History of the School
Brief History of The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School was created in 1987 from the amalgamation of St Angela’s and St Michael’s schools.
St Michael’s had begun its existence in 1903 having been founded by The Edmundian Fathers and later the Assumptionist Fathers as an Independent Catholic Boys School in Hitchin as St Michael’s College. In 1968 the School became a State School and moved to new premises in Sandown Road, Stevenage. St Angela’s was founded in 1968 by the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary as a Catholic Girls School. As with St Michael’s (and in line with County Policy) the School was a five form entry school resulting in a school population of approximately 650 pupils and students.
As a result of demographic trends, the Governing Bodies of both schools (with the support of the Diocese of Westminster and the Local Authority) amalgamated both schools to form The John Henry Newman School in 1987. The site of St Angela’s was chosen largely because of its excellent accessibility; the St Michael’s site was sold for housing development and the proceeds returned to the Diocese. In turn, a new science and technology block was constructed on the St Angela’s site and a new chapel donated to the school by the Diocese.
In 1999, further new buildings (the Nash Building named after Barry Nash, first Headteacher of The John Henry Newman School) were constructed to enable The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School to expand its intake. The School has continued to grow and currently has approximately 1600 pupils and students (with over 400 in the Sixth Form). In order to respond to this demand and continue to best meet the needs of our students, the school campus has undergone significant renewal and improvement. We opened the Kelly Block in honour former Headteacher Mr Michael Kelly (1993-2012) in 2022 and we opened the Mathew Block, in honour of recently retired Headteacher Mr Clive Mathew (2012-2023) in 2024.
The School is popular and highly over subscribed, achieving outstanding exam results and is acknowledged by the Department for Education as being one of the most successful in the country.
