Slough Observer. » News » Plans for Slough's first Catholic college

Yes, I\'m sure John McAteer is \"keen\". After all, he is headteacher of the school where 100% of pupils passed at least 5 GCSEs and which had the 72nd best GCSE results in England in 2007. No other Slough school makes it into the top 100. If the current plans go ahead it will be merged with St Joseph\'s where a paltry 34% of pupils passed 5 or more GCSEs. Yes, I expect the headteacher of St Bernard\'s is just thrilled at this prospect, along with the teachers who, let\'s face it, probably couldn\'t control a mixed ability class even if they wanted to and must be, even now, scouring the Times Educational Supplement for a jobs.\r\n\r\nHaving a mixed ability Catholic Secondary school is fine in theory, but in a Grammar school area there\'s no such thing as a mixed ability school because those that pass the 11 plus exam go to the Grammar schools instead.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a feasibility study due to take place into this. It had better be quick with its findings because parents aren\'t going to make the effort of getting their children through the 11 plus in order to send them to a school that\'s destined to lose its Grammar school credentials. Instead they will apply to the other Grammar schools: Langley, Herschel and Slough.\r\n\r\nThe conspiracy theorist in me can\'t help feeling that this could be a way of mobilising the ex-pupils and current parents of children at St Bernard\'s to start raising the funds to make the school \"fit for purpose\". This way, the vast majority of the funds from the Church could be given to St Joseph\'s.

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I can assure you that John McAteer is no conspiracy theorist, nor are the governers at these schools anything but dedicated to what is in the best interests of the children they serve. I'm also puzzled as to how you can justify your bleak view of St. Joseph's, a school which has on the whole experienced highly significant and positive advancements of its standard of education under headteacher Jim Welsh who also happens to be the former deputy-head of St. Bernards, proof if anything that both schools have a co-operative attitude towards each others. Please stop wasting space with your vague and abstract claims. These are local schools being discussed, not some conspiracy theory about the moon landings.

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*i meant conspiracist, not conspiracy theorist

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I cannot believe, and I am certain that every parent of a child who attends St Bernards currently, will agree with you that it is in our childrens (ie the children currently attending St Bernards) best interests to be merged with a mixed-ability school. How tunnel-visioned are you Mr Hullait? Not only does it cause uncertainty amongst the pupils and staff of St Bernards but it is also disruptive to potential new students and I agree with Mr Stokers assessment will now look to the other grammar schools in the area. Having two schools with a co-operative attitude is one thing, mixing them into an all ability Catholic school is an entirely different view point. We chose St Bernards school on two fronts, one for its catholic status and two for its grammar school status. The school as it stands has an excellent reputation. Take away its grammar status and you dumb it down to being just another potentially failing Academy as no parents who currently travel to St Bernards will keep their children there. Throwing a lot of money at a new school is not the answer, as is shown in the Academies that have been built in the london boroughs in the last few years. If the Governors and Staff truly have our childrens best interests at heart then they should look at ways of fundraising for the school as it stands to make it fit for purpose and not consider merging it with a completely different level secondary high school. You only have to look at the track records of grammar schools which have turned comprehensive to see that this doesnt work and fails our children ultimately.

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I would like to say as a parent of a child attending St Joseph's school that for one the school is excellent and also that as a Catholic community we should be giving every single child the same opportunity. This means not making children who have not passed for whatever reason feel like failures. Surely parents should be able to trust in both Head Teachers that every child will be still able to reach their full potential. The vast majority of pupils attending St Bernard's come from outside of the area which means that local children are denied a place at the grammar school. At the moment children are being split from their friends, being pushed into tuition and being put into categories of either success or failure. This is not what the Catholic church wants for anyone especially children. If more people actually went to church and listened to the Word of God they would realise this. I am appalled that parents can be so narrow minded and not realise that each child is important whether academic or not. Of course there will be disruption which is unfortunate but we have to move away from putting children under unnecessary pressure for the sake of a place at a grammar school.

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The whole idea is outrageous. St Benards is known for its high reputation and they are going to spoil it by merging with a school like St josephs. I thought the people running St Bernards had more sense than this. It is as if St Bernards have worked hard for their reputation just to through it all away and bring in the St joes kids. The whole this is absurd. Sure Mr McAteer knows he is better off carrying on the school as it is. Does St Bernards not realise that if it tired fund raising they could pull through this. The 900 or so kids that there is at a time in St Bernards will now suffer because they will not recieve the same high standard of education. Im just glad i left before these talks began.\r\nOH AND OF COURSE ALL YOU ST JOES PEOPLE ARE GONA BE HAPPY YOUR MERGING WITH A SCHOOL 10TIMES BETTER THAN YOU\'D EVER BE, WHILE ST BERNARDS IS STUCK WITH YOU

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The whole idea is outrageous. St Benards is known for its high reputation and they are going to spoil it by merging with a school like St josephs. I thought the people running St Bernards had more sense than this. It is as if St Bernards have worked hard for their reputation just to through it all away and bring in the St joes kids. The whole this is absurd. Sure Mr McAteer knows he is better off carrying on the school as it is. Does St Bernards not realise that if it tired fund raising they could pull through this. The 900 or so kids that there is at a time in St Bernards will now suffer because they will not recieve the same high standard of education. Im just glad i left before these talks began.\r\nOH AND OF COURSE ALL YOU ST JOES PEOPLE ARE GONA BE HAPPY YOUR MERGING WITH A SCHOOL 10TIMES BETTER THAN YOU\'D EVER BE, WHILE ST BERNARDS IS STUCK WITH YOU

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The whole idea is outrageous. St Benards is known for its high reputation and they are going to spoil it by merging with a school like St josephs. I thought the people running St Bernards had more sense than this. It is as if St Bernards have worked hard for their reputation just to through it all away and bring in the St joes kids. The whole this is absurd. Sure Mr McAteer knows he is better off carrying on the school as it is. Does St Bernards not realise that if it tired fund raising they could pull through this. The 900 or so kids that there is at a time in St Bernards will now suffer because they will not recieve the same high standard of education. Im just glad i left before these talks began.\r\nOH AND OF COURSE ALL YOU ST JOES PEOPLE ARE GONA BE HAPPY YOUR MERGING WITH A SCHOOL 10TIMES BETTER THAN YOU\'D EVER BE, WHILE ST BERNARDS IS STUCK WITH YOU

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The idea that St. Joseph's is some kind of school for delinquents and under achievers is absurd. Most local authorities have scrapped draconian admissions policies such as the 11+ system for good reason. Believe me, passing an exam at the age of 11 (in fact most pupils are only 10 when they take it) does not prove any concrete intelligence which justifies dividing opportunities for children. In the real world you have to deal with all kinds of people, not simply those you deem to be of a similar academic capability. Opponents to any such merger need to stop being eliteist and cease to think of comprehensive pupils as inferior to those in Grammar schools. It's simply not true. This is all scaremongering comparable to the time when people were opposed to the idea of making St. Bernard's a co-ed school. And for the record, St. Bernard's is not 10 times better than St. Joseph (look at official statistics for a more realistic comparison).

