St Anselms College in Birkenhead celebrates its 75th anniversary
Then, denominational differences cut more keenly and it was felt in some quarters that the town’s considerable Catholic population was insufficiently represented in the professions.
The Brothers bought a mansion called Outwood for £4,000, and it is still part of the much-extended complex for the school’s 842 pupils, all of whom passed the entrance exam in maths, English and verbal reasoning.
There are 60 teachers and 35 other staff. The Brothers no longer teach, but some still live in the old building.
Brian, 74, a retired businessman, has joined Simon and another governor, George Davies, in the headmaster’s office. What is the school’s ethos? “Education exists to develop a young person’s God-given talents to the full, and also to give them the opportunity to rise out of poverty or deprivation and take their rightful place in the world,” says Simon, 43, who is married to Sheila. They have two daughters, Lily, 13, at Upton Hall School, and Charlotte, 10, at Ladymount Primary School, Pensby.
“The Christian Brothers have always sought to train a generation of leaders for the Catholic and Christian community in our society.”
About 85% of the pupils are baptised Catholics. “But the others are fully integrated. I could tell you without checking the records who the Catholics and the non-Catholics are,” says Simon, who has been head for six years.
At 14 stone, he is a little heavier than in his boxing days, but he still plays rugby, taking responsibility for the Second XV. He was at St Anselm’s himself for a short time, having entered through its preparatory school, Redcourt. But his father’s work took the family away.
“We have boys from council estates and affluent areas who sit side by side in lessons, forming strong friendships and working together in teams,” he says. “We contribute very strongly to social cohesion. We are also enjoying probably the best period of sustained academic success we have had.”
Brian’s father died as a result of wounds sustained in the Great War. His mother, Kitty, had four children. “I owe everything to this school,” he says.
* A SPECIAL 75th-anniversary thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated on September 19 at Our Lady’s Church, Birkenhead, by the Right Reverend Brian Noble, Bishop of Shrewsbury.
