Thomas Becket Catholic School Explained

Thomas Becket Catholic School
Coordinates:52.2701°N -0.8619°W
Mapframe-Zoom:11
Motto:Christ's Love is Our Foundation
Address:Becket Way
Country:England
Postcode:NN3 6HT
Trust:OLICAT[1]
Head Label:Headteacher
Head:Paul McCahill
Chair Label:Chair
Chair:Chris Atkin
Enrolment:840
Lower Age:11
Upper Age:18
Ofsted:yes
Dfeno:928/4703
Urn:142747
Website:www.thomasbecket.org.uk

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

History

The school was founded as Thomas Becket Roman Catholic Upper School; under construction through 1974[2] and 1975,[3] it had opened by March 1976.[4] It was named after Thomas Becket, 12th-century Archbishop of Canterbury. After Northamptonshire County Council, the local education authority, reverted from the three-tier system (13+ entry age) to the two-tier system (11+ entry), the school was renamed to Thomas Becket Catholic School.[5] [6]

In 2004, following the reversion to the two-tier system and the resulting increase in student numbers, 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.[7] 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among local residents.[8] Following co-ordinated action by local residents, the planning permission application was withdrawn by the sponsor PlayFootball at the end of 2008.[9]

In September 2008, Thomas Becket Catholic School became a Specialist Sports College.[10] [11] The Specialist Schools Programme ended in 2010 after a change in the national government.[12]

Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Northamptonshire County Council,[13] in April 2016 Thomas Becket Catholic School converted to an academy under the St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Academies Trust,[14] which via mergers became Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust (OLICAT), a multi-academy trust that also runs other Catholic schools in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. The school continues to be under the guidance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton.

, Thomas Becket Catholic School is the only Catholic secondary school in the county.[15]

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.[16] Its GCSE performance trend rose above local and national averages to 52% in 2002 before falling to 42% in 2003.[17] 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,[18] 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.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Our Schools. Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust. 7 March 2021. 22 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210122172944/https://www.olicatschools.org/ourschools. live.
  2. Northampton Development Corporation. Reports of the Development Corporations 31st March, 1974. House of Commons Sessional Papers. 13. 30 July 1974. London. H.M. Stationery Office. subscription. 7 March 2021. 241. At Thomas Becket Catholic School for Roman Catholics, construction is well advanced..
  3. Northampton Development Corporation. Reports of the Development Corporations 31st March, 1975. House of Commons Sessional Papers. 27. 13 October 1975. London. H.M. Stationery Office. subscription. 7 March 2021. 229. Also under construction are Thomas Becket Roman Catholic Upper School which will provide 630 places, and Spinney Hill Upper School, which is intended to be the major girls' school in the town.
  4. Northampton Development Corporation. Reports of the Development Corporations 31st March, 1976. House of Commons Sessional Papers. 36. 5 August 1976. 219. H.M. Stationery Office. London. subscription. 7 March 2021. Nearly 1,500 additional school places were provided by the completion of Thomas Becket Roman Catholic Upper School and All Saints and Parklands Middle Schools..
  5. Web site: Thomas Becket RC Upper School, Northampton, Northamptonshire. AXCIS Education Recruitment. 23 July 2008. 30 August 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080830064113/http://www.axcis.co.uk/45427.html. dead.
  6. Web site: Brief History . Information for schools . 23 July 2008 . Northampton County Council. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928003645/http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Learning/Services/NTLP/brief_history.htm . 28 September 2007 .
  7. Web site: Development Control Committee – Northamptonshire County Council. Northamptonshire County Council. (HTML version on Google – Development Control Committee – Northampton County Council. Retrieved 23 July 2008)
  8. Web site: Booze sale plan for school site. 28 July 2008. Chronicle & Echo. 2 August 2008.
  9. News: Disappointment as firm pulls out of school project. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054959/https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/disappointment_as_firm_pulls_out_of_school_project_1_946998. 4 March 2016. Chronicle & Echo. 17 December 2008. Johnston Publishing.
  10. Web site: Youth Sport Trust welcomes new Sports Colleges – SkillsActive. https://web.archive.org/web/20111004145332/http://www.skillsactive.com/news/1246_youth_sport_trust_welcomes_new_sports_colleges. 4 October 2011.
  11. Web site: Inspection Report of Denominational Character and Religious Education – Thomas Becket Voluntary Aided Catholic School. https://web.archive.org/web/20150812171146/http://www.nores.org.uk/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Xkx6yJFvUAE%3D&tabid=172. 12 August 2015. live. Northampton Religious Education Service. 12 August 2015.
  12. Web site: Paton. Graeme. Coalition to scrap specialist schools funding. The Telegraph. 31 May 2016. 19 October 2010.
  13. Web site: Tables of findings in the three local authorities 3. 9 April 2008. Department for Children, Schools and Families. 15 July 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110520145304/http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode/pdf/Tables%20of%20findings%20in%20the%20three%20local%20authorities%203.pdf. 20 May 2011.
  14. Web site: Thomas Becket Catholic School - Local Offer. 23 December 2020. 8 March 2021. https://archive.today/20210308223034/https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/children-families-education/SEND/local-offer/schools-and-education-providers/289-thomas-becket-catholic-school. Northamptonshire County Council.
  15. Web site: Thomas Becket Catholic School - Inspection Report. 26 March 2007. March 2007 Inspection Report. Ofsted. 7 March 2021. 7 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210307170655/https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/850343. live.
  16. Web site: Secondary School (Key Stage 3) Achievement and Attainment Tables 2007. https://archive.today/20120826014032/http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_07.pl?No=9284703&Mode=Z&Type=SC&Phase=k&Year=07&Base=a&Num=928. dead. 2012-08-26. 26 April 2008. Department for Children, Schools and Families.
  17. News: BBC NEWS Education League tables. 26 April 2008. . 2 November 2004.
  18. News: A-levels: Thomas Becket Catholic School – Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 15 August 2008. Chronicle & Echo. Johnston Publishing. 21 August 2008.
  19. News: GCSE 2008. 22 August 2008. Results Round-up. Chronicle & Echo. Johnston Publishing. 3.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Thomas Becket Catholic School".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.