Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Where did our school come from?

From the Irish Potato famine in 1840 - Irish immigration to Leeds gathered pace and many Irish Catholics settled in Leeds. In 1890 – Sacred Heart parish was founded by provost of Leeds Cathedral called Browne. He bought a cottage on the corner of Poplar street and Burley road. Later Jesuits took over and built a church on the site of the old cottage which became the church of the local area, Sacred Heart Church. A small primary school was built to the rear of the church.

In the 1960s, Poplar street, Sacred Heart Church and the school were all demolished. The school was re built in its current location and a new Sacred Heart church was built in the Hyde Park area of Leeds. In the 1990s the diocese sold the Sacred Heart church and it became Leeds Grand Mosque.

The original Sacred Heart Parish Church

The parish of the Sacred Heart was established in 1890 to meet the needs of the local population – many were poor and in need of:

Love

Peace

Comfort

Mercy

First Browne and then the Jesuits were inspired by the Sacred Heart to attempt to meet the needs of the local Catholic population.

The Sacred Heart church is gone – the school lives on and is still to this day inspired to help the community by those values that created it in 1890.

What does the Symbol of the Sacred Heart represent?

Jesus’ Sacred Heart represents the divine love he shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit and the love he has for us.

It also represents his physical human heart, the word made flesh through the Incarnation.