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Miss quaterman... grammar school/catholic education obviously did you no good if you can be so disrespectful towards others. People are confusing the grammar schol status which makes st. bernards so successful with the fact that it is the catholic ethos, a gift from the bernardine sisters, which makes st.bernards what it is. With any catholic college this ethos should remain. I agree with Mr. Hullait that grammar schools are elitist and am very grateful for my education at st. bernard\'s but did not pass my 11+ and went to a catholic comprehensive for a year and came to St. Berndards and did as well as everyone else.

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Demolishing our school building is unthinkable. Its a great place and it may be a little run down and in need of repair but it is definitly not no longer fit for purpose. Its an excellent school and none of the "thin corridors" or "small classrooms" can change that. Getting rid of things like the Grand staricase and Chapel would be awful and getting rid of traditons like Guardian Angels would be just plain mean.

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Nobody is saying that St Josephs is a school for delinquents. But show me any other mixed ability comprehensive, faith school or not, that produces the results that St Bernards produce and I will show you a selective school. It may not be selective on ability as is the case with the current grammar schools but it will be selective on whether or not you can afford to live in the right area. All the \"high achieving\" non grammar schools are in affluent areas where living in the catchment area can add a significant amount of money to your property. Yes we have to deal with people in all walks of life, but do not condemn us for wanting the best for our children. It isn\'t scaremongering at all, St Bernards will not benefit in any way shape or form from this merger apart from having some smarter classrooms and more up to date facilities, which given the choice, none of the students there would sacrifice for the chance to mix with St Josephs. It is not specifically St Josephs that we are concerned about, it you want to merge the school merge it with a school of equal merit. This government may very well want everyone to have an equal opportunity but unless you live in the right area you have very little choice when applying for your school place.

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This whole idea is absolutely absurd. Merging St Joes and St Bernards will not help the St Josephs kids have a better education; it will give the St Bernards and St Joes kids a worse education. I feel that traditions that St Bernards have upholded for several years (dating back to the early 1900s) will be lost, or may not be as special. St Bernards has a high reputation because it is an excellent school and i'm sure that the idea of carrying on as we are now is a better idea for both schools. St Bernards has got a higher reputation and the students are happy just the way it is. However, St Joes is not a school for under acheivers and i am sure that they are just as happy as us, no matter what school they attend. If they are unhappy about their education, the student body of st bernards cannot do anything about that, so it is not us to blame. I speak on behalf of all the students and parents of st bernards when i say that we are unhappy about the merging and we really hope that it doesnt happen.

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It came as rather a shock to me when a friend told me about this merger a few hours ago. It is an interesting development in the history of St Bernard's; just another big change in a matter of a few years.

I still feel very privileged to have been taught at St Bernard's and during my time there I met some wonderful, like-minded fellow students who have remained my friends to this day - about half a decade after leaving the sixth form.

I can only imagine what this massive merger will be like; it seems that not only will St Bernards' pupils - after a long tradition of friendly rivalry with St Joseph's - feel a bit put out to have to 'share' their school, but also the students from St Josephs would feel a bit out of place to suddenly be uprooted to Langley from the other side of Slough.

The biggest question, I feel, is that can this actually go ahead? As the old school building is listed (i.e. the Grand Staircase/Chapel area- up to the Old Hall) can they actually demolish it to replace it with the new Academy?

I have tried to bring some new thoughts to this discussion but feel obliged to address a couple of earlier comments: to A St Joseph's parent - I do believe you are correct that a lot of students at St Bernard's come from outside of the area; however they have fulfilled the criteria necessary to join the school and I believe that, as long as things haven't changed too much since I was there, children from the local area are given priority - therefore no child from say, Uxbridge, is denying any Slough-based child a place.

I agree with Joe Hullait and the other past pupil of St Bernard's - Grammar schools are indeed elitist - and have been all along, it is, in a way, the whole point of the system. I believe that every pupil in this country should have equal opportunities, and in my opinion this doesn't just mean allowing less bright children to have access to the same education as brighter individual (which I believe happens in the current model anyway) but also to allow those children with greater potential to explore it. Will the merging of these two schools, with children of very different capabilities (even within each school itself) still allow for this? Because in my opinion, this would be the greatest tragedy to come of such a merger.

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In a comprehensive school the children will be streamed as they are already at both schools therefore each child will be stretched to their full abilitity. It does not mean that the brightest children will be pulled down by having children with less academic ability sharing their school. At the moment due to the 11 plus system there could be children at either school who are in the 'wrong place'. By ensuring the children attend the same school they can develop at their own pace and be stretched as appropriate to their ability. I completely understand that the pupils at either school do not want to be disrupted but this is to do with future children as well not just our own. What if you had a child with learning difficulties? would you want them feeling like they had been sent to the 'failing school'? Of course St Bernard's has better results, it is picking the top ability children. But look at what St Joseph's does with it's children in a selective area, it is definately not a school 10 times worse than St Bernard's. I think everyone is missing the point, it is about what is best for the children of a Catholic community and I would like to think that the two highly intelligent and experienced head teachers plus the diocese know better than us.

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Too right. Does anybody know the proposed time frame for this potential merger? At the moment it seems that many people are focusing upon the possible consequences for current pupils of the schools when such exhaustive debate should also pay attention to the future pupils of the schools. For the record I completely agree that the main school building should be preserved in some way and I completely trust that those concerned with making these important decisions will ensure that if the plans are pursued, tthe greatest outcome for everybody (pupils, the Diocese, local townspeople etc etc) with regards to the physical building itself will be sought. May I also add that my previous comments were not representative of a personal view that such a merger is the best option for these schools. I am merely placing trust in the relevant bodies concerned and keeping a very open mind about the prospects, rather than dismiss them out of hand with absolutely no regard for the possible benefits of students. St Bernards Parent- why are you accusing me of being tunnel visioned? All I had originally said was that I trust Mr McAteer and Mr Welsh to co-operate fully with any enquiries being conducted on behalf of the schools, in response to comments made by Mr Stoker. You also alluded to the ways in which mixed ability comprehensives entrench advantage through their selection of pupils in particularly desirable areas. Granted, this has been proven in many areas. This however does not differ from the status quo. A very large amount of pupils in St. Bernards passed the 11+ after receiving private tuition in preparation for the exam. Many struggling families cannot afford such privelages and so instantly the middle classes have a huge advantage in gaining entry to such a school. This is not hyperbole unfortunately but hard fact.

