# English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College

The English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College is a secondary school and sixth form college located in Hartlepool with academy status. English Martyrs (referred to locally as "EMS" and "Martyrs") is the only Catholic secondary school in Hartlepool. The school and college are both located on the same site on Catcote Road, however, a newly built specialist sixth form block provides the majority of A-Level classes, as well as some 11–16 school lessons.

## History

St Joseph's Convent School was founded in 1885, and became a direct grant grammar school following the Education Act of 1944. St Francis RC Grammar School was opened in 1956, and two new secondary schools, St Bede's for boys and St Anne's for girls, were opened in 1963.
St Peter's secondary modern school opened in King Oswy Drive in 1960 replacing St Bega's school. The school had approximately 200 students and the headmasters were Timothy McCarthy, followed by Robert Garraghan.
In 1973, the national policy of Comprehensive education led to all the Catholic secondary schools in the town being merged as the English Martyrs' Comprehensive School. These were St Anne's, St Bede's, St Francis', St Joseph's and St Peter's schools, each of which is represented by a star on the school badge. The new site was the buildings of St Bede's and St Anne's and the St Francis site which was closed down in 1985.

### List of previous headmasters

Previous headmasters include:
* Canon John Bell (1973-1980). Bell was the first headmaster of English Martyrs, having previously been headmaster of the subsumed St Francis Grammar School.
* David Relton (1980-1995)
* Joseph Hughes (1995-2010
* Michael Lee (2010–2015). Lee began his career at English Martyrs teaching history in 1977. Before being appointed head in September 2010, he had been head of sixth form and deputy headteacher.
* Stephen Hammond (2015–2021)
* Sara Crawshaw (2021–present)

## Statistics

The following statistics are summarised from the following Evening Gazette, Northern Echo and BBC News articles. National averages are given in (italics) after the school's score.
| Year | Number of children on the school roll | % eligible for free school meals | Value added score | Ratio of pupils to teachers | Total school spend per pupil / £ | Budget spent on supply staff | % Gaining 5 A*-C GCSEs incl. English and Maths | % of pupils persistent / missing 15%+ of sessions | % of pupils staying on in any education | A/AS-Level performance (points) |
| 2014-15 | 1,520 | 11.7% (13.9%) | 1011.9 (1000) | 14.1 (15) | - (5,944) | - | - | 4.2% (5.4%) | 96.2% (90.2%) | - |
| 2013-14 | 1,559 | 13.3% (15.7%) | 993.7 (1000) | 14 (15) | 5,577 (5,856) | 1% | 62% (56.6%) | 5% (5.3%) | - | - |
| 2012-13 | 1,638 | 13.2% (16.3%) | 1000.3 (1000) | 14.9 (15.5) | 5,677 (5,848) | 1% | 83% (59.2%) | 5.53% (6.4%) | 88.9% (88.3%) | - |
| 2011-12 | 1,665 | 12.4% (16%) | 995.5 (1000) | 15 (15.6) | 5,438 (6,058) | 1% | 68% (59.4%) | 9.4% (6.8%) | 90.6% (86%) | - |
| 2010-11 | 1,700 | - | 997 (1000) | 14.5 (16.3) | 5,338 (5,051) | 1% | 72% (59%) | 9.3% (9.5%) | 91% (86%) | - |
| 2009-10 | - | - | - | - | 4,945 (5,492) | 1% | 51% (53.5%) | 3.7% (4.2%) | 90.7% (84.7%) | - |
| 2008-9 | - | - | 990.1 (1000) | - | - | - | 66% (49.8%) | 2.6% (5.9%) | - | 793.2 (739.1) |
| 2007-8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 51% (47.6%) | - | - | 820.3 (740) |
| 2006-7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 54% (46.3%) | - | - | 789.7 (731.2) |
| 2005-6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 51% (45.6%) | - | - | 773.7 (721.5) |

### Gazette ratings

| Date | Overall score | Rank / out of x state schools | Local rank | Behaviour | Attendance |
| July 2016 | 61.10 | 637 / 3,109 | 1 | - | |
| July 2015 | 48.18 | 1,569 / 3,123 | 12 | - | |
| July 2014 | 58.72 | 809 | 2 | - | |
| September 2013 | 55.37 | 1,194 / 3,079 | 1 | | - |

### Ofsted ratings

| Date | School part | Overall effectiveness | Outcomes, Achievement/ and standards | Behaviour and safety | Personal development and well being | Quality of provision/teaching | Leadership and management |
| 17 May 2017 | School Overall | Requires Improvement | Requires Improvement | Good | Good | Requires Improvement | Requires Improvement |
| 17 May 2017 | Sixth Form | Good | - | - | - | - | - |
| 25 January 2012 | School Overall | Good | Good | Good | - | Good | Good |
| 18 March 2009 | School Overall | Good | Good | - | Outstanding | Good | Good |
| 18 March 2009 | Sixth Form | Outstanding | Outstanding | - | Outstanding | Outstanding | Outstanding |
| 5 October 2000 | School Overall | Good | Good | - | Outstanding | Good | Good |
| 5 October 2000 | Sixth Form | Good | Satisfactory | - | Outstanding | Good | Good |

## Intake
### Main school

The majority of secondary school students come from 6 feeder primary schools:
* Sacred Heart School
* St. Bega's School
* St. Cuthbert's school
* St. John Vianney's School
* St. Joseph's School
* St. Teresa's School

### Sixth form

* Pupils who obtain 5 grade Cs or better at GCSE can choose any Level 3 course i.e. an A Level or an Applied A Level course
* Pupils who obtain 4 grade Cs or above at GCSE are advised to follow a double award Applied A Level course, plus additional AS subject/s
* Pupils who obtain fewer than 4 grade Cs at GCSE are advised to follow a Level 2 course – either the BTEC First Diploma in Business or in Health and Social Care

## Annual school events
### Annual awards evening principal guests 1981-2012

A tradition of the school since 1981 where awards are given to students of both the school and sixth form college. Recognition is given to achievement at GCSE, 'A' level and GNVQ levels."

