Oaklands Catholic School
| Oaklands Catholic School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Stakes Hill Road , PO7 7BW | |
| Coordinates | 50°52′06″N 1°01′18″W / 50.86836°N 1.02158°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | United by the Cross |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1966 |
| Local authority | Hampshire |
| Specialist | Humanities College |
| Department for Education URN | 137345 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Chair of Governors | Andrew Hastilow |
| Headteacher | Matthew Quinn[1] |
| Staff | >200 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 11 to 19 |
| Enrolment | 1400 |
| Houses | St Catherine St Clare St Dominic St Margaret St Martin St Stephen St Teresa St Vincent |
| Colour | Navy Blue |
| Publication | Oaklands News |
| Website | https://www.oaklandscatholicschool.org/ |
Oaklands Roman Catholic Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form college with academy status located in Waterlooville, Hampshire.[2] It opened in 1966, although its history can be traced back to 1902.[3] Around 1400 students attend the main school with over 150 in the sixth form college. It has been a Specialist Humanities College since 2005. The school had a "Good" Ofsted report in 2017 and were accredited with "many outstanding features".[4]
History
Oaklands was established in Southsea as a convent school for girls (The Convent of The Cross) in 1902 by the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth William Timothy Cotter with a group of Sisters of the Cross and Passion from Boscombe, Bournemouth.[3] The school moved into the Oaklands estate in 1947. It had previously belonged to General Sir Charles James Napier and consisted of the land around the White House up to Purbrook Way in addition to several servant houses along Stakes Hill Road.[3]
In 1959, the younger students moved into their own building, Holy Cross Junior School, which later became known as St Peter’s Catholic Primary School.[3] The Convent of The Cross and St Teresa’s Portsmouth Catholic Grammar merged into Oaklands Convent School in 1966.[3] In 1971, due to an urgent need for Catholic school places for both boys and girls, it became a voluntary-aided co-educational comprehensive school.[3]
Buildings
The school is made up of eight houses and consists of seven different blocks, separated into different subject groups. Three new blocks were developed (Music, Humanities, sixth form) during an extensive site improvement programme; each of these were built incorporating a Christian cross in different coloured bricks. In 2012, a major refurbishment of the Maths/Science blocks was also undertaken.[1]
Uniform
The school uniform was redesigned for the September 2009 academic year; the expense of the uniform caused criticism.[5] A press release was issued claiming that many of the facts published by newspaper articles were incorrect, and that due to the controversy, the school would start a cheaper uniform shop.[6]
Notable former pupils
The Convent of the Cross
- Michelle Magorian, novelist[7]
Oaklands Catholic School
- Louise Casey, Baroness Casey of Blackstock, crossbench peer and former government official[8]
- Jonathan Cruddas, politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Dagenham and Rainham from 2001 to 2024
- Comedians Flo and Joan (Rosie and Nicola Dempsey)[9]
- Caroline Dinenage, politician, MP for Gosport from 2010[10]
- Martin Montague, businessperson[11]
- Penny Mordaunt, politician, MP for Portsmouth North from 2010 to 2024.[12]
- James Ward-Prowse, footballer[13]
References
- ^ a b "Oaklands News" (PDF). Oaklands. September 2013. p. 3.
- ^ "BBC NEWS - Education - League Tables - Performance results for Oaklands Catholic School". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "History of the School". Oaklands.
- ^ "Find an inspection report". Ofsted.
- ^ Wainwright, Martin (17 August 2009). "Comprehensive defends new school uniform costing nearly £100". Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "School News & Activities". Oaklands. Press Release Uniform. Archived from the original on 30 December 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
- ^ Magorian, Michelle (10 May 2021). "A 40th Anniversary In Lockdown". Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Casey of Blackstock". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2021. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U250526. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Stanley, Megan (16 May 2022). "The musical comedy duo you didn't know grew up in Hampshire". HampshireLive. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "Caroline Dinenage is named early years minister". Nursery World. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "'I'm not ashamed of where I grew up'". The News.
- ^ "Mordaunt, Rt Hon. Penelope Mary, (Rt Hon. Penny), (born 4 March 1973), PC 2017; MP (C) Portsmouth North, since 2010; Minister of State, Department for International Trade, since 2021". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u251190. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "Southampton's golden boy – but James Ward-Prowse's heart remains in Portsmouth". The News. Retrieved 7 November 2020.