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The proposed timeframe for this merger is 2011 therefore my child who is currently in St Bernards (and believe me we come from a working class family Mr Hullait as do many of her peers) and also her siblings will be affected by this. If I wanted to send my child to a mixed ability Catholic school I have choices which involve less travelling and which would give her the same access to education closer to home. But I worked hard (taking on extra work to pay for her tuition and her siblings tuition) and she worked very hard to gain her place at St Bernards. As I said I chose it for its Catholic status and the fact that its grammar and if the proposed merger goes ahead I would remove her from the school and place her in another grammar school as that is the right type of school for my child. Why should all her hard work be for nothing? You are missing the point entirely of why we are all so upset at this merger. The whole point of grammar schools was to give children who are particularly gifted from any background an opportunity of attending a school where they would be stretched. With all the good will in the world this does not happen at a mixed ability school and gifted children are not always pushed or given as much support as less able children. That unfortunately is down to this Labour Government. And I reiterate that the Academies that they have built in the London boroughs prove that this doesn't instantly mean a better education. This is not about the fact its mixing with St Joes. And as for the St Josephs parents comment about having a child with learning difficulties, obviously any parent would want the right school for your child. I viewed many schools and I would always choose the right school for my child and would not let my child attend a school where they felt they didnt fit in. I would love to think that the headteachers and the government would make the right decisions but looking at the state of the country as it is doesn't fill me with confidence that that will happen.

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And also whilst I'm on my rant for the morning, in reply to the St Josephs parent, of course we all want what is best for the children of our Catholic Community, but could you please point out the benefits that our St Bernards children are going to reap from this merger. As a Catholic grammar school the way St Bernards is run at the moment is the best for our children. If it isn't broken don't fix it. To pull down a school with such a beautiful history, the involvement of the Bernardine order is a travesty in itself. Every corridor you walk down in the old school part of St Bernards fills you with a sense of peace and thankfulness that our children are attending a school with such strong links to its Catholic origins and ethos. Building a new state of the art facility will wipe this out in one hit. Demolishing the chapel and the grand staircase would be a huge travesty and one which the St Josephs parents having not attended the school will be unable to identify with.

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I think the proposed rationalisation is an excellent one.

The transition may be difficult, but I trust the two sets of school managers to ensure that goes smoothly. There are challenges there, but with government money they are surmountable.

Fundamentally this is a Catholic school and should be about the Catholic community. The whole of the Catholic community.

I hope that the people posting in such a hostile way on this board are not representative of the views of the whole parent population at St Bernards.

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\r\nI think the proposed rationalisation is an excellent one.\r\n\r\nThe transition may be difficult, but I trust the two sets of school managers to ensure that goes smoothly. There are challenges there, but with government money they are surmountable.\r\n\r\nFundamentally this is a Catholic school and should be about the Catholic community. The whole of the Catholic community.\r\n\r\nI hope that the people posting in such a hostile way on this board are not representative of the views of the whole parent population at St Bernards.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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I would like to point out that any gifted child should not need tuition to pass the 11 plus, also I have visited St Bernard's and yes indeed it is a beautiful school. However, a school is not good because of the building, it is because of the teacher, head teacher, pupils and their families. St Joseph's is not a great building but it too has a feeling of peace in it. I do not see why a grammar school is so necessary for a child to be pushed to their full potential. I'm sure there are brighter children at St Joseph's who have not been tutored but just had bad luck on the day. This whole business makes me feel very sad for all the children at St Joseph's who are feeling that they are even more of a failure as they are not wanted at a school where some of their primary school friends are. They were happy together then but the whole system has created a divide which must be stopped. We are all equal in God's eyes and thank God the schools and diocese are trying to move forward and away from this awful system.

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mr hulliat how can you say that mr mcateer will co oporate fully etc... when he is going to leave before it happens. many of the teachers have outwardly said that they are going to leave as will as big mac

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ok so st jos isnt a school for under achievers there is nothing wrong with comp schools but my point is st bernards has much higher standards and st bernards will suffer, its not hard to see. its obvious how many people are unhappy with all this. and what about the people who it will affect, those year 7s who have passed there 11+ to go to a catholic grammar school, they'll soon be going to a comp school!! i dont think its a matter of intelligence of the students at a school its on wether they want to learn or not. seems clear to me that more students at st b's are interested in learning than at st joes.

st bernards did do me good, it taught be to speak my mind! and stand up for my beliefs. so i dont see it as me being disrespectful i see it as me telling it how i feel. right or wrong its an opinion.

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How do you know that the children at st joseph's don't want to learn? The reason the exam pass rates are higher at St Bernard's is because the brightest children have been selected not because St Joseph's is a bad school. Surely this isn't about exam scores, I thought that was what the government cared about not the parents. I also think it is a shame that some of the St Bernard's teachers are saying to the pupils that they will be leaving. Do they only want to teach the bright children, is that what teaching should be about? I think it is good that you have learnt to speak your mind but maybe you should take a visit to St Joseph's school and meet the pupils before you make judgement on them. They are lovely, intelligent and know how to speak up for themselves just like yourself!

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Please don't condemn us for wanting the best for our children. I would like to ask you as a parent if you were given a choice between St Josephs and St Bernards then which school would you have chosen for your child?? Regardless of exam results or marks, I chose St Bernards for my child because it was the right school and that was after visiting several Catholic schools. Nobody is saying that St Josephs is not a decent school, just that we want to preserve the tradition of St Bernards as it currently stands.

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I have never once condemned you for wanting the best for your child, we all do. But this is sbout the future generation as well who hopefully won't have to take 'second choice'. I'm sure all at St Bernards and St Jospeh will want to presrve the history and Catholic ethos of both schools. If part of the building is listed then hopefully it will stay and all the traditions of St Bernards can be incorporated into the new school. I don't think anyone has mentioned that these will have to be stopped. It would be lovely for all the Catholic children to be able to experience this regardless of their ability.

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My own mother is currently looking at schools for my sister and given the choice between St. Bernard's and St. Joseph's is with all seriousness considering the latter (with this in mind St Bernard's parent, I don't think you should assume that every parent makes the same choices). She is a parent who has had children at each of the schools during the same period and whilst I know she genuinely appreciated the benefits of my education at St. Bernard's, I think she realises that there too are many plusses to an education at St. Joseph's. My brother instantly and with ease mixes with people from all walks of life because he's surrounded by many different types of people. In addition, I doubt that the level of our success (or indeed, failures) in the wider world are going to differ all that much. St. Bernards is, predominantly, middle class. I cherish the friends I made there but I am often left baffled by their views of those both outside the grammar system and children from families of a different socio-economic background than their own. Of course not everybody is the same and it would be highly wrong of me to suggest this general summary can be applied totally to the school, but as a student at St. Bernards from a low-earning family I experienced some level of animosity from people who genuinely believed themselves to be better than me because of our contrasting backgrounds and would make no hesitation in voicing that view. The whole ethos of the school is focused towards higher earning parents. Whilst requests for money for school trips offer assistance to families who can't afford, this is sometimes just a sentiment. I recall teachers on a few occasions saying so themselves.

My mum also took on extra work and struggled to pay for my 11+ tuition but just because people like yourselves took such measures, doesn't mean its right. Effectively, you have both paid out of your own pockets for access to a better education. I passed the exam but does it make me any more intelligent than some of my peers who went to St. Joseph's? Absolutely not. It was simply because I'd received extra help. I'm dissapointed to hear that some teachers intend to leave St. Bernard's if the plans go ahead. Surely they didn't enter the profession to be selective about who they teach. Such an action would surely be representative of their own narrow mindedness and not a mature reaction to the proposals.

