St Benedict's Catholic School
| St Benedict's Catholic School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Beetons Way , , IP32 6RH England | |
| Coordinates | 52°15′30″N 0°42′07″E / 52.25821°N 0.70199°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | Ora et Labora |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1967 |
| Local authority | Suffolk County Council |
| Trust | Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Trust |
| Department for Education URN | 149285 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Imogen Senior |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 19 |
| Enrolment | c.900 |
| Houses | Caritas, Industria, Patientia, Humanitas |
| Colour(s) | Green, Silver and Black |
| Website | http://www.st-benedicts.suffolk.sch.uk |
St Benedict's Catholic School is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England.[1] Opened in 1967, the school has around 900 students.[2]
St Benedict's was a Mathematics and Computing Specialist School.[3] Whilst the school is based in Bury St. Edmunds, many of its students travel from a wide area, including Haverhill, Thetford, Sudbury, Stowmarket, Newmarket and other surrounding villages and towns, because it is the only Catholic secondary school in the vicinity.
Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Suffolk County Council,[4] in September 2022 St Benedict's Catholic School converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by the Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Trust,[5] and continues to be under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia.
Ofsted
In September 2014, a snap Ofsted inspection (which were introduced after Operation Trojan Horse), was held at the school.[6] Following the inspection, the school's previous rating of good was downgraded to "needs improvement".[7] Inspectors found St Benedict's to be in breach of rules surrounding guarding against extremism and radicalisation, and were failing to prepare students "for life and work in modern Britain".[8] The report was withdrawn within hours,[8] with Ofsted stating that "quality assurance checks" were required.[7][8] In November 2014, the school was one of 11 highlighted by Ofsted as failing to promote British values.[9]
The wording of the report was later revised, with references to extremism and radicalisation removed, but the needs improvement rating was maintained.[10][11] The decision to downgrade the school was criticised both by the Head teacher of the school and the Catholic Education Service.[9] An interim inspection then took place in January 2015, and Ofsted wrote to the school to confirm "the school has made progress in key areas since the inspection."[10] Later that month the school was ranked second in the West Suffolk league table, with Head Teacher Hugh O'Neill stating, "The results vindicate the work we do here. I think you will find that there is a disparity between schools' Ofsted ratings and their position in the league table across the county."[12]
The school was graded as Outstanding or Good in all areas in its most recent Ofsted inspection carried out in September 2016.[13]
Curriculum
The school follows the National Curriculum and offers a range of subjects at GCSE and A-Level. As a Catholic school, Religious Education is taught from that standpoint and is compulsory at GCSE. Sixth form students who study 3 A Levels are obliged to take a course known as "General Religious Education", which involves no examinations or certificates yet is mandatory.
The school offers a sixth form for students over the age of 16, covering Year 12s and Year 13s. The Sixth Form is highly successful and has a strong track record offering a range of 'facilitating' and 'keystone' subjects at A level. The school has enjoyed long-standing success in supporting students with securing places at Oxford and Cambridge universities as well as medicine and dentistry. Around 150 students study in the Sixth Form.[14]
References
- ^ Suffolk County Council school profile. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- ^ Direct Gov School profile. Retrieved 15 May 2009
- ^ Ofsted Profile. Retrieved 15 May 2009
- ^ "St Benedict's Catholic School - GOV.UK". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk.
- ^ "Our Schools - Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Trust".
- ^ "Bury St Edmunds: Why did Ofsted inspectors choose to spot check highly regarded St Benedict's Catholic School?". Emma Brennan. East Anglian Daily Times. 17 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Bury St Edmunds: Ofsted accused of being 'heavy handed' following judgement of St Benedict's School". Mariam Ghaemi. Ipswich Star. 5 October 2014.
- ^ a b c "Catholic school breaches 'Trojan Horse' Ofsted rules". Richard Adams. The Guardian. 3 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Catholics demand apology after Ofsted makes 'unsubstantiated' extremism claim against school". Graeme Paton. The Telegraph. 15 December 2014.
- ^ a b "Inspector's visit puts St Benedict's Catholic School on track to 'reclaim' 'good' Ofsted rating". Matt Reason. East Anglian Daily Times. 13 February 2015.
- ^ "Ofsted backs away from 'British values' claims in Suffolk school row". Richard Adams. The Guardian. 14 November 2014.
- ^ "St Benedict's Catholic School 'vindicated' by high flying league table position after Ofsted rating downgrade". Matt Reason. East Anglian Daily Times. 29 January 2015.
- ^ "St Benedict's Catholic School". Ofsted. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "St Benedict's Catholic School - Sixth Form Brochure 2011/2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2014.
