St Aloysius College Full Digital Prospectus - Sept 2024 by St Aloysius' College

THE START OF SOMETHING GREAT

Welcome to St Aloysius’ College.

Thank you for requesting a prospectus and taking the first step in your journey with us.

We understand that choosing a school for your child is an important decision and we want to make sure that you, as a family, have all the information you need when considering St Aloysius’ College.

In admissions, we appreciate that every family is different, so whatever your circumstances, background or motivation for exploring an Aloysian education, we will ensure that you feel supported and involved every step of the way.

We value the opportunity to get to know your family and build a relationship that we hope will continue beyond your child’s time in the green blazer.

We look forward to helping start your story here at St Aloysius’ College.

WELCOME

TOSTALOYSIUS’COLLEGE

We are a happy and welcoming Catholic community in the heart of Glasgow that serves young people from ages 3 to 18.

Jesuit education aims to form principled, value-oriented “men and women for others,” following the example of Jesus Christ. As a Jesuit school, we affirm the awe and mystery of learning about God’s creation. We regard every element as worthy of study and contemplation, capable of endless exploration. We teach in such a way that students find joy in learning and thirst for greater and deeper knowledge. Jesuit spirituality can be summarised as “finding God in all things,” and this is how we approach the educational experience.

As a consequence, our College offers a wide and balanced curriculum.

St Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus (or Jesuits), believed that God invites us to be great and to commit the best of ourselves to meet the needs of the world. We often refer to magis (which means choosing the better or greater of two options) to stir our desire to be generous and to make the better choice towards that better goal—for His greater glory. This quality of the magis is at the heart of our governors, teachers, and support staff, who are constantly searching for ways to serve our young people better. The Jesuit principle of cura personalis—concern for the individual person—means that we treasure every young person in our college, and they are the focus of everything we do.

We are proud of our young people, our college, and our traditions, and we hope that you come and discover them for yourself. Please do arrange a visit, and I look forward to welcoming you to St Aloysius’ College.

Michael Burrowes, Head Teacher

OUR ASPIRATIONS

Our aspirations for our pupils are focused on the five principal concepts found in all Jesuit schools. These statements form the mission for staff at the College, who are dedicated to forming bright, well-rounded and empathetic young people. With these pledges, we invite families into a strong, educational community with people at its core.

Faith And Values: Religious Formation

We encourage pupils to embrace Christian values by choosing to live for the greater glory of God and the common good through their personal journey of faith.

Make a Difference: Perspectives and Horizons

We wish to inspire pupils to look beyond themselves and use their intellectual, religious and personal formation to make a difference in their communities and the wider world.

Personal Excellence: Intellectual Formation

We believe in every pupil, helping them discover the confidence, motivation and opportunity to achieve personal excellence across all areas of life and learning.

Delight in Learning Magis Curriculum

We aim to shape each pupil’s appreciation of knowledge of all things by stimulating and igniting their passions, opening their minds to discover a deeper delight in learning.

Care and Respect: Pastoral Care

In partnership with parents, we create a positive environment where every child is known and loved by supporting and safeguarding pupils whilst promoting a culture of individual care and mutual respect.

LIFE AT THE COLLEGE

KINDERGARTEN

Our Kindergarten provides a loving and caring environment in which preschoolers (3 - 5 years) are nurtured in preparation for Primary One - their first day in the Green Blazer.

Children are given the time and space they need to be children, they are free to play, explore and imagine. Through play, they begin to find what they are good at and enjoy, with specialist teachers delivering Art, Music, PE, Science and Modern Languages.

We want to open children’s minds to discover a deeper delight in learning. They are encouraged to be curious, to want to find out more, to do more, to be moreengaging with the Ignatian principle of the Magis as the norm.

Through play they share fun and learning together in a way that develops their social and interpersonal skills, beginning to understand the importance of caring for and helping one another. Each child has the attentive care and knowledge of a Key Worker who monitors progress, checking in regularly with parents.

Our Kindergarten pupils are fully involved in the liturgical life of the College, leading assemblies and attending Mass. Each day begins in prayer and ends in reflection, helping develop the children’s ability to see God in all things.

All of these factors have one common goal - to prepare our pre-schoolers as they begin their journey of discernment, which we hope will become a fulfilling Green Blazer adventure.

Children are free to play, explore and imagine.”

