renamed Headmaster. He was succeeded in 2000 by Peter Farrar and then in 2009 by Gareth Lloyd. Its current Headmaster is Mr Jonathan Reddin who took up the post in January 2017.
Former Presidents and Headmasters
- Father Peter Hutton IC 1851 â€" 1880
Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) - Report March 2015
Ratcliffe College is regularly inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). This is the body approved by the Department of Education for the purpose of inspecting schools belonging to Independent Schools Council (ISC) Associations and reporting on compliance with independent school regulations.
A team of ten inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate spent four days examining every aspect of school life. You can download and read the complete report at: www.isi.net/schools/6822/
The School received 'Excellent' report in all 9 categories:
- Pupils’ achievements and learning
- Curricular and extra-curricular provision
- Teaching
- Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
- Pastoral care
- Welfare, health and safety provision
- Boarding
- Governance
- Leadership and management, including links with parents
Partnership with Leicester City Football Club
In January 2015 Ratcliffe agreed a deal to educate 16 Thai students who had been selected by Leicester City FC to come to Leicester and who would benefit from regular exposure to the Academy facilities at Leicester City. Ratcliffe's Head of Boys' Boarding and former Director of Sport is ex-LCFC player, Phil Gilchrist.
Cricket ground
The college cricket ground is used by the college cricket team. The first recorded use of the ground came in 1948, when Ratcliffe College played King Edward's School, Birmingham. The ground has also played host to a single List-A match, when the Leicestershire Cricket Board played Denmark in the 1st round of the 2003 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy which was played in 2002.
Old Ratcliffians
Former pupils of Ratcliffe are known as Old Ratcliffians. They include:
- Terence Alexander, film and television actor
- Ian Bannen, noted Scottish actor and Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actor (1965)
- Sir Peter Caruana, KCMG QC, former Chief Minister of Gibraltar
- Louis Deacon, England and Tigers rugby player
- Willie Doyle, Irish Jesuit Priest (killed in action during World War I)
- François Grosjean, psycholinguist and researcher on bilingualism
- Joseph Lauwerys, prominent educationalist who helped to found UNESCO
- Patrick McGoohan, American-born actor of Irish parentage who rose to fame in the British film and TV industry: starring in the 1960s television series Danger Man and cult classic The Prisoner.
- Kevin Myers, Irish journalist
- Patrick Nuttgens, noted architect, CBE
- Sir Gordon Reece, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher
- Michael Shipster, diplomat
- The Rt. Hon Lord St John of Fawsley, PC, former Conservative minister under Margaret Thatcher
- Richard Wallace, Editor of the Daily Mirror
- Luke Wright, Sussex CCC, and England cricketer.
- Martine Warmann, powerlifter
Bibliography
- Ratcliffe College 1847â€"1947 edited by Rev. C. R. Leetham with an Appendix at the back entitled 'Alphabetical List of Students 1847â€"1950'
References
External links
- School Website
- Profile on the ISC website