The Xaverian Story

In harmony, small things grow.

Since 1862, that is exactly what we have done. Xaverian College has been part  of Manchester’s educational life for more than 160 years. Today, around 3,400 students from across Greater Manchester study here, coming from a wide range of backgrounds and going on to ambitious destinations. Most gain places at their first-choice university. Many are the first in their family to do so.

The numbers have grown. The city has changed. But the founding purpose has not: education rooted in faith, service and the development of the whole person.

Our history

1839

The roots of the mission

The story starts in Bruges, Belgium, where Theodore James Ryken founded the Congregation of the Brothers of St Francis Xavier.

His vision was education as service: schools as places where young people are known, challenged and supported, wherever the need was greatest. That same spirit would bring the Xaverian Brothers to Manchester two decades later.

1862

A college is born

The Xaverian Brothers took on the Catholic Collegiate Institute in All Saints, a school close to closure with just seven pupils on its first day under their care. Within a few years it had outgrown its building. From that unlikely start, Xaverian College grew.

1907

A permanent home

The College moved to its current site in Victoria Park. The centrepiece was Firwood, a Victorian property designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the architect behind Manchester Town Hall. Firwood still stands today as the only surviving domestic building by Waterhouse and the heart of College life.

1977

Opening to everyone

Following the reorganisation of Catholic secondary schools in Manchester, Xaverian became a sixth form college for young people aged 16 to 19. For the first time, it welcomed both young men and women, and began the chapter of College life that continues today.

2001

A new chapter of guardianship

Trusteeship of the College passed from the Xaverian Brothers to the Diocese of Salford, ensuring the mission and ethos would continue into a new era.

2007 and 2023

Outstanding, twice over

Xaverian was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2007 and again in 2023, when inspectors praised every single area of the College’s provision. They noted that students benefit from “a warm, welcoming and aspirational culture”, that staff “support students to grow, flourish and achieve”, and that students are proud to be Xaverians. Some things, it turns out, don’t change.

2025

Building for the future

In 2025, the College opened the new Sunbury Building, a purpose-built science facility supporting Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Applied Science and Medical Science. Modern, sustainable and student-focused, it carries the name of a building that has stood on the Xaverian site for over a century. New investment, deep roots.

The Xaverian Legacy

Part of something bigger

Xaverian College is not just part of Manchester. It is part of a global Xaverian family, connected to schools across the United States, Africa and Central America that share the same founding charism and values. What began in Bruges in 1839 continues today on campuses around the world, and in the daily life of this College.

Today

Under the leadership of Principal Tony Knowles, Xaverian continues to grow while staying firmly rooted in what has always made it distinctive: strong relationships, high expectations, and a community that genuinely cares about every student who walks through its doors.

The mission that began in 1862 is still the one we live by.

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