St Joseph's parent, I fully agree with you about equality being entirely compatible with Christianity. How on earth can such a divisive education be conducive to that message?

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Hooray for the merger!! It’s about time our Catholic schools will be attended by mostly Catholic children who live in the local area!!\r\nNo more of this snobbish and deluded attitude from parents rubbing off onto the children.\r\nYou all call yourselves good Christains!!!\r\n

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Shame on you!!!!

maybe if these people who are so negative attend church a bit more and put more money into the Church kitty to improve the school buildings.

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st josephs parent, i have met students from st josephs, i went to our lady of peace and a great deal of my friends went there, of course its a generalisation but one thing that is extremely noticable about st bernards is that the pupils want to learn and the teachers are absolutly outstanding.and i think one of the issues for st bernards is that the school has so many traditions and so much history, a great amount more than st josephs and it seems some of this will be destroyed during the process.

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st josephs parent, i have met students from st josephs, i went to our lady of peace and a great deal of my friends went there, of course its a generalisation but one thing that is extremely noticable about st bernards is that the pupils want to learn and the teachers are absolutly outstanding.and i think one of the issues for st bernards is that the school has so many traditions and so much history, a great amount more than st josephs and it seems some of this will be destroyed during the process.

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st josephs parent, i have met students from st josephs, i went to our lady of peace and a great deal of my friends went there, of course its a generalisation but one thing that is extremely noticable about st bernards is that the pupils want to learn and the teachers are absolutly outstanding.and i think one of the issues for st bernards is that the school has so many traditions and so much history, a great amount more than st josephs and it seems some of this will be destroyed during the process.

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As St. Bernards school song says "A child of St. Bernards is known everywhere". I believe this to be absolutely true. I was privileged enough to attend St. Bernards in its golden years and I am proud to tell people I went there. St. Bernards gave me a strong moral grounding, it is more than just a school. It is somewhere where I learnt lessons that will follow me through life. The respect that is shared of St. Bernards (not only of the school property but of the teachers and nuns) will be lost in the merger, and pupils that worked so hard to get into St. Bernards will feel their efforts were wasted. I myself went to St. Bernards Preparatory, there will be no need for such a school anymore. No parent will send their child from St. Bernards Preparatory into a school with no grammar status. St. Bernards has spent years building up a fine reputation and has an outstanding achievement record. St. Bernards offers an outstanding choice of extracurricular activities excelling is most, this will also be lost.

I will always think of St. Bernards as some of the best days of my life, to quote the school song once more 'Long may St.Bernards reign'.

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Dear John Smith Why not go one step further and just make it a mixed ability school for all children in the local area, catholics and non catholics alike. Surely that is a more Christian attitude to take because saying you want it to be available to just Catholic children is just as elitist and divisive as wanting a grammar education. Seems to me the attitudes of snobbish and deludedness is just as rife amongst the Catholic community. In fact, we could even go a step further and require all children to have brown hair and blue eyes!! Shows how farcical this whole debate has got.

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st josephs parent, i have met students from st josephs, i went to our lady of peace and a great deal of my friends went there, of course its a generalisation but one thing that is extremely noticable about st bernards is that the pupils want to learn and the teachers are absolutly outstanding.and i think one of the issues for st bernards is that the school has so many traditions and so much history, a great amount more than st josephs and it seems some of this will be destroyed during the process.

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st josephs parent, i have met students from st josephs, i went to our lady of peace and a great deal of my friends went there, of course its a generalisation but one thing that is extremely noticable about st bernards is that the pupils want to learn and the teachers are absolutly outstanding.and i think one of the issues for st bernards is that the school has so many traditions and so much history, a great amount more than st josephs and it seems some of this will be destroyed during the process.

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Joanne, you make a good point which had me thinking but I think one of the things about Catholic schools is they can teach the teaching of the church. For instance views on abortion, contraception etc. However I'm sure there are many different faiths that would prefer the new school and be welcome as many of the Catholic parents will now prefer one of the other grammar schools for their chidren. Also the school is funded partly by the church. I attended St Joseph's opening evening where there were other faiths, Mr Welsh made it very clear that they were welcome as long as they had a reference from their minister. Not every non Catholic parent will want a Catholic education for their child, however if they do I'm sure their application will be considered. Parishioners pay for the priviledge of their children having Catholic education.

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st josephs parent, i have met students from st josephs, i went to our lady of peace and a great deal of my friends went there, of course its a generalisation but one thing that is extremely noticable about st bernards is that the pupils want to learn and the teachers are absolutly outstanding.and i think one of the issues for st bernards is that the school has so many traditions and so much history, a great amount more than st josephs and it seems some of this will be destroyed during the process.

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st josephs parent, i have met students from st josephs, i went to our lady of peace and a great deal of my friends went there, of course its a generalisation but one thing that is extremely noticable about st bernards is that the pupils want to learn and the teachers are absolutly outstanding.and i think one of the issues for st bernards is that the school has so many traditions and so much history, a great amount more than st josephs and it seems some of this will be destroyed during the process.

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Joe I am interested in your comments, I have a child due take the 11 plus this year and am seriously considering sending him to St Joseph's and not taking the 11 plus although he could probarbly easily pass. I feel uneasy about him going to a school where there are prejudices and non Christian attitudes. I don't mean to generalise but if the majority of the pupils are against the merger I don't want him to be influenced by such feelings. I feel there is probarbly an imbalance in both schools which needs to be addressed. I am happy to say my child at St Joseph's is mixing with children from all different walks of life and not all are Catholic.

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ok i dont mean to sound as if im against other religions as im pretty easy going on that kinda thing but what would be the point in having a catholic school where they didnt give catholics the first places, doesnt that go against the point?

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What a terrible state St Bernard’s is turning into.\r\nJoseph’s children merging with the elitist!\r\nPicture it now:\r\nChildren will no longer want learn! Because of those St Josephs children.\r\nChildren will turn stupid overnight! Because of those St Josephs children.\r\nSchool subjects will no longer be taught! Because of those St Joseph’s children!\r\nChildren will no longer be streamed! Because of those St Joseph’s Children.\r\nChildren will no longer want to do those extra curriculum subjects! Because of those St Josephs children.\r\nSchool traditions will no longer exist! Because of those St Joseph’s Children \r\nSchool history will no longer exist! Because of those St Joseph’s Children \r\nTeachers will no longer be able to teach! Because of those St Joseph’s Children! \r\n..... Get real! Don’t be so silly!

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Priority is still given to Catholics but there are still applicants from other faiths. Should the current places at either school not be filled by Catholics then other faiths are given a place. Mnay other faiths like the ethos of a Catholic school as it is similar to their own.

