Ratcliffe College

Ratcliffe College
Location
Map
, ,
LE7 4SG

Coordinates52°43′46″N 1°04′33″W / 52.7294°N 1.0758°W / 52.7294; -1.0758
Information
TypePublic school
Private day and boarding
MottoLegis Plenitudo Charitas
(Charity is the fulfilment of the law)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic (Rosminians)
Established1845; 179 years ago (1845)
FounderBlessed Father Antonio Rosmini-Serbati
Department for Education URN120316 Tables
HeadmasterJonathan Reddin
GenderCoeducational
Age3 to 18
Enrolment920
Colour(s)navy blue  
PublicationThe Ratcliffian
Former pupilsOld Ratcliffians
Websitehttp://www.ratcliffecollege.com/

Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic private boarding and day school near the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, approximately 7 miles (11 km) from Leicester, England. The college, situated in 200 acres (0.81 km2) of parkland on the Fosse Way about six miles (10 km) north of Leicester, was founded on the instructions of Blessed Father Antonio Rosmini-Serbati in 1845 as a seminary. In 1847, the buildings were converted for use as a boarding school for upper-class boys. The college became coeducational under the presidency of Father Tony Baxter in the mid-1970s. As of the 2023-2024 academic years, there were 920 students on roll at Ratcliffe, from ages 3 to 18.[1]

The school buildings were designed by the Victorian Gothic revivalist Augustus Welby Pugin. Pugin, who is associated with Catholic architecture throughout the Midlands and north of England, is also noted for his collaboration with Charles Barry in the reconstruction of the Palace of Westminster. The Square was designed by Charles Francis Hansom, brother of Joseph Hansom, the designer of the Hansom cab. Various building works over the years have contributed to Pugin and Hansom's work, and modern buildings include a "new" gothic refectory (constructed in the early years of the twentieth century) and a Byzantine-style church.

  1. ^ "Teacher of Religious Studies at Ratcliffe College - TES Connect". www.tes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.