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Our Junior School pupils are surrounded by learning in a vibrant setting, helping pupils in the Green Blazer open their minds and uncover their talents.

The Junior School offers a stimulating and challenging curriculum, rich and varied in nature with an excellent foundation in core subjects English and Mathematics with Art, Science, Music, PE and Modern Languages taught by specialist teachers.

To best meet the needs of every child, the Junior School is split into two sections -Early Years and Juniors - with a special progression year for Primary 7 to ensure children are fully prepared for making the step into S1.

Our after school clubs and charitable focus support the curriculum in helping children find the activities they enjoy, giving them the impetus to help others and find delight in learning.

The Junior School is privileged to help pupils along their Sacramental journey. Along with the Church, we work closely with chaplains and parents to guide and inform children as they prepare. Our holistic approach to faith and values ensures that they appreciate the Sacraments and God’s gift in the greater context of learning and growing.

Our pastoral programme ensures that children are supported by, and feel comfortable with, staff who listen and with whom they can share their joys, cares and concerns. We place people at the heart of all that we do to ensure that we have a community of diversity, individual care and mutual respect for all.

“Each child is known, loved and valued as an individual.”

SENIOR SCHOOL

Our vision for young people in the Senior School is to find a balance between study and service. We want each pupil in the Green Blazer to develop their individual talents and skills to their full potential and use their gifts to help others.

In Jesuit schools, the curriculum centres on the person rather than the material to be covered, which is why we offer a broad curriculum with true depth and value, allowing pupils to study almost any combination of subjects from S3 up. Pupils in S3 and S4 study National 5, S5 pupils sit Highers and in S6, pupils tend to study a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers.

There are opportunities for pupils to expand their skillsets by taking education outside the classroom. We aim to build on the subjects they love through our wide-ranging co-curricular timetable, which offers something for all.

Faith and values are present in every classroom, and every teacher is responsible for helping young people grow in faith and love for Christ. Delivery of faith and values begins in the Chaplaincy, which coordinates the Christian formation of the College.

In partnership with parents we ensure any barriers to learning or social and emotional difficulties are faced together. We have an integrated pastoral care team, with offices for Lower School (S1 - S3) and Upper School (S4 - S6) each comprising individual Heads and Assistant Heads of Year.

The Green Blazer is a symbol that connects Aloysians. Pupils, staff and parents join together to build a strong educational community. We want our young people to realise that, like being Aloysian, learning is a lifelong journey.

We want our young people to realise that learning is a lifelong journey.”

Sport & Outdoor Education

We offer an outstanding programme of sport and physical education, an essential feature in all successful systems of education.

In addition to strengthening the body, Jesuit education recognises that sports programmes help young men and women learn to accept both success and failure graciously. Through sport we engender steadiness and level-headedness, selfreliance, self-control and readiness to place the needs of a team above individual impulses; all of which are vital to the development of the whole person.

Our Sport and PE programme has improved rapidly in recent years, and with our new stateof-the-art sports facility on campus, we aim to enhance sporting opportunities for young Aloysians of the future. The £8 million complex includes a sports hall, dance studio, viewing gallery and individual badminton courts.

Rugby and hockey remain our principal sports from P6 to U-18 level. Cross-country and athletics are also offered at all levels, whilst Senior School pupils have the opportunity to represent the College in basketball, football and swimming. We do all we can to support our elite athletes, particularly when it comes to balancing their academic endeavours with those outwith the classroom. Our pupils have represented Scotland and Great Britain in a wide variety of sports, including tennis, athletics, rugby and hockey.

As part of our wider Outdoor Education offering, our pupils have enjoyed great success in the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme and there are opportunities for hill walking, climbing, mountain biking, sailing and canoeing.

Sport teaches young men and women to accept both success and failure gracefully.”

Music & the Arts

At St Aloysius’ College, pupils are taught the art of self-expression through the development of the imaginative, the affective and the creative. These three elements of Jesuit education are essential to the formation of the whole person.

The expressive arts offer our pupils the opportunity to explore and understand the world around them, whilst also giving them an outlet for their emotions and a chance to be brave and bold with their imaginations.

Pupils are steeped in art and design from Kindergarten, where they learn the basics of drawing, painting, mosaic and sculpture.

As they progress through the Junior School they develop an understanding of the different types of art and translate that into their own creations. Once pupils reach the Senior School, they can explore a multitude of disciplines, including textile and fashion design, 3D construction and product design.

