St John's Catholic School for the Deaf
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St John's Catholic School for the Deaf is a school for deaf and hearing impaired children in
Boston Spa Boston Spa is a Village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Wetherby, Boston Spa is on the south bank of the River Wharfe which separates it from Thorp Arch. According to ...
,
Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England. Monsignor de Haerne, an influential Belgian priest and senator founded the School at a small house in Handsworth in 1870 with the help from the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The School was relocated to
Boston Spa Boston Spa is a Village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Wetherby, Boston Spa is on the south bank of the River Wharfe which separates it from Thorp Arch. According to ...
in 1875. With efforts from the Daughters of Charity, the School has had a
Vincentian Family The Vincentian Family comprises organizations inspired by the life and work of Vincent de Paul, a 17th-century priest who "transformed the face of France." He directly founded the Confraternities of Charity (today known as the AIC) the Congregati ...
ethos for almost a century and a half. The School will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2020. St John's Catholic School for the Deaf is referred to as "Boston Spa" in
British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on ...
. Many past pupils are leaders, educators, teachers and businessmen in the Deaf Community. Lara Crooks, a past pupil, was a regular presenter for '' See Hear'', a TV programme for deaf and hard of hearing people in the United Kingdom. Gerry Hughes, the round the world yachtsman, was also a pupil. St John's School provides a day and boarding education for deaf and hard of hearing children and young people. In the primary department, teachers use the Maternal Reflective Method of English language teaching, pioneered by Father van Uden, a Dutch oralist based at the Institution for the Deaf in Sint Michielsgestel. In the Post-16 section, young people are provided with note-takers to support them when they attend local colleges, in particular York College and Askham Bryan College. The School was subject to controversy in 2008, when compensation was awarded to seven men who were victims of a paedophile priest employed at the school between 1975 and 1980.
Gabby Logan Gabrielle Nicole Logan (''née'' Yorath; born 24 April 1973) is a Welsh presenter and a former international rhythmic gymnast who represented Wales and Great Britain. She hosted '' Final Score'' for BBC Sport from 2009 until 2013. She has also ...
(the school's patron) presented a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Radio 4 Appeal The ''Radio 4 Appeal'' is a British radio programme on BBC Radio 4. Each week a single speaker, usually a celebrity, appeals for support for a different charity (for example Paul Heiney appealed on behalf of Send a Cow in 2008, while Ross Noble ...
on Easter Sunday 2009 to raise funds for an Expressive Arts Resource (EAR). The new drama studio was officially opened in October 2012 by Monsignor John Wilson of the Diocese of Leeds.


Nickname

While the School's official name is St John's Catholic School for the Deaf, it is referred to by the past pupils and the deaf community as "Boston Spa", the village where the School is situated, and as it is easier to lipread.


Belgian Sign Language

Boston Spa was the only school in England that used a sign language other than
British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on ...
, namely Belgian Sign Language introduced from Brussels by the two Daughters of Charity. St Vincent's School for the Deaf (Tollcross) in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
previously used
Irish Sign Language Irish Sign Language (ISL, ga, Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann) is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. It is also used in Northern Ireland, alongside British Sign Language (BSL). Irish Sign Language is ...
.


Language policy

In the early days, Boston Spa used Belgian Sign Language which was imported from de Haerne's school in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. After the Second World War, it was decided to introduce
oralism Oralism is the education of deaf students through oral language by using lip reading, speech, and mimicking the mouth shapes and breathing patterns of speech.Through Deaf Eyes. Diane Garey, Lawrence R. Hott. DVD, PBS (Direct), 2007. Oralism ca ...
through the demands of parents. A St Vincent's Unit was set up half a mile away from the main school to cater for children who could not cope in the main school. St Vincent's Unit eventually adopted
Signed English Manually-Coded English (MCE) is a type of sign system that follows direct spoken English. The different codes of MCE vary in the levels of directness in following spoken English grammar. There may also be a combination with other visual clues, su ...
, using
British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on ...
. The School has adopted van Uden's Maternal Reflective Method, which promotes Spoken English using written texts.


The Chapel

The barrel-vaulted chapel, opened on 30 October 1889, was designed in a late Tudor and early Elizabethan styles, by Charles Hadfield. Hadfield's father was Matthew E. Hadfield who was the Secretary to the School in its early years. Two memorial windows were erected there, one to Monsignor de Haerne the founder. and another to Matthew E. Hadfield the Secretary.


Catholic priest paedophile settlement controversy

In September 2008, the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds is a Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite centred on Leeds Cathedral in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley, which h ...
agreed to out-of-court settlements with seven men who had attended the school in the 1970s, and had been victims of abuse by a paedophile priest employed by the school. The priest, Father Neil Gallanagh was not imprisoned, for the abuses which took place at the school from 1975 to 1980 but no longer practices or dresses as a priest.


Ofsted reports


2015 inspection

Ofsted inspected the School in February 2015 judging it to be Grade 2 (Good), stating that "School leaders have continued to build upon the good standards identified in the previous inspection report", "Teaching is nearly always good, with some examples of outstanding practice", "Students who attend the sixth form unit make excellent progress".


Earlier inspections

Ofsted inspected the School in October 2008 and found it to be Grade 4 (Inadequate), stating that "Significant improvement is required to ensure the School's recruitment policies and procedures comply with all the legislative requirements for the safeguarding of pupils", however the "Effectiveness of the sixth form" (16–19 years of age) was rated Grade 1 (Outstanding). Ofsted inspected again in January 2009, and assessed the school as Grade 2 (Good), stating "The school has swiftly put matters right and all the procedures that are currently required to help safeguard children are now in place." An inspection in February 2012 ranked the school as Grade 2 (Good), with "Behaviour and safety of pupils" ranked as Grade 1 (Outstanding). Ofsted inspected the School's residential care provision in March 2013 and judged the school to be 'Outstanding' in all categories.


Community partnership

St John’s Catholic School for the Deaf was shortlisted in 2011 by the '' TES'' for the Outstanding Community Partnership Award.


Gabby Logan

Gabby Logan Gabrielle Nicole Logan (''née'' Yorath; born 24 April 1973) is a Welsh presenter and a former international rhythmic gymnast who represented Wales and Great Britain. She hosted '' Final Score'' for BBC Sport from 2009 until 2013. She has also ...
, the school patron, presented the School with the Gabby Logan Gymnastics Trophy. The cup is awarded each year to the pupil making the most progress in gymnastics.


Academic credentials

A 2012 survey by SIL International found that past pupils in Northern Ireland from Boston Spa and Mary Hare School are known for higher academic credentials than is usual in the deaf community and often obtain higher paying and more desirable jobs.


References


Further reading

''Boston Spa : the story of St. John's Catholic School for Deaf Children, 1875–1975''; Joselyn Taylor. Addlestone: British Deaf History Society Publications, 2007. vii, 132 p.  ''Deafness of the mind : the forgotten children of Boston Spa'' by Kevin Fitzgerald. Published Manchester : Kevin Fitzgerald 2010 ()


External links


Official websiteOfsted reportsDCMS Achievement and attainment tables 2008
(Secondary school) {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Catholic School for the Deaf Special schools in Leeds Schools for the deaf in the United Kingdom Special secondary schools in England Educational institutions established in 1870 Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic private schools in the Diocese of Leeds 1870 establishments in England Private schools in West Yorkshire