Thomas Becket Catholic School
Encyclopedia
Thomas Becket Catholic School is a secondary school
located in Northampton
, Northamptonshire
, England
.
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.
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. Although permission was granted for the development, the plans were withdrawn by the developer at the end of 2008, in part because of the lack of support.
Thomas Becket Catholic School is the only Catholic secondary school in the county.
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.
Thomas Becket is a Specialist Sports College, and also holds Specialist Science status according to Ofsted
.
The school's KS3 SATs results were over local and national averages in 2007. Its GCSE performance trend rose above local and national averages to 52% in 2002 before falling to 42% in 2003. 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, 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.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The school was founded in 1975 and was named after St Thomas Becket. It was known as Thomas Becket RC Upper School until 2004, when Northampton switched back to the two-tier system.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.
Upon the completion of the refurbishment, the school revealed plans to include a bar in the proposed £2 million sports complex
Sports complex
A sports complex is a group of sports facilities. For example, there are stadiums for athletic and football, baseball stadiums, swimming pools, gymnasiums. This area is a sports complex....
which would have included half-a-dozen artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
pitches, a full sized pitch and state-of-the art floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
, sparking controversy among local residents. 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.
Thomas Becket Catholic School is the only Catholic secondary school in the county.
Education
Most students usually take ten subjects for GCSE, alongside Entry LevelEntry Level
Entry Level is the lowest level in the National Qualifications Framework in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Qualifications at this level recognise basic knowledge and skills and the ability to apply learning in everyday situations under direct guidance or supervision...
Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
and PHSE. All pupils must take English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
(Language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
), Double Science
Double Award Science
In the United Kingdom, Double Award Science is the combined study of GCSE biology, chemistry and physics that results in two GCSEs. The double award is not as in-depth as studying the individual sciences, and unfortunately a pupil choosing this subject has fewer subjects to choose from at GCSE...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, Religious Studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
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.
Thomas Becket is a Specialist Sports College, and also holds Specialist Science status according to Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
.
The school's KS3 SATs results were over local and national averages in 2007. Its GCSE performance trend rose above local and national averages to 52% in 2002 before falling to 42% in 2003. 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, 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.
External links
- Official site
- March 2007 Ofsted Report (HTML version on GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
)
See also
- Northampton School for BoysNorthampton School For BoysNorthampton School for Boys is a secondary school in Northampton, England.- Foundation and History :The school was originally founded in 1541 by mayor Thomas Chipsey, as the town's free boys grammar school. In 1557, the school moved to St. Gregory's church, which was adapted for its use...
– the county's boys-only state school. - Northampton School for GirlsNorthampton School For GirlsNorthampton School for Girls is a girls-only comprehensive secondary school in Northampton, England.In 2004, the school gained specialist Music College status, the first school in England to do so, and as a result provides a wide range of musical opportunities for both its students and the local...
– the county's girls-only state school.