Eye on Education: All Saints Catholic College 50 years of education at Bradley
WHEN he visited Britain last year, Pope Benedict XVI declared 2010/11 the Year of Catholic Education.
This summer will therefore be a proud moment, as Catholics across the town celebrate 50 years of education on the All Saints Catholic College site at Bradley Bar.
Preparations are well under way for celebrations which will include an open evening on June 29 which aims to welcome former staff, students and the wider community to the school.
And on July 13 a more formal event will include a celebration mass by the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev Arthur Roche, which will be attended by local dignitaries, staff and governors.
Headteacher Anita Bodurka, who took over headship of the school in 2009, said then she was delighted with the warm welcome she had received and was pleased to be at the helm of a school which was moving forwards and improving.
The college, which has a specialism in humanities, has changed considerably over the last 50 years and celebrations to mark the golden jubilee will reflect this.
Irish, Bollywood, Polish and street dancing will reflect the changing demographics of the school community and there will also be a performance from a gospel choir as part of the activities which start at 6.30pm and run until 8.30pm.
When he officially opened the new St Gregory’s Grammar and St Augustine’s Secondary Schools at Bradley Bar on Wednesday June 21, 1961, the Bishop of Leeds, Rt Rev George Patrick Dwyer, expressed concern that the church had to fund new schools by “bingo and pools”.