According to the Daily Mail (I feel grubby after reading the ‘news’ on that nasty little site) his dad was a bus driver and:
In this particular year, the school had 418 boys, of whom 233 boarded. Most fees were paid by parents — many working for the military or in business abroad. But it adds: 'All told, there are 75 boarders and 61 day boys assisted by local education authorities.'
Of these, eight boarders were funded by the Conservative-controlled Norfolk LEA, which served Great Yarmouth.
The inspection report explained: 'Catholic boys allocated to grammar schools can take up aided places at St Joseph's.'
Former St Joseph's history teacher Michael Thuell, 77, explains further: 'If there was no Catholic grammar school in your area and … if you were Catholic and passed the 11-plus, you were sent to St Joseph's on a Local Education Authority grant.'