Our music department is growing, with the addition of new orchestras and choirs, as well as the Schola Cantorum Choral Programme, which offers pupils the opportunity to join choirs singing liturgical music to the highest standards. Instrumental lessons are now available from P3 upwards, with one-on-one lessons with specialist teachers. Our school Opera Group has a reputation for producing the highest standard of performance, whilst Drama in both Senior and Junior School is renowned for large-scale productions and musicals. These performances give pupils the opportunity to act, sing or take to the stage, but also be members of the costume, stage and production teams.

“The expressive arts offer our pupils the opportunity to explore and understand the world around them.”

Outreach

At St Aloysius’ College, our young people are taught in such a way that they are not only academically skilled, but look on the world with empathy and devote at least some of their time, talent and energy to the benefit of others.

Junior School

In our Junior School, our active Eco and Pupil Councils, as well as our Charities Committee, help children to see the bigger picture of school life, how important it is to take care of the environment and, of course, one another within the community.

Senior School

In Senior School, our outreach programme encourages pupils to act on the Ignatian principle of ‘going where the need is greatest’. This call to action sees pupils involved in service and fundraising for a range of organisations throughout the school year.

Pupils in S4 and upwards can also choose to get involved in the College’s Children’s Fund which provides activities and an annual holiday for disadvantaged children. There is also an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes for children with special educational needs.

The Arrupe Programme in S5 and S6 gives pupils the chance to volunteer in the community three hours each week. This could be in schools for children with additional support needs, care homes for the elderly, nurseries, community projects and initiatives which support asylum seekers.

Careers

Our dedicated careers service gives pupils the opportunity to fully consider which path is best suited to them. Most pupils continue their education at Scottish universities, however, significant numbers regularly gain places at Oxford, Cambridge, and other UK universities.

For pupils not attending university, we explore a range of options with them including Further Education Institutions and Modern and Graduate level apprenticeships.

Development

Being part of the St Aloysius’ College community is a lifelong relationship. As they progress through school, our pupils benefit from the advice and guidance of our former pupils: our “Old Aloysians”. The OA connection continues beyond the Green Blazer, with the opportunity to become part of a global network of more than 8,000 OAs, and join our active Business Network, attend London dinners, events and anniversary class reunions.

“Having attended the St Aloysius’ Business Network Events over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to make contacts that have helped with my career and day-to-day job.”

Our Campus

Situated in the heart of Glasgow, St Aloysius’ College has sat proudly on Hill Street in the Garnethill area for over 150 years. Our main building was our first premises on ‘the hill’ and this was extended in 1908 to add further classrooms and the College Hall, with the campus growing considerably over the next century.

Our brand new Performing Arts Centre houses the Music and Drama departments and is situated at the heart of our campus in our Convent building. The current Junior School building was added in 1998 with the Clavius built in 2002 for our STEM subjects.

Our newest building, the sports complex, was completed in 2017 and provides state-of-theart sport facilities for our young people. Our Millerston sports pavilion also provides a range of outdoor pitches and tracks.

Being a city centre school makes us ideally positioned and we are well served by bus, train, and subway links.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Our Clavius Building was awarded the Best Building in Scotland 2004 by the RIAS

GREEN BLAZER STORIES

Nina Snedden

St Aloysius’ College is one of Scotland‘s highest performing schools when it comes to exams. However, we encourage personal excellence across all areas of life and learning.

Take academic high-flyer, Nina Snedden. Nina was one of eighteen pupils who achieved nine A grades in her National 5s. She also achieved five A grades at Higher and was awarded the Advanced Higher English and Advanced Higher Latin Prize in Sixth Year.

Nina is humble about her academic successes and puts her results down to the support she receives in class, “In comparison to other schools, the College does so much more to help during exam time. We have supported study and the teachers are very open. They always encourage us to ask questions and talk about any problems we’ve encountered.

For Nina, however, this is only half the story. “Exam results are really important but once you leave school the skills you are taught outwith the class help you excel in other areas of life.

“The retreats are definitely my fondest memory at St Aloysius’. They help you to get to know everyone in your year and mix with different groups. When you return you feel a part of something. You feel much more linked as a community.

“The retreats show you that it’s not just about self-attainment but also about helping others; the greater good.”