St Thomas More Catholic Upper School
Encyclopedia
St Thomas More Catholic Upper School is a Roman Catholic school
located in Bedford
, England
.
The school is located on Tyne Crescent in the Brickhill
area of north Bedford. 'Tommy More' (as the school is affectionately known by staff and pupils) is the only Catholic upper school
in Bedford. The school has no specific catchment area, but attracts students from all over Bedford and the surrounding villages.
, Bedfordshire LEA
decided to implement the three-tier education
system of lower, middle and upper schools in the county. This created a need for a new catholic upper school
in Bedford.
St Thomas More Catholic Upper School was formally opened in 1979 by Baron
ess Shirley Williams (then Secretary of State for Education and Science). The dedication Mass
was conducted by Bishop
Charles Alexander Grant
(then Bishop of Northampton
).
When St Bedes Middle school
closed in 2006, academic years 7 and 8 were transferred to St Thomas More School, along with some of the teaching staff. In July 2008 the school was awarded specialist status in the area of Humanities
, and became a Humanities College
.
The name of the school is derived from St Thomas More
, an elder statesman from the sixteenth century. He is mainly remembered for his principled refusal to accept King Henry VIII
's claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England
, which decision ended his political career and led to his execution as a traitor. He was canonized by the Catholic Church under Pope Pius XI
in 1935, and was later declared the patron saint
of lawyers and statesmen.
. The school is part of a federation of catholic schools in Bedford, under the guidance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton
. The other schools within this federation are St Gregory's RC Middle School
, St Joseph's Lower School, and St John Rigby Lower School.
The school currently achieves the highest levels of improvement by pupils between the ages of 11 and 16 of any state school in Bedfordshire
.
As a Humanities College
, St Thomas More School has a reputation for innovative practice and excellence. English
is the lead department where results in 2007 placed the school in the top two per cent nationally. The schools humanities provision offers a range of courses, including specialist literature
, media
and drama
options. Students' work is regularly displayed locally and has won national awards, with articles being published in The Times
newspaper.
In July 2011, the school become one of the first in the country to be granted teaching school status – a new designation entitling it to lead the training and professional development of staff.
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
located in Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, 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...
.
The school is located on Tyne Crescent in the Brickhill
Brickhill
Brickhill is a civil parish and electoral ward within northern Bedford in Bedfordshire, England.The boundaries of Brickhill are approximately Kimbolton Road to the east, Bedford Park and the old Bedford cemetery to the south, with Cemetery Hill and the Manton Heights Industrial Estate to the...
area of north Bedford. 'Tommy More' (as the school is affectionately known by staff and pupils) is the only Catholic upper school
Upper school
Upper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
in Bedford. The school has no specific catchment area, but attracts students from all over Bedford and the surrounding villages.
History
Following the 1967 Plowden ReportPlowden Report
The Plowden Report is the unofficial name for the 1967 report of the Central Advisory Council For Education into Primary education in England. The report, entitled Children and their Primary Schools reviewed Primary education in a wholesale fashion. The collation of the report took around 3 years...
, Bedfordshire LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
decided to implement the three-tier education
Three-tier education
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
system of lower, middle and upper schools in the county. This created a need for a new catholic upper school
Upper school
Upper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
in Bedford.
St Thomas More Catholic Upper School was formally opened in 1979 by Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
ess Shirley Williams (then Secretary of State for Education and Science). The dedication Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was conducted by Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Charles Alexander Grant
Charles Alexander Grant
Charles Alexander Grant was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Northampton from 1967 to 1982....
(then Bishop of Northampton
Bishop of Northampton
The Bishop of Northampton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton in the Province of Westminster, England.The see is in the town of Northampton where the bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Our Lady and Saint Thomas of Canterbury.The current bishop is the Right...
).
When St Bedes Middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
closed in 2006, academic years 7 and 8 were transferred to St Thomas More School, along with some of the teaching staff. In July 2008 the school was awarded specialist status in the area of Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, and became a Humanities College
Humanities College
Humanities Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, humanities. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Humanities...
.
The name of the school is derived from St Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
, an elder statesman from the sixteenth century. He is mainly remembered for his principled refusal to accept King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, which decision ended his political career and led to his execution as a traitor. He was canonized by the Catholic Church under Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
in 1935, and was later declared the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of lawyers and statesmen.
The school today
St Thomas More Upper School currently serves children aged 13-19 from all over Bedford BoroughBedford (borough)
Bedford is a unitary authority with the status of a borough in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based at Bedford, which is also the county town of Bedfordshire. The borough contains a single urban area, the 69th largest in the United Kingdom that comprises Bedford and...
. The school is part of a federation of catholic schools in Bedford, under the guidance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton
The Diocese of Northampton is one of the 22 Roman Catholic dioceses in England and Wales and a Latin Rite suffragan diocese of Westminster. Its see is in Northampton...
. The other schools within this federation are St Gregory's RC Middle School
St Gregory's RC Middle School
St Gregory's RC Middle School is a Middle school in Biddenham, Bedfordshire, England.-History:The school was originally opened in 1952 as a catholic Secondary Modern School. However following the 1967 Plowden Report, Bedfordshire LEA decided to implement the three-tier education system of lower,...
, St Joseph's Lower School, and St John Rigby Lower School.
The school currently achieves the highest levels of improvement by pupils between the ages of 11 and 16 of any state school in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
As a Humanities College
Humanities College
Humanities Colleges were introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, humanities. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Humanities...
, St Thomas More School has a reputation for innovative practice and excellence. 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.,...
is the lead department where results in 2007 placed the school in the top two per cent nationally. The schools humanities provision offers a range of courses, including specialist literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, media
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
and drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
options. Students' work is regularly displayed locally and has won national awards, with articles being published in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper.
In July 2011, the school become one of the first in the country to be granted teaching school status – a new designation entitling it to lead the training and professional development of staff.
External links
- St Thomas More Catholic Upper School official website
- Diocese of Northampton
- Location of School