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Well I think both schools have their pros and cons. The atmosphere amongst students at St. Bernard's is by no means nasty but there were times when there was an obvious presence of misguided ignorance, especially with regards to class and race. I don't want to mislead people and would like it to be known that In spite of the downsides to grammar schools that I did mention earlier, I did wholeheartedly enjoy my time at St. Bernard's and made many friends. However, the exact same can be said for my brother at St. Joseph's, which shows how much of time we simply enjoy that which we know best and which we become used to. It's so far an unwritten story, but I think that when looking back on our education in a few years, his will have been far more beneficial to him than mine was to me because his surroundings have encouraged him to be an open minded person. If a child at St. Joseph's wants to succeed, then there's no doubt that they can and will.

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If anybody here has a facebook account, then I recommend logging on and using the link below to take a look at a group created by St. Bernard's students in protest of the merger. Much of what is written on there is an embarrassment and demonstrates perfectly the narrow minded attitude of many at the school. And before anybody dismisses the information when you read it, bear in mind that more than a quarter of the school's pupils are members of it already.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=c972c599adea3f295c0b54f0cccafeb3&refurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fs.php%3Finit%3Dq%26q%3Dst%2Bbernards%2Bst%2Bjoe%2527s%26ref%3Dts%26sid%3Dc972c599adea3f295c0b54f0cccafeb3&gid=34772447325

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Joe Hullait you truly are an open minded person!

Shame about the others!

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Anon your right about facebook thats Outrageous!\r\ndidn\'t those St Berns parents teach their children well!

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I am ashamed and appalled having read the facebook site of the St Bernards students and this is by no means a representation of St Bernards as a whole. People need to step back and put this into context. The pupils and staff at St Bernards are generally a really lovely Christian bunch of people.

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I have just read the comments on the facebook site and I am completely appalled and shocked at what has been written and concur with Ref 753. I would also like to point out to Ref 706 that you are not speaking on my behalf. You haven't even sought my opinion. Everyone is jumping the gun and instead of thinking about the negatives, if it's going to happen we should pull together so that the good things about both schools are combined. I have been through a hospital merger and from the initial idea it took 10 years for it to actually occur!

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With reference to the Facebook group, the 263 current members are not a quarter of the school's pupils. Many of them are past pupils who have been invited to the group by friends.

I understand that St Joseph's is a good school for some people, my brother-in-law is currently there and seems to enjoy it. However, some particularly gifted pupils do benefit more from attending grammar schools. I would also like to point out that not everyone has tuition for the 11+, some people do pass it without the extra help.

I am not at all shocked that some teachers from St B's are planning on leaving. One school, rather than two, will require fewer teachers and some of the teachers at St B's are only still there because they are sentimentally attached to the school. A new school on a different site could break that attachment.

The main house and Chapel at St B's are Grade II listed buildings so should not be demolished (though I wouldn't put it past the council to try). Unfortunately the Old Hall and the clock tower don't seem to be included in this.

I am from a working class background and never experienced "animosity from people who genuinely believed themselves to be better than me because of our contrasting backgrounds", I wonder who in particular you are thinking of Joe Hullait?

I am sorry I have not said much to defend St Joe's, I don't know much about the school but I still feel keeping two schools is best. Many parents on here have commented that they want the best school for their child, but what will you do when there is only one Catholic College and your child doesn't like it? I'm not saying that will happen, but it is a possibility. At least there is a chioce at the moment.

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The point I was trying to make was that a Catholic school is equally as selective as a grammar school - just the selectiveness is on a different criteria. Being able to fulfill any kind of criteria, whether that be an 11+ exam or a letter from a minister, is selective. Saying that non-Catholics are welcome once all the Catholic places are taken is selective, dress it up whatever way you wish. If we are going to bang on about the draconian ways of selective schools, make the new school a mixed ability comp, not a faith school....the government has enough money to do this and is in fact opposed to faith schools anyway. And saying that the school should be responsible about teaching the ways of the Catholic Church is rubbish, this surely is down to every Catholic family to teach their children the ways of the Catholic church. As another parent says, all schools are selective in some way in any case.

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and in reference to post 740, saying that parishioners pay for the privilege of their children getting a Catholic education, what about those parishioners who don't have any children and who contribute to the parish coffers??

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I didn't say it was the school's responsibilty to teach the faith, I said it was able to teach the faith as it is a Catholic school. It means that it is able to say what the church believes in regards to things such as abortion etc. When I was talking about parishioners contributing to the curch funds obviously all the money does not go to the schools. There are things things that the collection goes to which benefit parishioners without children.There is also the buildong fund that parents should of course contribute to as well. As a parent I want my children to be able to say a daily prayer or have Mass said at school and the style of teaching is I hope different. In a selective school you can't suddenly make a child able to pass the 11 plus, however you can join the Catholic church should you wish your child to receive that type of education. People do have the choice, I know a few families who have converted because they desire that for their children. I can't suddenly make my child be in the top 25%.

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Ex-St. Bernard's student: I'll try as best I can to address your question regarding my claim of animosty but will stop short of naming specific people as it would be incredibly irresponsible of me. Like I said before, I did enjoy my time at the school and I agree with Friend of St. Bernard's that the community is generally a compassionate one. What I was alluding to most of all in my comments though was an unknowing ignorance amongst pupils as opposed to any mainstream sinister feelings. I'm a mixed-race pupil, from a single-parent, lower income family living in Britwell. My mum is Catholic whilst my dad is Sikh. Now, I couldn't possibly accuse the school community as a whole of being inherently prejudiced against me because I had plenty of friends, was elected Head Boy, and left with adequate enough grades to attend a relatively good university. However, there were numerous occasions throughout my seven years there when my peers would make class related jokes or comments to my face as well as others based on race, religion (not mine of course, but my dad's) and the area I lived in. Most of the time the people making such jokes or comments did so thinking that it was perfectly acceptable and I've no doubt that most of the time they were intended in jest. I'm completely against many illogical notions of political correctness and am capable of identifying satirical humour but much of the time, these types of jokes were to me, wholly unacceptable and offensive. Again, these were made not by the general school community but by enough pupils to justify serious concern.

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I am priviledged enough to have been educated at St.Bernard\\\'s firstly by the Bernardine sisters, and now by a body of staff fully committed to providing an encouraging environment where each and every student can reach thier full potential. I would be very sad to see St. Bernards change so drastically but i am not naive enough to think that the school has had much of a choice in the matter. As a catholic and a grammr school and with the opinions of the current government/council it seems St. Bernard\\\'s days as it stands were numbered. Neither the doicese nor the LEA has enough money to run two catholic schools in Slough. Although some would jump to the conclusuon that a fund could be set up to save both schools, this is not a practical solution when considering the schools in the long run. I think that if the buildings and traditons of the school are retained then St.Bernard\\\'s may not be soo different. I believe it would be wrong though to demolish what is a very beautiful school and what was a very beautiful convent. I suspect that the school was given a choice between accepting more non-catholics or losing its grammar school status and i am very impressed by the brave and inspiring desicion made by Mr. MacAteer and Mr. Welsh to make a stand for catholic education in Slough, in whatever form that may exist. Parents must now make the choice between a grammar or a catholic school education as it seems that they cannot have both. \\r\\n I am ashamed by the facebook group because it misrepresents nearly all the students that it claims to satnd for. Although the merger is not a popular idea in the school we are not all so inarticulate or hosilte when presenting an argument, valid as it is. I think that the pupils of St.Bernard\\\'s should not show any animosity to the students of St.Joseph\\\'s as they are just the same as us and certainly not less intelligent. Finally i would like to reitterate that Mr. MacAteer has said that any such plans are only in their infancy and may not come to fruition. Furtherore with the current financial/economic climate i think the proposal may not go ahead now anyway.

