St Paul’s Catholic College

St Paul’s R.C. School opened on the 10 September 1963 as a secondary modern school to serve the Mid Sussex area. Derek Grindley, the Headteacher and his 5 full time and 3 part time colleagues taught the 132 students on roll. The school changed its status to become a Catholic comprehensive school in 1973. Around the same time, the County boundaries were changed and Haywards Heath became a West Sussex town, having previously been in East Sussex.

Derek Grindley retired in 1986, replaced by John Flower as the new Headteacher. The Sixth Form which for years had been unofficial and threatened with closure, was finally recognised in 1987. With the continued growth in pupil numbers, it became clear of the need for some additional classrooms and specialist facilities. A successful bid was made to the DfES for funding of about £1.4 million in 1998. However, coinciding with this bid, was the possibility of St Paul’s being offered a green field site in Burgess Hill to rebuild the school.

In September 2004, St Paul’s Catholic College (as it is now known) moved to the new site in Burgess Hill. Forty two years since St Paul’s first opened, there are now over 850 students at the new site with over 70 teachers and 50 support staff.

For more information go to www.stpaulscatholiccollege.co.uk