Thomas Becket Catholic School

Thomas Becket Catholic School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.

Thomas Becket Catholic School
Address
Becket Way

Northampton
,
Northamptonshire
,
NN3 6HT

England
Coordinates52.2701°N 0.8619°W / 52.2701; -0.8619
Information
TypeAcademy
MottoA Christian School for Excellence
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1975
Local authorityNorthamptonshire[1]
Department for Education URN142747 Tables
OfstedReports
ChairMrs Gemma Johns[2]
HeadteacherMr Mark McLaughlin
GenderMixed
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1032[3]
PublicationThe Becket Way, Voice
Websitehttp://www.thomasbecket.northants.sch.uk/

History

The school was founded in 1977 and was named after St Thomas Becket. It was known as Thomas Becket RC Upper School when Northamptonshire still operated the three-tier system (13+ entry age) and was renamed to its current name when the LEA reverted to the two-tier system (11+ entry).[4][5]

In 2004, students in Years 7 and 8 had to be located in temporary classrooms on the tennis courts because of the insufficient room in the main building. The school authorities unsuccessfully applied to demolish and rebuild the school. The subsequent application to refurbish and extend the school, however, was accepted.[6]

In September 2008, Thomas Becket Catholic School became a Specialist Sports College.[7][8]

Upon the completion of the refurbishment, the school revealed plans to include a bar in the proposed £2 million sports complex which would have included half-a-dozen artificial turf pitches, a full sized pitch and state-of-the art floodlights, sparking controversy among local residents.[9] Although permission was granted for the development, the plans were withdrawn by the developer at the end of 2008, in part because of the lack of support.[10]

Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Northamptonshire County Council, in April 2016 Thomas Becket Catholic School was converted to academy status. The school continues to be under the guidance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton.

As of 2016 Thomas Becket Catholic School is the only Catholic secondary school in the county.[2]

Education

Most students usually take ten subjects for GCSE, alongside Entry Level Physical Education and PHSE. All pupils must take English (Language and Literature), Double Science, Mathematics, Information Technology, Religious Studies and three other subjects of their choice. A-Level students not taking Religious Studies for A-Level have to take a Level 1 course in it.

The school's KS3 SATs results were over local and national averages in 2007.[11] Its GCSE performance trend rose above local and national averages to 52% in 2002 before falling to 42% in 2003.[12] In 2008, the pass rate in A-Level results rose from 75% to 91%, with a rise from 34.8% to 41% in the proportion of students getting grades A-C,[13] and the proportion of students getting grades A*-C at GCSE level rose to 48.35%, an increase of 11%, with a 5% increase to 34.62% in Maths and English.[14]

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See also

References
  1. "Tables of findings in the three local authorities 3" (PDF). Department for Children, Schools and Families. 9 April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
  2. "Thomas Becket Catholic School". March 2007 Inspection Report. Ofsted. 26 March 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  3. "School Profile". Ofsted. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  4. "Thomas Becket RC Upper School, Northampton, Northamptonshire". AXCIS Education Recruitment. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  5. "Brief History". Information for schools. Northampton County Council. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  6. "Development Control Committee – Northamptonshire County Council". Northamptonshire County Council. (HTML version on Google – Development Control Committee – Northampton County Council. Retrieved 23 July 2008)
  7. "Youth Sport Trust welcomes new Sports Colleges – SkillsActive". Archived from the original on 4 October 2011.
  8. "Inspection Report of Denominational Character and Religious Education – Thomas Becket Voluntary Aided Catholic School". Northampton Religious Education Service. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  9. "Booze sale plan for school site". Chronicle & Echo. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  10. http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/disappointment_as_firm_pulls_out_of_school_project_1_946998
  11. "Secondary School (Key Stage 3) Achievement and Attainment Tables 2007". Department for Children, Schools and Families. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  12. "BBC NEWS Education League tables". BBC. 2 November 2004. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  13. "A-levels: Thomas Becket Catholic School – Northampton Chronicle and Echo". Chronicle & Echo. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  14. "GCSE 2008". Results Round-up. Chronicle & Echo. 22 August 2008. p. 3.
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