Our School
St Thomas More Catholic Academy was established 50 years ago and our strength lies in the positive relationships that exist within our Academy and with our local and Catholic community.
We work very closely with all our partner primary schools to ensure the smooth transition to high school for all our students. Furthermore, we consider it important to get to know the families of our pupils, so we can work together for the benefit of every child placed in our care. The school values the excellent support it receives from parents and carers.
We are an academy of over 1000 students which is part of the All Saints Catholic Collegiate. We also collaborate with two other Catholic secondary schools to provide a Catholic sixth form provision in Stoke and North Staffordshire (Trinity). Students thrive here from Years 7 to 13, as we work hard to provide a seamless transition from Foundation Stage to Sixth form and share teaching best practice across the board.
We are very proud of our Ofsted inspection outcome in October 2022 which rated the Academy as a Good school in every category, including sixth form. With record numbers of students attending the Sixth Form, Ofsted recognised that ‘Sixth form students achieve well and contribute with enthusiasm to school life.’ This has been demonstrated by an increase in the number of students obtaining places at Oxford University and other top Russell Group destinations. Year 11 students welcome the opportunity to continue their education post-16, with the excellent career’s guidance and continued support from the staff at St Thomas More. ‘Pupils are happy and safe at St Thomas More Catholic Academy because staff provide them with excellent care. Staff make time for pupils’ welfare and no problem is too great.’ Ofsted.
Our state-of-the-art facilities are superb following a £7 million refurbishment in 2013 and since then investment has continued during summer 2018, with the addition of a new floodlit 3G sports facility. These are coupled with a good range of extra-curricular activities which enable our students to develop essential skills such as leadership, decision making, teamwork and their own self confidence which translate into the classroom and beyond.
As a result many of our students achieve outstanding results and many progress to top UK universities, and as an Academy our goal is to be graded Ofsted ‘outstanding’ and to become the best school in the City and beyond.
However, we are not purely about academic success. Our aim is always to help our students be the best people they can be while achieving the best they can and to celebrate the growth and achievement of the whole person, and as such we welcome students of all faiths to choose us for their learning journey.
These are fantastic reports that recognises the excellent, academic and inclusive education we offer together with our strong focus on pastoral care. The report states: “Students demonstrate a strong understanding and sense of belonging to this inclusive Catholic community enriched by its ethnic diversity and the high quality of relationships between staff and students. These are underpinned by its powerful pastoral provision embedded in Gospel values. Students are active in their commitment to the academy’s mission, ‘Aspire to be more’, which is evident in their engagement with a wide range of charities and initiatives linked to the demands of Catholic Social Teaching.”