STM Whole School Prospectus 2021-22

OUR ETHOS
MESSAGE FROM THE
HEADTEACHER
“INVESTING
IN YOUNG
PEOPLE
INVESTING
IN THE
FUTURE”
AfterayearandahalfofCOVID-19driventurbulence,
2021-2022ishopefulygoingtobeamorenormalyear.The
guidancefrom theDepartmentofEducationforopening
schoolsthisSeptembersays:AsCOVID-19becomesavirus
thatwelearntolivewith,thereisnowanimperativetoreduce
thedisruption to children and youngpeople’seducation.
Signalyakeenfocusongetingschoolsbacktorunningasthey
didbeforethepandemic.Wearesetupsothatthingscanflex,
ifrequired,from thenormalschooltotheverydiferent
COVIDschoolweranlastyear.Bythetime2022-2023comes
around,hopefulywewilhavelearnttolivewiththevirusand
wilbe,esentialy,backtonormal.
Therearemanydiferentthingsthatwe,asacommunity,wantfrom ourschool:wewantourchildrentobe
succesfulacademicaly;wewantthem todevelopgoodmoralatitudes;indeed,wewantthem tofulfiltheir
potentialinmanydiferentways.
HereinStThomasMoreCatholicSchool,weaim togiveourpupilsthebestposiblechanceofdoingthis.In
theschool’smostrecentOFSTED inspection,inwhichwewereagaingradedOutstanding,theopening
sentencesread:“StThomasMoreSchoolprovidespupilswithhighqualityeducation,linkingoutstanding
academicachievementtosplendidpersonaldevelopment.AnexceptionalystrongChristianethospervades
theschool”(October2013).
ThissuccesisduefirstandforemosttothestrongChristianethoswhichpervadesourschool,bindingpeople
togetherandencouragingeveryonetogivetheirbest,andtostriveforexcelence,withinanorderedand
disciplinedatmosphere.ItwasparticularlyrewardingtohavethisaspectoftheschoolgradedOutstandingby
theDiocesaninspectors.
4
Wehavealongtraditionofexcelentexaminationresultsgoingbackmanyyears,however,thecancelationof
theexaminationseriesofSummer2020andSummer2021makeayearonyearcomparisonimposible.What
itisfairtosayisthatourpupilsinYears11and13workedincrediblyhardlastsummerandwere,therefore,
awardedexcelentresults.Asaschoolweputinplacesystemsthatwererobustandhadintegritywhich
producedoutcomesthatreflectedtheatitudeandatainmentofthepupils.Ifwewanttogetahandleon
resultsaprosaicbutposiblymorereliablewaytolookatoutcomesistoconsiderwherethepupilsgonext.
InInYear11theoverwhelmingmajoritygointothesixthform orontoanapprenticeship.OurYear13pupilshave
anexcelentrecordofuniversityentrance,withmostachievingtheirfirstchoice,apprenticeshipsandentering
theworldofwork.Oneofourkeyaimsisthatpupilsarereadyforthenextphaseintheirlivesandweare
justifiablyveryproudofourrecordinthis.