History 1965 -66

St John Fisher Secondary School was one of four Roman Catholic Secondary Schools to be opened in the Borough of Preston in the late 1950s/ early 1960s. Blessed John Southworth School was the first and Blessed Edmund Campion was at the building stage when, in 1959, it was decided to provide two additional schools: St. Thomas More School (a five-form entry) and St. John Fisher School (a four-form entry), both of which received their first pupils in September 1965

Monsignor B. K. O'Neill declared at the time, "The whole community of Preston can be proud of the ambitious programme which has been achieved by the Roman Catholic community. This fourth opening of a Roman Catholic Secondary School sets a seal on the united efforts of both the Church and the Local Education Authority"

The School Badge

The design of the St John Fisher School crest is derived from two coats of arms: that of St John Fisher himself, and that of the See ( Diocese) of Rochester, of which John Fisher was Bishop at the time of his martyrdom.

St John Fisher’s coat of arms were blue and gold, and the devices of the “fish” and an “ear” of corn were a visual pun on his name.

The coat of arms of the Diocese of Rochester featured the red cross of St Andrew - the patron saint of the diocese - on a silver cutcheon. On the cross, in gold, was a scallop shell - a reminder of the oyster beds at Whitstable, a town in the diocese famous in Medieval times.

So, the school crest takes one colour from each of these coats of arms and combines the various emblems.

The School Motto "Veritas et Justitia"

This latin motto means “For Truth and Justice” and echoes the aims of Christian scholarship.

At the time of opening, the building of the school had cost £291, 591 with furnishings and equipment costing a further £35,386.

Craft blocks were popular architectural features of new schools in the 1960s and St John Fisher's was no exception.

The specialist rooms available for craftwork and allied studies were as follows:

Rural Science (not yet built)

General Science (was being taught in what was termed "the large lecture hall", which became in turn a fifth year common room, music room, geography room and later a sandwich bar)

Technical Drawing (fully equipped)

Metal Work (not yet completed)

General Purpose Workshop

Woodwork (fully equipped)

Interestingly, the school opened without a Boys PE Teacher. Despite boasting one of the largest gymnasiums in the country at the time the post had remained unfilled. The advert for the post in the LEP makes for interesting reading.

Pupils wishing to go on to further study beyond 5th year opted for The Harris College, Winckley or Larkhill Convents (girls) , Catholic College (boys) and Preston 6th Form College, later Tuson College.

Over the course of these early years there was much activity on site - with equipment and fittings being delivered on a regular basis. The staff thus worked hard to create cohesion and a sense of community. Lots of extra curricular activities were offered to pupils and vocational training was an integral part of school life.

Teething Troubles

In addition to the bout of enteritis, the new school suffered a serious heating problem - making the winter months particularly uncomfortable. The school also had to cope with a number of break ins and thefts. The first occurred on September 7th when copper tubing was removed from the school kitchen. Two youths who had been employed on the ongoing building works on site eventually confessed to the crime.

The following January, cleaners reported a distinct whiff of fish and chips emanating from the Upper Domestic Science rooms. Despite all staff being questioned the mystery of who had gained access to cook their lunch remained unsolved.

January 1966

Mr Mark Jolly took up his post as Boys PE Teacher.

Trips to a variety of Preston employers were scheduled: Tulketh Mill, Ribble Leather, Swallow Hosiery, AEI Lamps, SPD Frozen Foods, Blackburn Engineers, EH Booths, Lancashire Evening Post, Harrison's Bakery, Ribble Motors and Marks & Spencers.

February 1966

Chess Club opened

Staff v Pupils table tennis match (staff won 5-1)

Preston Cross Country Championships won by Tony Bruce (4S)

Brass Band begins practising

Mr Kilshaw takes group of boys to Lakeside House, Keswick.

March 1966

Lenten Raffle begins

Vocations Week with visits from the White Fathers and Sisters

The Mayor takes a tour of the school

Miss Wallbank takes 45 pupils to Lakeside House

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme started in school

National Library Week

Interviews held for Head of Science and English

Year 4 Theatre trips to "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Nights Dream"

Years 2 and 3 visit Manchester Science Fair

Grand Raffle Draw raises £30.4-7d for Bishop's Fund.

April 1966

Easter Leavers Depart for a 1 week trip to Amersham

May 1966

Music Festival involving 92 pupils

Sister Bernard's Silver Jubilee - Bishop says mass

All pupils on trip to Chester Zoo

June 1966

Year 1 Trip to Ribchester

July 1966

Feast of Saint John Fisher: Mass in school then pupils holiday for the rest of the day whilst staff head to Morecambe for afternoon out and dinner.

Dance competition in school

Leavers' Mass and Breakfast

Staff v Pupils Table Tennis Competition. (Pupils win 3-1)

Lawrence Pickering (pictured) wins a new bike.

August 1966

New Head of Science Appointed : Mr Matthew Noblett

New Head of English Appointed: Mr Anthony Kerr