St Thomas More High School for Boys
Encyclopedia
St Thomas More High School for Boys is a voluntary-aided
Roman Catholic
Mathematics and Computing College
located in Westcliff-on-Sea
, Essex
, England
. It caters for boys between the ages of 11 and 18 but has a mixed sixth form
.
Around 1000 Students were on the roll in September 2007 (including 160 sixth-form students). The majority of pupils come from local Roman Catholic schools but the school does accept pupils from other Christian denominations. The school is located in the Diocese of Brentwood
and the serving bishop
is Rt. Revd. Thomas McMahon
. The school's patron saint is St Thomas More, which is mainly celebrated, annually, on St Thomas More Day.
The school is bounded on two sides by playing fields, belonging to two neighbouring schools, while private housing and a dual carriageway border the other two sides.
offering 30 selective and 115 non-selective places. Various building projects have taken place including a modern sixth-form block, which was completed in 1996.
The school became grant-maintained
on 1 September 1993, and the first sixth-form intake was admitted in September 1996. It was converted to voluntary-aided status in September 1999.
There was an extensive refurbishment project, completed in autumn 2001, which provided the school with a new reception area, extra classrooms, a brand new art department and an advanced music room with individual practice facilities. A new technology block was built in 2003, complete with state-of-the-art facilities.
Former deputy head teacher and Head of RE Chris Danes, an author of best selling textbooks and fiction who has bipolar disorder
and is now a writer and broadcaster, had to resign from the School in 1997 on the grounds of ill health and at the young age of 36. Danes maintains he retired from teaching after becoming dangerously ill in 1997, he believes largely because of the unsympathetic way he was treated at work. He talked candidly and movingly about this on a teacher's channel TV programme on mental health.
Later a former teacher admitted in court to falsifying a reference presented to an employment agency in February 2002, having previously lost his job after stealing from the school.
Following protests by residents, in June 2003 the Council
denied the School permission to install six 13-metre-high floodlights on the hockey
pitch. These were subsequently installed in 2007.
St Thomas More became a specialist
Mathematics and Computing College
in September 2004
Headmaster Frank Keenan was awarded the OBE in 2005.
The school celebrated its 50th anniversary jubilee in July 2011.
inspection the school was rated 'Good' (Point 2 on a four point scale) and an 'Outstanding' rating was given for 16-19 year olds in the 'How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners?' category.
The school regularly competes in the annual UKMT
Regional Maths Challenge.
.
Voluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
Roman Catholic
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...
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing Colleges were introduced in England in 2002 as part of the Government's Specialist Schools Programme which was designed to raise standards in secondary education. Specialist schools focus specifically on their chosen specialism but must also meet the requirements of the...
located in Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea is a suburb of Southend-on-Sea, a seaside resort in the East of England and unitary authority in Essex. It is situated on the northern bank of the Thames Estuary and about 34 miles east of London.-Geography:...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
. It caters for boys between the ages of 11 and 18 but has a mixed sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
.
Around 1000 Students were on the roll in September 2007 (including 160 sixth-form students). The majority of pupils come from local Roman Catholic schools but the school does accept pupils from other Christian denominations. The school is located in the Diocese of Brentwood
Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
and the serving 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...
is Rt. Revd. Thomas McMahon
Thomas McMahon (bishop)
Thomas McMahon is the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Brentwood.-Life:Bishop McMahon grew up in Harlow and attended St. Bede’s Grammar School, Manchester, before training for the priesthood at St. Sulpice, Paris...
. The school's patron saint is St Thomas More, which is mainly celebrated, annually, on St Thomas More Day.
The school is bounded on two sides by playing fields, belonging to two neighbouring schools, while private housing and a dual carriageway border the other two sides.
History
The school opened as a two-form entry school in 1960 with around 100-200 pupils and has progressively expanded. In September 1973 it was extended to become a four-form entry school and its status was changed to a bilateral schoolPartially selective school (England)
In England, a partially selective school is one of a few dozen state-funded secondary schools that select a proportion of their intake by ability or aptitude, permitted as a continuation of arrangements that existed prior to 1997....
offering 30 selective and 115 non-selective places. Various building projects have taken place including a modern sixth-form block, which was completed in 1996.
The school became grant-maintained
Grant-maintained school
Grant-maintained schools were state schools in England and Wales between 1988 and 1998 that had opted out of local government control, being funded directly by a grant from central government...
on 1 September 1993, and the first sixth-form intake was admitted in September 1996. It was converted to voluntary-aided status in September 1999.
There was an extensive refurbishment project, completed in autumn 2001, which provided the school with a new reception area, extra classrooms, a brand new art department and an advanced music room with individual practice facilities. A new technology block was built in 2003, complete with state-of-the-art facilities.
Former deputy head teacher and Head of RE Chris Danes, an author of best selling textbooks and fiction who has bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and is now a writer and broadcaster, had to resign from the School in 1997 on the grounds of ill health and at the young age of 36. Danes maintains he retired from teaching after becoming dangerously ill in 1997, he believes largely because of the unsympathetic way he was treated at work. He talked candidly and movingly about this on a teacher's channel TV programme on mental health.
Later a former teacher admitted in court to falsifying a reference presented to an employment agency in February 2002, having previously lost his job after stealing from the school.
Following protests by residents, in June 2003 the Council
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
denied the School permission to install six 13-metre-high floodlights on the hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
pitch. These were subsequently installed in 2007.
St Thomas More became a specialist
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing Colleges were introduced in England in 2002 as part of the Government's Specialist Schools Programme which was designed to raise standards in secondary education. Specialist schools focus specifically on their chosen specialism but must also meet the requirements of the...
in September 2004
Headmaster Frank Keenan was awarded the OBE in 2005.
The school celebrated its 50th anniversary jubilee in July 2011.
Academic achievements
Pupils enter the school aged 11 with above average standards and their attainment both at age 14 and 16 is above the national average. In the November 2005 OfstedOffice for Standards in Education
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 ....
inspection the school was rated 'Good' (Point 2 on a four point scale) and an 'Outstanding' rating was given for 16-19 year olds in the 'How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners?' category.
The school regularly competes in the annual UKMT
United Kingdom Mathematics Trust
The United Kingdom Mathematics Trust was founded in 1996 to help with the education of children in mathematics within the UK.-History:...
Regional Maths Challenge.
Sport
In November 2006 three pupils were selected for advanced basketball training by England BasketballEngland Basketball
England Basketball is the governing body of the sport of basketball for England. The organisation operates the English Basketball League for both Men and Women, as well as the England national team...
.
Alumni
- Richard McEvoyRichard McEvoyRichard McEvoy is an English professional golfer.McEvoy was born in Shoeburyness, Essex. His amateur wins included the 2001 Lytham Trophy, and the 2001 Irish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship...
, professional golfer - Dominic LittlewoodDominic LittlewoodDominic Littlewood is an English television presenter and journalist.-Biography:Littlewood attended St Thomas More High School for Boys, Westcliff-on-Sea from 1981 to 1986. Littlewood was diagnosed as diabetic in his teenage years, and takes insulin to keep his diabetes under control...
, television presenter - Scroobius PipDan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pipdan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip are a hip-hop duo, combining electronic beats with sung, spoken, and rapped lyrics. The pair are Daniel Stephens , and David Peter Meads...
, Hip Hop artist