Mission
School Mission Statement:
'Our Maricourt family, with Christ at the centre, is a community of welcome, compassion and respect in which we are encouraged to discover our true purpose and empowered to achieve the extraordinary so as to be the change we want to see in our world.'
Welcome to Maricourt Catholic High School. Our school was founded in 1957 under the trusteeship of the Sisters of Mercy. Our Catholic ethos permeates all aspects of our school life, making Maricourt an inclusive community in which each individual can flourish. Our Catholic ethos and the Sisters of Mercy charism is at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on living out our mission statement of welcome, respect and compassion. We are a school steeped in history with an exciting future ahead.
We are passionate about fostering the holistic development of each pupil. At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to ensuring that each young person feels safe, secure and has an awareness of the valuable part that they play in our school community. Not only do we provide excellent academic opportunities, but our dedicated team of staff and governors ensure that we offer outstanding pastoral and spiritual support. We are always mindful of the words of our founder, Catherine McAuley, "Resolve to be good today and better tomorrow." We constantly strive for this through our strong relationships between parents/carers, staff and students, which are at the heart of our Catholic community.
From the moment you walk through our doors you will feel a sense of belonging. Our strong links with our partner primary schools and embedded induction programme will make the transition from primary school to secondary school seamless. We have the same aspirations for every student and we want them all to be successful, positive and resilient and play active and purposeful roles, both within and beyond our school and local communities. If you share our ambitions, then we would love you to come and join us. This really is a special place to be.
"I loved Maricourt for its family feeling and the constant support that I got from the staff, as well as the amazing friends I made along the way!" Pupil Voice 2020
"The pastoral support for pupils is highly effective. For example, leaders successfully ensure that pupils experience a positive transition from primary school in terms of their pastoral care." Ofsted
History of Maricourt Catholic High School
Maricourt Catholic High School was founded by the Sisters of Mercy on 12th September 1957 under the title of Mater Misericordiae
High School with Sister Mary Magdalen as the first head, a position she held for 32 years.
It opened in the convent parlour with only 16 eleven year old girls, but they moved to the first small section of the school in January 1958. This was formally blessed by Cardinal Heenan on 8th March.
Because of the interest taken in it by the Bootle Education Committee, it rapidly grew in building and numbers and became a voluntary aided Grammar School in September 1964, maintained by the Bootle Authority.
The Government, however, favoured Comprehensive education and so, in November 1967, the Archbishop of Liverpool, Dr. Andrew Beck, approached the Sisters to see if they would take over a nearby Catholic Secondary Modern School named St.Pauls and annex it to their building as a Co-educational Comprehensive.
This they agreed to do and, in September 1968, the first Co-educational Comprehensive School in the Archdiocese opened under the new title of Maricourt Comprehensive with Sister Mary Magdalen still as Headmistress. She retired at Christmas 1989 and was followed by Sister Mary Teresa who led the school until 2007. Mr McLoughlin led the school for the next 12 years and following his retirement in 2019, Mr Mangan became the new Headteacher.
History of the Institute of Our Lady of Mercy
In September 1827 Catherine McAuley established a 'House of Mercy' in Baggot Street, Dublin, Ireland. There she and several
companions provided food, clothing, housing and education for many of Dublin's poor women and young girls. In 1831, with the approval of Archbishop Daniel Murray, she and her first companions founded the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy, the house in Baggot Street serving as its first convent.
Over the next ten years, as new co-workers presented themselves, thirteen other convents, two of them in England, were established. Invitations to found further convents were by now reaching Baggot Street from many parts of the world.
Catherine died a holy death on 11th November 1841. Within a few decades her congregation had spread worldwide. It is still one of the largest congregations of women religious in the church.
On 9th April 1990, by decree of Pope John Paul II, Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, was declared Venerable, in recognition of her holy life, her love of God and her merciful work among the poor. This is a major step in naming her a Saint.
Prayer for the Beatification of Venerable Catherine McAuley
Loving God you chose Catherine McAuley for the service of your people who are poor, sick and uneducated. You inspired her to found the Sisters of Mercy so that these good works might endure.
Give to each of us a portion of her compassionate spirit and an ardent desire to serve your suffering people.
Graciously hear our prayers for Catherine and by granting the favours we ask through her intercession, hasten the day when her sanctity will be celebrated by all the Church. Amen.