The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco

The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco
Address
Netherton Way

Bootle
,
Merseyside
,
L30 2NA
Coordinates53°28′28″N 2°58′36″W / 53.47444°N 2.97673°W / 53.47444; -2.97673
Information
TypeAcademy
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1966
Local authoritySefton Council
TrustPope Francis Multi Academy Trust
Department for Education URN149486 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherSue Bourgade
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 16

The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco (formerly known as Salesian College Grammar School, Savio Catholic High School and then Savio Salesian College) is a Roman Catholic secondary school in Bootle, Merseyside, England. The school is under the care of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and has about 600 pupils on roll.

History

The school opened in September 1966 as Salesian College Grammar School for Boys, and was the first Roman Catholic grammar school in Bootle, with the first pupils moving to the school on 2 May 1966. The building project began in April 1963 and cost around £398,000. The college was blessed by Rev. Augustine Harris, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool.[1]

On 2 December 1971, an explosion in the school's boiler room shook the entire school and nearby houses, with debris crashing onto the school playground. The two boilermen, who were removing oil from the tanks, escaped just seconds before the boiler room was wrecked by "a fierce explosion".[2] The explosion, caused by escaping gases from storage tanks, extensively damaged the boiler room, although the school was able to reopen the following Monday after repairs were undertaken over the weekend.[3]

The school underwent a £2 million refurbishment and rebuilding programme in 1990.[4] Having been established in 1966, the school celebrated its 25th anniversary in September 1991.[5]

In November 1993, the school was listed as having the worst rate of truancy within Merseyside, rating 14th nationally, although teachers disputed the findings by suggesting that the numbers are open to distortion by schools themselves.[6]

The school was successful in early 2006 to secure a bid for specialist Business & Enterprise status.

Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Sefton Council, in February 2023 Savio Salesian College converted to academy status and was renamed The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco. The school is now sponsored by the Pope Francis Multi Academy Trust, but continues to be under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Notable former pupils

Former Liverpool F.C. and England national football team defender Jamie Carragher

References

  1. ^ "Official opening of Salesian College". Liverpool Echo. 16 September 1966. p. 15 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Brothers escape boiler blast". Liverpool Echo. 2 December 1971. p. 1.
  3. ^ "School reopens after explosion damage". Liverpool Echo. 6 December 1971. p. 9 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "New-look school ceremony". Liverpool Echo. 15 October 1990. p. 11. (preview) – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Bootle school celebrates 25th anniversary". Liverpool Echo. 11 September 1991. p. 39. (preview) – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Merseyside school among top 20 nationally for high truancy rates". Liverpool Echo. 17 November 1993. p. 10. (preview) – via British Newspaper Archive.

External links

  • The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco website
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