### Annual John Bell Lecture

This once-a-year lecture is usually given around March in the school's St Anne's hall. The lecture is in honour of Canon John Bell, the last headmaster of St Francis and the first headmaster of the new English Martyrs school.

### Principal guests, school shows and John Bell Lecturers

| Academic Year Start | Awards Evening Principal Guest | School Show | John Bell Lecturer | Headteacher |
| 2017 | TBA | Annie | TBA | Stephen Hammond |
| 2016 | Craig Hignett | Little Shop of Horrors | Tony Green, former Royal Marine and Police Officer | Stephen Hammond |
| 2015 | Gary Pallister | The Sound of Music | Michael Lee, former-headmaster of the school (2010–2015) | Stephen Hammond |
| 2014 | Jeff Stelling | The Wizard of Oz | Daniel Robinson, Alumnus and only non-American to have flown the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. | Michael Lee |
| 2013 | Graham Onions | Jesus Christ Superstar | David Eagle, Alumnus and member of the sea shanty band the Young Uns | Michael Lee |
| 2012 | Stuart Whincup, BBC Look North, with special guest Savannah Marshall. | Beauty and the Beast | Chris Joseph, Alumnus and autobiographer | Michael Lee |
| 2011 | Tony Mowbray | We Will Rock You | Jez Lowe, Alumnus and folk musician | Michael Lee |
| 2010 | Séamus Cunningham, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle | Les Misérables | Anne, Tony and Declan Stokle | Michael Lee |
| 2009 | Philippa Gregory | Oliver! | Father Phil Marsh | Joe Hughes |
| 2008 | Wendy Gibson, BBC Look North | Grease | Joy Yates, Editor of the Hartlepool Mail | Joe Hughes |
| 2007 | Peter Beardsley MBE | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | | Joe Hughes |
| 2006 | Jonny Wilkinson OBE | Bugsy Malone | Chris Gorman OBE, Alumnus and entrepreneur | Joe Hughes |
| 2005 | Kevin Dunn, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle | The Wiz | | Joe Hughes |
| 2004 | Lord Puttnam CBE FRSA | Little Shop of Horrors | | Joe Hughes |
| 2003 | Lord Alton of Liverpool | | | Joe Hughes |
| 2002 | Lady Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE | | | Joe Hughes |
| 2001 | Niall Quinn | | | Joe Hughes |
| 2000 | Simon Weston OBE | | | Joe Hughes |
| 1999 | Philip Madoc | | | Joe Hughes |
| 1998 | Kevin Whately | | Ann Widdecombe DSG PC, Shadow Home Secretary | Joe Hughes |
| 1997 | Tessa Sanderson CBE | | | Joe Hughes |
| 1996 | Ronnie Corbett CBE | | | Joe Hughes |
| 1995 | Bob Holness | Journey to the Center of the Earth | | Joe Hughes |
| 1994 | Sir Ron Norman OBE DL and Lady Norman | | | David Relton |
| 1993 | Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Countess of Swinton DSG DL Baroness Masham of Ilton | | | David Relton |
| 1992 | Ambrose Griffiths, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle | | Peter Mandelson PC, MP for Hartlepool | David Relton |
| 1991 | Jeremy Beadle MBE | | | David Relton |
| 1990 | Frank Carson KSG | The Boy Friend | | David Relton |
| 1989 | Sir John Hall | Oklahoma! | | David Relton |
| 1988 | Sir Cyril Smith MBE | | | David Relton |
| 1987 | Peter Egan | | | David Relton |
| 1986 | Cardinal Basil Hume | | | David Relton |
| 1985 | Major Sir Denis Thatcher MBE TD | My Fair Lady | | David Relton |
| 1984 | David Bellamy OBE | Calamity Jane | | David Relton |
| 1983 | Brian Clough OBE | | | David Relton |
| 1982 | Lord Longford KG PC | | | David Relton |
| 1981 | Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk | | | David Relton |
| 1980 | New creation. | | | David Relton |
| 1979 | New creation. | | | John Bell |
| 1978 | New creation. | | | John Bell |
| 1977 | New creation. | | | John Bell |
| 1976 | New creation. | | | John Bell |
| 1975 | New creation. | | | John Bell |
| 1974 | New creation. | | | John Bell |
| 1973 | New creation. | | | John Bell |
| School founded. |||||

## Notable alumni

* Paul Arnison, former professional footballer with over 350 professional appearances
* Pete Donaldson, radio presenter and podcast host
* Kieran Bew, TV, film, stage and voice actor
* Matthew Dolan, professional footballer whose former clubs include Middlesbrough, Hartlepool United and Bradford City
* Janick Gers, guitarist in Iron Maiden who opened the school's new music block in 2007
* Michael Gough, retired cricketer and cricket umpire (umpire of the year 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015)
* Peter Hartley, professional footballer and former Hartlepool United captain
* Michael Hunter, British, European and Commonwealth Bantamweight Boxing Champion
* Andy Linighan, retired professional footballer and scorer of the winning goal in the 1993 FA Cup Final who attended along with his brothers who were also footballers, Brian Linighan and David Linighan.
* Jemma Lowe, Olympic swimmer
* Savannah Marshall, Olympic boxer and boxing world champion
* Philip Middlemiss, actor notable for playing Des Barnes in Coronation Street
* Professor Gerard Parkin FRSC, Professor of Chemistry, Columbia University
* Kevin Walsh, Paralympic swimming bronze medallist