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Sixth form student- thank you for that eloquent and reasoned response. It's important that everyone remembers that these plans are long term and I'm particularly glad that you've addressed the situation moderately, without unnecessary exaggeration. You're completely right- fundraising in the interim is a totally pointless solution with regards to the long term future of the schools. The costs needed to run a school are astronomical. It's also good to see that you've spoke so highly of the two headteachers who, in my experience, are ultimately very good people. I'm sure that all parties involved in the decisions will not take their responsibilities lightly, be they officials of the school or the local council.

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Have any of you actually stopped to consider how much money would be required to bring either school up to standard. 60% of St Bernard\'s pupils come from outside of Slough, yet the taxpayers of Slough are paying for their education; Parishioners are not putting money on the plate, but how many St Bernard\'s pupils come from your parishes anyway.\r\nThe tough fact is neither Slough or the Church can afford to run both schools, and one new school would actually be cheaper to set up.\r\nIncidentally, were the Good Lord Jesus to come back today, where would he sit? With the well to do, children setting up dodgy blogs, or the salt of the earth?\r\nTo be honest, this very argument makes me embarrassed to call myself Catholic.\r\nAnd I do have children, and I want the best for them, but the arrogance shown by some here would stop me sending then to your school.

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I totally agree with you, I too am embarassed to discus this with non Catholics as the argument is so un Christian. I love the building and feel of St Bernard's but I do not want the rest of my children mixing with a few children and their parets who have these views. I would rather my children went to a school that was falling apart. I feel sorry for the staff, parents and pupils of St Bernard's who are being misrepresented by these ignorant people.

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I am quite taken aback by the bile that this proposal has churned out of some people. I went to St Bernard's and my brother actually went to St Joseph's and has done very well for himself.

A previous comment about the proportion of St Bernard's children being from Slough Borough is actually quite accurate. There are more out of borough children there. 20% (approx) of school funding has to come from the diocese. The Diocese get this money from church collections - so Northampton is paying for children who are not from their area. That does not seem fair to me, especially when attendance at mass is falling.

And the rumblings from parents that they can raise the money for the buildings to fix them - do you realise in this day and age you are talking several million pounds?? It would take way beyond 2017 (the ear marked date for govt help) to raise the money needed for both sites.

I found the Facebook site tonight and was wholly disappointed by the attitude of those that had posted. The comments about the "Nuns wouldn't have let this happen" made me smile - they certainly would not be proud of your attitude either! When they told us the school was going co-ed, there was no drama of this sort - and at the time single sex education was actually deemed as a more successful method than co-ed.

It seems to me that parents know that for a long time they have had almost "private" education for free. And look at some comprehensives in London - one in Greenford springs to mind - almost 100% A*-C GCSE's last year. The area is not affluent and they draw from diverse backgrounds. IT CAN BE DONE!

The other criteria you may want to look at is the Value Added tables. St Bernards and St Joseph's add almost the same value to their pupils. Combine their 5 A-C's together and both schools beat the LEA average (incl Maths and English). If you want to be picky - why is the top achieving school in the area not improving their pupils the most?? All data for 2007 is on the BBC website. Incidentally - St Joseph's achieved 51% A*-C this year.

So, to parrot phrases being bandied about across the Pond right now - be agents of "change". Go for the Catholic College. Stop putting pressure on 10 year olds to pass an exam under the illusion that they will be a better person for it (the elitist bile shows they may not) Stop enforcing separation on them at an early age to to a pass or fail decision. They are CHILDREN for goodness sake!

It did take my brother a long time to shake the failed label as in the 80's more children passed from the Slough primaries and went to the Grammars (scratch below and see how many from the feeders went to St Bernard's this year - you will be surprised).

They will have a combination of very good teaching (yes St Joe's have very good teachers as well, you may be shocked to know!) they will still be with their friends and still have all the opportunites any good school will offer.

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You are so right in everthing you say. St Bernard's is an easy way into a grammar school, as long as you get 111 (unlike the other grammar schools in the area) and go to church for a few weeks,so that you can get your reference you're in. Also it helps if you get your child into one of the feeder schools-long term plan for some parents. No I don't blame people for wanting what they think is the 'best education' but how dare you complain when the schools and church can't maintain this. The Catholic schools in Slough are supported by people contributing to the collections. Sorry to be so cynical but the system is so blatently wrong. My child was devasted to be split from friends, this shouldn't happen. Most of his class were tutored, we couldn't afford it, how is that fair?

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For one thing, I would like to apologise on behalf of some of the other members of my former school for the shocking attitudes that have been seen on this page as well as the facebook group. It is appalling. I think the name of the facebook group demonstrates how well the pupils involved have thought about this.

I left St. Bernard's last year and am very grateful for the 7 years of education I had there. However, it wasn't this perfect idyllic education that it is being made out to be by some. There were frequently problems in classes with students and I feel St. Bernard's at times failed to cater for the individual needs of each child. I also saw pupils coming from St. Joseph's for 6th form and achieving better grades than those at St. Bernard's. As it was earlier pointed out, this is because some extremely bright children fail the 11+ but still manage to succeed with a good education at whatever school they end up at.

As for the members of staff who have said they will leave if the school merges are probably saying this because they know they couldn't control classes with more, more difficult kids in. A good teacher can usually teach any group well.

In terms of numbers from feeder schools I can't be sure, but if you see the number of coaches that come to the school (probably about 10/12) each carrying 50 kids this just gives you some indication to the number of out of area pupils as well as those who are driven in by their parents. I know one of the feeder schools (Holy Family, St Ethelberts, St Anthony's and Our Lady of Peace) only had one child pass their 11+ this year. I suspect a lot of the people who are complaining are the out of area students and they have no right to be educated in Slough. (I am not saying they shouldn't come but it is really not for them to complain!)

My only problem I can see with this is that in an area where the grammar school still exists I am not sure this will work. Will the "Catholic" (I use speech marks as I would guess only about 10% of the schools pupils are practicing) parents send their kids to a Catholic Comprehensive instead of a grammar school? Probably not. If I was a parent it would be a very difficult choice to make. What it will do is cut down the number of people coming in from outside Slough.

Unfortunately, the diocese cannot afford to run 2 schools and in my oppinion it is far more important to run a good comprehensive which is what St. Joseph's is than a grammar school for lots of children who, if their primary concern was a catholic school, probably have one a lot closer to home.

