Fresh vision marks the start of new era at St Aloysius College

THE warmth of the staff, pupils, parents and alumni at St Aloysius’ College in Glasgow is one of the reasons Patrick Doyle has taken up the post of head teacher at the school.

The others include its academic excellence, the wide range of extra-curricular activities and the outreach of the school into the surrounding community.

“School is all about community and relationships and at St Aloysius’ there seems to be layer upon layer of really good groups of people, starting with the very warm and professional staff,” said Mr Doyle. 

“The teaching and non-teaching staff do a lot for the pupils which is wonderful and there is a supportive parent body as well as a big network of former pupils who are also very supportive. All of these groups of people, including the governors, are aligned for the pupils so they have the best experience of school.

“It is not just about the academic side as there is so much going on and for me that is really exciting.” 

Mr Doyle, who has an impressive background of leadership roles in teaching, is currently working for the newly-established Catholic Academy Trust in Surrey which runs several highly successful schools and is due to start at St Aloysius’ in June.

It is a fair distance from Surrey to Glasgow but Mr Doyle and his family are happy to make the move after a fact finding visit to the city and the school.

“We have three kids aged 14, 12 and nine so they at first wondered about it, but they loved the people and saw the opportunities at the school and are excited about what is on offer,” said Mr Doyle.

“When we came up one of the former pupils was getting married in the chapel and I thought people must really love the school if they come back to get married at it.”
He was also impressed by the number of parents and alumni who turned out for a fundraising dinner.

“There were about 350 people there which I thought was extraordinary,” said Mr Doyle.

“There must be a lot of love for the school which is the single biggest thing that you want.”

New head teacher Patrick Doyle, who has an impressive background of leadership roles in teaching

St Aloysius’ College was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1859 to educate Catholic boys but now accepts pupils of all faiths and has been co-educational since 1979. 

It has expanded substantially since the 19th century and occupies a large campus in Garnethill which includes a junior school, senior school and a state-of-the-art £8million sports facility.

Mr Doyle is impressed by what he has learned about the school so far but points out that good schools do not stand still.

“There are already a lot of opportunities at the school and building on that is very important to me,” he said. 

“I want to continue to expand the number of opportunities we have for pupils as well as build up the links with the alumni community so they feel completely included.

“From what I understand Glasgow is a very warm place and the college is all about the relationship with the community there. I want to make that relationship as strong and fruitful as possible because I think the school has so much to give. If Covid has taught us anything it is the importance of community and meaning.”

Intellectual formation is one of the key aspects of Jesuit education and evidence of this can be seen in the school’s academic results. 

Even though last year marked the first year any of the SQA pupils had sat their exams under exam conditions in school, an impressive 98% passed (A-C) with 68.3% A grades at Higher level. In National 5 results, 96.2% passed (A-C) with 70.1% A grades and in Advanced Higher, 88.2% passed with 48% A grades. 
There were also a number of more specific successes including over a third of Higher pupils achieving at least five A grades and a record number of S6 pupils achieving their preferred university places.

The Jesuit philosophy of education emphasises the importance of nourishing every pupil’s talents so there is a wide programme of sports and arts activities at the college. 

It has at its core the principle of cura personalis – care for each person so that they may flourish academically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. 

Pupils are encouraged to play as full a part as they can in the spiritual life of the school and to take part in local activities and parishes where they live in order to give something back. 

The Arrupe Programme was established in 2006 and was the first of its kind in the UK. 
Pupils spend time working in nursing homes and schools and with asylum seekers and charities and is an opportunity for students to use their own gifts and talents for the benefit of others.

There is also a Children’s Fund run by a group of trustees made up of staff, parents and pupils who provide help, entertainment and holidays for disabled and socially deprived children in Glasgow.  In addition, the school fundraises all year round to pay for a group of pupils and staff to take a group of children with special needs on the Lourdes pilgrimage. 

The pupils demonstrate the community service aspect of Jesuit education through a variety of different charity events and fundraisers throughout the course of the school year and are regular contributors to Starter Packs, Fairtrade, Salt and Light, Mary’s Meals, the Jesuit Missions and many others.

Find out more www.staloysius.org

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Talented pupils are outstanding in their fields

WHILE St Aloysius’ College is well known for its academic excellence it is also building an impressive reputation in other fields.

The college is no stranger to rugby finals, having previously taken home the Scottish Rugby Schools Cup five times. 

In April last year, Johnny Ventisei (S6), the first XV captain, was selected to represent Scotland as part of the U18 Scotland rugby squad at the six nations festival in France. 

A 39-player extended squad came together for the first time in early March following club and school fixtures which identified players for the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Regional Championship series, with players from outwith Scotland. 

From left, St Aloysius pupils Matthew Urwin, Johnny Ventisei and Oliver McKenna are making a big impression in Scottish rugby circles

The Scotland U18 programme has involved numerous camps at Oriam, Scotland’s High Performance centre and training fixtures away in Newcastle against combined teams from the north of England.

Johnny played an integral role in the squad’s campaign against England, France and Italy.

This year he returned to the U18 Six Nations, this time taking with him two more Aloysians who were selected to play for the Scotland team – Matthew Urwin and Oliver McKenna.

Demonstrating the range of opportunities at the college is the fact that it is the only school in Scotland to be invited to sing at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, taking part in their Evensong service every February.

The Schola is a choral programme unique to St Aloysius’ College. Pupils from P4-S6 have the chance to join some excellent choirs, but it is also a much wider educational experience. 

Members of the three auditioned choirs have the opportunity to receive free singing coaching from professionally trained teachers, and members of the two junior choirs receive subsidised instrumental lessons in an orchestral instrument.

All choristers have the chance to learn using the Royal School of Church Music Voice for Life Scheme and over 80 pupils have achieved awards.
 

To find out more about St Aloysius’ College visit www.staloysius.org or book a tour today. St Aloysius’ College, 45 Hill Street, Glasgow, G3 6RJ, 0141 332 3190

This article was brought to you in association with St Aloysius College