Ampleforth College

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Ampleforth College is a private boarding school in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire , England. It was founded in 1802 by the Benedictine monks of Ampleforth Abbey. The school is located in a valley with sports fields, forests and lakes. In addition to classic sports such as rugby and cricket , schoolchildren can also fish and hunt here . On the other side of the valley in Gilling Castle there is an associated elementary school up to the seventh grade.

history

Students work in the library, 1943

Ampleforth was founded in 1802 as a small school for 70 boys by the Benedictines of Ampleforth Abbey. The school was formally registered as a Roman Catholic boarding school in 1900 . Gradually, several buildings were built, including the theater in 1909. In 1922 a cinema projector was purchased; In 1923 electric lights were installed.

The first houses were founded in 1926 to accommodate the growing number of students. In 1929 Ampleforth acquired Gilling Castle and opened a primary school. Gilling Castle Prep, the elementary school section of the college and another elementary school merged in 1992 to form St. Martin's Ampleforth .

In 2002 the first girls were accepted into the upper school. The first girls' home, St. Margaret's , opened in 2004. Since 2010 girls have been admitted to all age groups and the school is fully co-educational .

Since the Catholic emancipation , Ampleforth has had a special reputation among the Catholic nobility ; it is referred to as the "Catholic Eton ".

education

Ampleforth and the valley

Ampleforth states that, in addition to academic, athletic and other successes, it also offers students a "compass for life": moral principles that guide you through a secular world.

The Good Schools Guide wrote in 2011 that Ampleforth was "a top Catholic boarding school that has always been cultivated and understanding, that has suffered from time to time under its long, liberal tradition"; there is "nowadays a refreshing openness and honesty in this place".

The academic admission process is not quite as demanding as that of some other English public schools . In 2004 Ampleforth was in 6th place on the national value added table . According to exam results, it is usually between 150 and 200 of all English schools.

More than 90% of students go to university; 5% are offered a place in Oxford or Cambridge. In Oxford, St. Benet's Hall , which is also maintained by Ampleforth Abbey, is particularly popular.

Ampleforth Abbey

Houses

Schoolchildren buy sweets in the tuck shop , 1943

The school is organized in ten buildings, in which the students live, eat, and compete in sports competitions in separate buildings. All houses are named after British saints . The boys' houses are St Cuthbert's , St Dunstan's , St Edward - Wilfrid's (Junior House since September 2018, originally two houses) St Hugh's , St John's , St Oswald's and St Thomas's . The girls' houses are St Aidan's , St Bede's and St Margaret's .

Controversy

Price agreement

In September 2005 it emerged that the 50 leading private schools had agreed their prices in a price cartel . The fine was £ 10,000 and £ 3 million was paid to a foundation that helps students suffering from the high prices.

Sexual abuse

For several decades, some monks and secular teachers have sexually molested or abused students. In 2005, Father Piers Grant-Ferris confessed to 20 child abuse cases . The Yorkshire Post reported in 2005: "Students at a leading Catholic school suffered decades of mistreatment from at least six pedophiles after former Abbot Basil Hume decided at the beginning of the scandal not to alert the police." In retrospect, Abbot Cuthbert Madden apologized "heartily" to the victims.

As a result, the school introduced new safety rules that were often described as inappropriate. Fr Madden resigned in 2016 shortly after four former students initiated an inspection. Further changes did not appear to be necessary.

The IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse), founded in 2014, conducted research in the English Benedictine Congregation in 2018, including Ampleforth College and Downside School . Ten people in two schools were convicted of abuse. According to the report, there were cases over 40 years that had been covered up by schools.

Inspections

In 2018, after an inspection, the school had to improve boarding facilities. The trustees had previously been deprived of security responsibility due to security concerns and the rector was dismissed.

In July 2019, the new headmistress resigned after ten months in office, as the school failed to make the progress the inspectors expected in matters of safety, behavior and bullying.
Robin Dyer has been Rector since 2019.

Former students

The former students are organized as Old Amplefordians . These include or were:

Web links

Commons : Ampleforth College  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AMPLEFORTH COLLEGE = Integrated Inspection . INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE. 2013.
  2. ^ History of the Ampleforth Community . Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  3. ^ Theater - A brief history . Ampleforth College. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved on May 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ Girls' Houses - St Margaret's . Ampleforth College. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved on December 1, 2012.
  5. ↑ Ampleforth College to admit Year 10 girls . In: York Press , December 23, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved on December 1, 2012. 
  6. ↑ Is this why Downton's creator is obsessed by class? Julian Fellowes' ancestors were not masters but SERVANTS on the estate that inspired the Abbey . In: Daily Mail , November 26, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2016. 
  7. ↑ Have posh Catholics had their day? . In: The Catholic Herald , July 2, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2016. 
  8. ^ An Introduction from the Headmaster . Ampleforth College. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  9. ↑ Ampleforth College, York . The Good School Guide. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  10. ^ School Development Plan 2006–2007 . Ampleforth College. Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  11. ↑ OFT names further trustees as part of the independent schools settlement . The Office of Fair Trading. Archived from the original on April 2, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  12. ^ Tony Halpin: Independent schools face huge fines over cartel to fix fees . In: The Times , November 10, 2005. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved on May 23, 2008. 
  13. ↑ a b Ampleforth child abuse scandal hushed up by Basil Hume . In: The Yorkshire Post , November 18, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2007. 
  14. ^ Ian Cobain: Silence and secrecy at school where child sex abuse went on for decades . In: The Guardian , November 18, 2005. Retrieved November 15, 2016. 
  15. ↑ Ampleforth College abbot steps aside as police probe historical abuse claims . In: The Yorkshire Post , September 1, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016. 
  16. ↑ Alex Matthews: Abbot of Ampleforth faces sex offenses probe . September 1, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016. 
  17. ↑ Ampleforth College: 'No action' over abuse allegation . November 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  18. ↑ Ampleforth and Downside (English Benedictine Congregation case study) - Investigation Report. (PDF) Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, August 9, 2018, accessed on August 9, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Child abuse inquiry: School 'reputations put before abuse victims' . August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  20. ↑ Harriet Sherwood, Rob Evans: Report damns culture of acceptance of sexual abuse at two Catholic schools . August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  21. ↑ Ruth Gledhill: Ampleforth faces possible closure if it fails to improve standards . July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018. 
  22. ↑ Harriet Sherwood Religion correspondent: Head of top Catholic school stands down after damning report (en-GB) . In: The Guardian , July 3, 2019. 
  23. ↑ Homepage , last accessed on February 15, 2020.