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I admit I was a student from a different area and indeed diocese. I was from Windsor where there is only one religious secondary school and it is rather expensive! The closest catholic school that offered the subjects I was interested in was St Bernard's. I think this is the case for a lot of the not-so-local students, catholic primary schools are easy to find but not secondary schools.

I understand that the schools probably don't have much choice in the merger, however far into the future it happens. That doesn't stop me being upset by it but there's nothing I can do. My older sisters and I are lucky enough to have left before all the disruption this will cause. I thankfully left at the same time as the nuns. I do hope that the new Catholic College will keep all the subjects that are available at both current schools, it would be a shame to lose any.

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Hello, I thought I would give my two cents on this subject as it all seems a bit absurd to me.\r\n\r\nI previously went to st joes for the whole five years of my secondary education, and to be quite frank, it was a brilliant school. Yes of course there were people there who did not want to learn, but what school doesnt have these?\r\n\r\nNot only did i attend St. Joes but i then obtained a good set of G.C.S.E results which enabled me to go on and attend St. Bernards sixth form. \r\nAs much as i enjoyed my time as st bernards, i would have still (if it were possible) carried on my education at st joes as it had helped me develop into the person i am today - a proud member of society.\r\n\r\nI am not the only person who has achieved this feat, many of my friends in my year group went onto attend St. Bernards with me, clearly showing that our \'lower standards\' were enough to merit a place in the sixth form.\r\n\r\nThough i am proud of myself that i can say i attended the St. Bernards sixth form, nothing can replace the experience, the fun and the exellent standard of learning i recieved from my time at St. Joesephs.\r\n\r\nChildren are our future.. Thankyou\r\n

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I am writing this e mail with regards to st josephs roman catholic high school and st bernards convent merging. I am disgusted with the way people are slagging off ST JOSEPHS. St josephs and st bernards are the only catholic schools around, the council does not fund either school, its down to the parents and the catholic diocese to come up with the money to fund both the schools. St josephs and st bernards are both good schools and they should both be able to stay where they are,but as usual the council does,nt do anything to help these two schools. I am sick od parents saying that st josephs is not a good school, and that they don,t want st bernards to merge with them.st josephs is a specialist arts college aswell. Also st josephs has been a good school and still is for 50 years. loads of people in my family and my partners family went to st josephs. also my son attends st josephs, he is in year 10,and he gets on great,also my other son is hoping to join st josephs next september. Its about time the government funded our catholic schools. also i would like to say to the st bernards pupils and their parents who keep moaning about st josephs to stop complaining. they make out that st josephs pupils are bad news, well get a grip, and think both schools, parents and pupils should fight to keep both schools open. also it doesnt matter to me about what background each school has as long as my children do well and get the grades they want. so think of our childrens education not your critisium about schools. \r\nmichelle taggart,mother of st josephs student

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also i forgot to say i am disgusted with this issue on facebook, come on there is no need for that, us parents should have a meeting st josephs and st bernards with the coulcil and diocese and fight to keep both svhools open, there is nothing worse that two schools arguing\r\nmichelletaggart

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As a pupil at st bernards i would like to say that this whole idea is absolutely absurd and i would like to pick up on a few points made earlier in this debate.

1. Grammar schools are just as elitist as catholic schools: i agree. there is just as much wrong in saying that only catholic children are allowed into the new school, so st josephs, you cant use that as an excuse to merge.

2. St Bernards is for high earners: absolute nonsense- me and all of my class come from working class families and only the odd one or two in the SCHOOL come from high earning families, so that is no excuse either, St Joes.

3. St Bernards will suffer by the cause of this merger: i agree fully, but i do not agree that they will suffer because of the kids at st joes. St Bernards has a high reputation and it will be spoiled by the merger if it happens. It is one of the top 5 schools in the country and that reputation will be lost.

4. The governing body will make the wrong decision: i disagree. Mr Mcateer has been an amazing head of st bernards and is part of the cause for its high reputation. I am sure that the head of st joes is excellent as well, although i have never heard much about Mr Welsh. Anyway, i am sure that they will make the right decision that will benefit both schools.

The point i am trying to make is, no matter how high or low our reputations are, the merger is a bad idea for both schools, and it will boost one school body, but damage the other.

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I have just read some more comments about st josephs and st bernards, well let me tell you something, money does,nt come into the fact that posh kids go to st bernards and low class families go to st josephs. i am sick of all the press coverage and silly websites that st bernards have made about st josephs. go on to facebook and click on groups and have a read. as it is all blowing out of proportion its about time it stopped and we all join forces to keep both schools open and not make out that the two schools are different, my son goes to st josephs and he does great we have a low income, but money should,nt be an issue, the parents of st bernards need to stop and think that yeah they are a grammer school and st josephs is a secondary school so what, they take the same exams. so no wonder the kids are being the way they are if their parents think that their children are better than st josephs

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I currently go to St. Jospehs and i have to say, after looking at that facebook profile, i would feel rather nervous setting foot in St.Bernards. How dare they be so judgemental towards us ! I am outraged that pupils that are supposed to come from a catholic school could write such things about pupils from a school which is supposed to be partnered with theirs. I do NOT apreciate being called a "St. Joes Hoe".

"why would st bernard's want to let thick people in???? I mean i like a St Joe's Ho just as much as the next man...but sharing a class with them......thats unacceptable."

"Is it not like joining Oxford University with the Early Learning Centre?"

I have to say, i also do not take very well to being called "thick". St. Jospephs ,my not have the outstanding results that St. Bernards have, but at least at St. Josephs we are taught manners and not to be so steriotypical, not to mention not being so narrow minded and stuck up!

I can honestly say, i had neversaid a bad word about St. Bernards untill today.

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I have just read some more comments about st josephs and st bernards, well let me tell you something, money does,nt come into the fact that posh kids go to st bernards and low class families go to st josephs. i am sick of all the press coverage and silly websites that st bernards have made about st josephs. go on to facebook and click on groups and have a read. as it is all blowing out of proportion its about time it stopped and we all join forces to keep both schools open and not make out that the two schools are different, my son goes to st josephs and he does great we have a low income, but money should,nt be an issue, the parents of st bernards need to stop and think that yeah they are a grammer school and st josephs is a secondary school so what, they take the same exams. so no wonder the kids are being the way they are if their parents think that their children are better than st josephs

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as a pupil of st joes i am absolutely outraged by the fact that st bernards, people who are supposed to be our friends, have done such things as put a group against us on facebook slagging us off. they call it, " merge with st. joe's? f*** off".

i find that apalling and im very offended by them calling us st joes pupils, "thick" and "commoners". i thought in the catholic community we were all supposed to get on together? thats why the diocese thought it would be a good idea for us to merge.

any one who believes that we shouldnt merge together is selfish because we need to have a new school and new facilities, both schools do. and saying that you dont want the schools to merge is out of order because if we dont then neither school is gonna get enough funding to help the schools.

and if we were delinquents, then why would we have worked soo hard to get SPECIALIST ARTS COLLEGE status, eh ? so dont be saying that st.bernards will lose their good little reputation cause of us st joes.

