St Oscar Romero Catholic School

This article is about the school in West Sussex, England. For other similarly-named schools, see St. Oscar Romero Catholic Secondary School.

St Oscar Romero Catholic School (formerly Chatsmore Catholic High School; formerly Blessed Robert Southwell High School) is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary school located in the Goring-by-Sea area of Worthing, West Sussex, England.

St Oscar Romero Catholic School
Location
Goring Street Goring-by-Sea Worthing , West Sussex , BN12 5AF England
50.81606°N 0.43361°W / 50.81606; -0.43361
Information
Former names	St Mary's Catholic Secondary Modern School (1957—1959) Blessed Robert Southwell Catholic Secondary Modern School (1959—1973) Chatsmore Catholic High School (1973—2020)
Type	Voluntary aided school
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Established	1957 (as St Mary's Catholic Secondary Modern School)
Local authority	West Sussex County Council
Department for Education URN	126096 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Governing chair	Chris Silk
Headteacher	Pete Byrne
Staff	100+
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11 to 18
Enrolment	1072
Colours	Red, Blue, Black, Purple, Green
Website	stromeros.co.uk

It is a voluntary aided school administered by West Sussex County Council and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. The school is named after Archbishop Óscar Romero.

Óscar Romero

Main article: Óscar Romero

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador and became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chávez. He was assassinated on March 24, 1980.

After his assassination, Romero was succeeded by Monsignor Arturo Rivera. In 1997, a cause for beatification and canonisation was opened for Romero, and Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of Servant of God. His canonisation was finalised in 2018. He is considered by some of the unofficial patron saint of the Americas and El Salvador and is often referred to as "San Romero" by Catholics in El Salvador. Outside of Catholicism, Romero is honoured by other religious denominations of Christendom, including the Church of England through the Calendar in Common Worship. He is one of the ten 20th-century martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London, a testament to the respect for him even beyond the Catholic Church. In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 15 Champions of World Democracy by the Europe-based magazine A Different View.

Controversies

In 2008, the school banned the drink Red Bull as it believed that the drink had an adverse effect on the behaviour of the pupils.

In 2019, science teacher Dave Cuthbertson was suspended after telling underage 14-year-old girls to take condoms on a school trip.

In 2026, the school introduced a policy prohibiting pupils from bringing smartphones onto school premises, including Goring-by-Sea railway station. Under the policy, any smartphone found in a pupil's possession could be confiscated by staff and withheld for a period of at least two weeks before being returned.

Notable former pupils

• Brenock O'Connor, actor
• Leo Sayer, singer

Further reading

Dunn, Karen (3 August 2023). "School is planning to make a sixth form".