OFSTED visited Thomas Becket Catholic School on Wednesday 18th May and we are delighted that they judged that we are taking effective action towards the school becoming a good school.

Please see below a letter from Mr Paul McCahill in response to the Monitoring Visit feedback, which you can read in full below. 

OFSTED recognise the impact of the work we are doing to rapidly improve Thomas Becket Catholic School and I am delighted that we were able to showcase all the good work that is taking place. As Headteacher I am so excited and proud to be moving our school forward at pace on our #MissiontoExcellence journey. Please see below some main findings of the report:

• Each senior leader understands their area of responsibility. Senior leaders work together closely to identify exactly what needs to get better. 
• Leaders have consistent expectations about how teachers should deliver curriculum. Teachers follow agreed classroom routines closely so that pupils know what to expect.
• The newly created inclusion team provides a more consistent approach to pastoral support than previously. This team considers a wide range of information if they think a pupil needs extra support. Staff know what to do if they have a concern that a pupil is at risk of potential harm. Leaders act swiftly in response to these concerns to keep pupils safe.
• Pupils know how they are expected to behave. Fewer lessons are disrupted by poor behaviour than in the past. Pupils appreciate being rewarded for their positive conduct, for example with a golden ticket.
• Pupils know about the different pathways they can follow to support their career aspirations. Work to improve the post-16 life-skills programme is progressing well. The programme helps students prepare to live independently.
• Those responsible for governance are well-informed about the school’s key development priorities. They have taken decisive action to appoint new leaders and increase leadership capacity.

I would like to thank staff, pupils, and yourselves for supporting the vision and values of Thomas Becket since I joined the school in January 2022. Rest assured, we are not resting on our laurels or being complacent. We know we still have work to do to ensure we provide a truly exceptional education for our young people but as Ofsted recognise, we are taking the right steps to make this happen.

Further information regarding the Monitoring Visit can be found here