Also to find out that now their is a petition against it all is shocking. i think that all the people signing that petition and the people that started it , should grow up!

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I currently go to St. Jospehs and i have to say, after looking at that facebook profile, i would feel rather nervous setting foot in St.Bernards. How dare they be so judgemental towards us ! I am outraged that pupils that are supposed to come from a catholic school could write such things about pupils from a school which is supposed to be partnered with theirs. I do NOT apreciate being called a "St. Joes Hoe".

"why would st bernard's want to let thick people in???? I mean i like a St Joe's Ho just as much as the next man...but sharing a class with them......thats unacceptable."

"Is it not like joining Oxford University with the Early Learning Centre?"

I have to say, i also do not take very well to being called "thick". St. Jospephs ,my not have the outstanding results that St. Bernards have, but at least at St. Josephs we are taught manners and not to be so steriotypical, not to mention not being so narrow minded and stuck up!

I can honestly say, i had neversaid a bad word about St. Bernards untill today.

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I currently go to st josephs and i am very disappointed in some of the facebook comments i have read, just because we did not pass our 11+ does not mean we are thick. I can not believe that St Bernards have said all of those horrible things on facebook, its really unappropiate. \r\n\r\nSt Bernards if you really have a problem with us, why are some of you our friends? You talk to us on msn, facebook, bebo, and my space but yet you seem to have all these nasty things to say about us? How fake is that? \r\n\r\nSt Bernards SOME of you may be cleverer than us but least at St Josephs we learn manners and how to behave when it comes to serious matters.\r\n\r\nSt Bernards Parents please look at facebook and see what nasty things your child has said about us. Even though your child may not have written anything, this is probably what they are saying in school among their friends.\r\n

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I currently go to st josephs and i am very disappointed in some of the facebook comments i have read, just because we did not pass our 11+ does not mean we are thick. I can not believe that St Bernards have said all of those horrible things on facebook, its really unappropiate.

St Bernards if you really have a problem with us, why are some of you our friends? You talk to us on msn, facebook, bebo, and my space but yet you seem to have all these nasty things to say about us? How fake is that?

St Bernards SOME of you may be cleverer than us but least at St Josephs we learn manners and how to behave when it comes to serious matters.

St Bernards Parents please look at facebook and see what nasty things your child has said about us. Even though your child may not have written anything, this is probably what they are saying in school among their friends.

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After Reading The Comments From St Bernards And St Josephs Pupils And Parents, I Thought I Would Just Say That St Bernards Might Be The School For The More Clever Children, But St Josephs Is The School For The Children Who Want A Good Catholic Upbringing. \r\n\r\nI Mean, All You Parents Who Have A Kid In Year 6 That Is Thinking About What School He/She Wants To Go To, You Can See From All These Comments What St Bernards Is Like. They Call Themselves A Catholic School, But All These Comments On This Forum Aint Religous, They Are Spiteful And Bitter And I Am Actually Very Pleased I Will Have Left By The Time They Join (If They Do). I Mean, This Is What They Turn Out Like, Well They Aint Had A Good ctholic Upbring In There School Life Have They?!!!\r\n\r\n

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as a pupil of st joes i am absolutely outraged by the fact that st bernards, people who are supposed to be our friends, have done such things as put a group against us on facebook slagging us off. they call it, " merge with st. joe's? f*** off".

i find that apalling and im very offended by them calling us st joes pupils, "thick" and "commoners". i thought in the catholic community we were all supposed to get on together? thats why the diocese thought it would be a good idea for us to merge.

any one who believes that we shouldnt merge together is selfish because we need to have a new school and new facilities, both schools do. and saying that you dont want the schools to merge is out of order because if we dont then neither school is gonna get enough funding to help the schools.

and if we were delinquents, then why would we have worked soo hard to get SPECIALIST ARTS COLLEGE status, eh ? so dont be saying that st.bernards will lose their good little reputation cause of us st joes.

Also to find out that now their is a petition against it all is shocking. i think that all the people signing that petition and the people that started it , should grow up!

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I currently go to St. Jospehs and i have to say, after looking at that facebook profile, i would feel rather nervous setting foot in St.Bernards. How dare they be so judgemental towards us ! I am outraged that pupils that are supposed to come from a catholic school could write such things about pupils from a school which is supposed to be partnered with theirs. I do NOT apreciate being called a "St. Joes Hoe".

"why would st bernard's want to let thick people in???? I mean i like a St Joe's Ho just as much as the next man...but sharing a class with them......thats unacceptable."

"Is it not like joining Oxford University with the Early Learning Centre?"

I have to say, i also do not take very well to being called "thick". St. Jospephs ,my not have the outstanding results that St. Bernards have, but at least at St. Josephs we are taught manners and not to be so steriotypical, not to mention not being so narrow minded and stuck up!

I can honestly say, i had neversaid a bad word about St. Bernards untill today.

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as a pupil of st joes i am absolutely outraged by the fact that st bernards, people who are supposed to be our friends, have done such things as put a group against us on facebook slagging us off. they call it, " merge with st. joe's? f*** off".

i find that apalling and im very offended by them calling us st joes pupils, "thick" and "commoners". i thought in the catholic community we were all supposed to get on together? thats why the diocese thought it would be a good idea for us to merge.

any one who believes that we shouldnt merge together is selfish because we need to have a new school and new facilities, both schools do. and saying that you dont want the schools to merge is out of order because if we dont then neither school is gonna get enough funding to help the schools.

and if we were delinquents, then why would we have worked soo hard to get SPECIALIST ARTS COLLEGE status, eh ? so dont be saying that st.bernards will lose their good little reputation cause of us st joes.

Also to find out that now their is a petition against it all is shocking. i think that all the people signing that petition and the people that started it , should grow up!

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Seriously. I cant belive how stuck up some of these St B's people are. Just because you passed a little test when you was 11. I really didnt have a probelm merging, but after seeing all these rude comments my feelings have changed, ALOT! People in St Joes get just as good results as the people in St B's. And trust me i'd choose St Joes over St B's anyday. So annoyed at that facebook page. You all need to grow up and keep your comments to yourself. Oh and we aint thick, get a life. And its funny how you hide behind your computer screens and write all that stuff about us. Pathetic.

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I currently go to St. Jospehs and i have to say, after looking at that facebook profile, i would feel rather nervous setting foot in St.Bernards. How dare they be so judgemental towards us ! I am outraged that pupils that are supposed to come from a catholic school could write such things about pupils from a school which is supposed to be partnered with theirs. I do NOT apreciate being called a "St. Joes Hoe".

"why would st bernard's want to let thick people in???? I mean i like a St Joe's Ho just as much as the next man...but sharing a class with them......thats unacceptable."

"Is it not like joining Oxford University with the Early Learning Centre?"

I have to say, i also do not take very well to being called "thick". St. Jospephs ,my not have the outstanding results that St. Bernards have, but at least at St. Josephs we are taught manners and not to be so steriotypical, not to mention not being so narrow minded and stuck up!

I can honestly say, i had neversaid a bad word about St. Bernards untill today.

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