St Thomas More RC
| Motto | Regis Servus Dei Prius |
|---|---|
| Type | Voluntary aided school |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Headteacher | Mr. Jonathan Parkinson |
| Deputy Head | Mr. Paul Wood |
| Chair | Dr AL Gibson |
| Specialism | Technology College |
| Location | Croftdale Road Blaydon-on-Tyne Tyne and Wear NE21 4BQ England |
| Local authority | Gateshead |
| DfE URN | 108413 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Staff | 88 |
| Students | 1516 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–19 |
| Colours | Royal Blue (Years 7 to 11) and Black (Sixth Form) |
| Website | www.stthomasmore.org.uk |
Coordinates: 54°57′40″N 1°43′20″W / 54.96118°N 1.72222°W
St Thomas More RC school is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic secondary school in Blaydon, Tyne and Wear, England, providing teaching to 11 - 19 year olds.
The current headteacher is Jonathan Parkinson, who took over after Michael Zarraga OBE retired in 2005. Its motto is "regis servus dei prius" which translates as, "I am the King's good servant, but God's first". This is a reference to St Thomas More, and his refusal to recognise Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church following the King's split from the Vatican and Catholicism.
The school runs with a headteacher Mr Jonathan Parkinson and deputy heads Mr Paul Wood and Mrs Anita Bath as well as assistant heads Mrs. Barbara Kamali, Mr. Paul Wood, Mr. Michael O'Connor & Mr. Nicholas Wood.
The schools current head boy and head girl are Samuel Walker & Rebecca Callaghan with deputies as Michael Thursby & Chloe Syron.
It is a well-regarded and over-subscribed school, performing well both regionally and nationally. In its last OFSTED inspection (2007) it was described as "an outstanding and inclusive school” and found to be outstanding in all major areas assessed. It is the 7th best school in England.
The school is divided into four houses which every pupil placed into one. Each of the houses are named after saints and are as follows:
- St Bernadette (Mr. Brian Prayle)
- St Therese (Mrs. Deborah Ashdown)
- St John Fisher (Mr. William Burden-Taylor)
- St Catherine Labouré (Mr. Frank Smith)
Note: (Heads of houses)
The houses provide pastoral care for each pupil, as well as being the focus of rivalry during inter-house competitions at the start of the year. During the inter-house competitions the houses compete against one another in activities such as football, basketball, chess and scrabble. Catering at St Thomas More Catholic School is provided by Chartwells.
The majority of pupils eventually proceed to sixth form, ran by Mr. J. Davis and Mrs. M. Storey and then higher education, with a small minority of sixth form leavers achieving places at Oxbridge most years.
As of October 2011, St Thomas More are under construction, building new class rooms and demolishing the History and Geography department. The new layout will be the school all being attached together and a new 5 a side football pitch being built. These changes are hoping to be completed by Summer 2012.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Graham Onions, England and Durham cricketer [1]
- Rhys Quinn Mclaughlin Blaydon RFC [2]
[edit] References
- ^ Graham Onions fact file Retrieved 8 May, 2009
- ^ [1]
