ST THOMAS MORE RC COLLEGE
General Information
St Thomas More RC College is a Roman Catholic Mixed Comprehensive College for pupils
aged 11 to 16. There are currently 778 pupils on roll.
We are situated in Denton, to the east of Manchester, close to the Derbyshire border. The
college is in Tameside Local Education Authority and the Diocese of Salford. There are
excellent road links to all areas of Greater Manchester and Tameside with nearby access to
the M60 & M67.
The college opened in May 1964 and is an exciting, welcoming and supportive place to
work. There have been ongoing significant new additions to our facilities and resources.
Our LA base to support a small number of pupils on the Autistic Spectrum was opened in
2003. Recent build has included additional classrooms, ICT suites and a Community
Learning Resource area. Following a successful Ofsted inspection we were redesignated a
Maths & Computing College and as a high performing school have a second specialism in
Applied Learning.
We are a happy friendly community in which we strive to live out our Catholic mission and
where each person is able to experience Christian values through their everyday lives
within college.
The college is a popular choice for parents in the local Catholic community with
consistently more applicants than there are places in the college.
89% of pupils in college are baptised Roman Catholics. The college serves the parishes of:
St. Mary's Denton
St. John Fisher Haughton Green
St. Paul's Guide Bridge
St. Anne's Audenshaw
Holy Family Denton
There is a strong primary liaison programme which involves staff working together with
teachers and pupils from feeder primary schools.
The ability of pupils on entry is above the national average. The progress and attainment
of pupils by the end of KS4 is significantly above average for many of the threshold
measures. In 2012, 98% of pupils achieved 5+A*-C with 71% gaining 5+A*-C including
English and Maths. There is a trend of high achievement which regularly places us among
the top performing schools in Tameside.
Curriculum
In KS3 pupils access an entitlement curriculum in line with the National Curriculum plus
the 10% Religious Education as required by the Bishops’ Conference.
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In KS4 60% of the pupils’ time is occupied by core curriculum subjects. Option subjects
make up the remainder.
Over recent years we have developed vocational programmes alongside GCSEs and pupils
can now follow a range of qualifications and courses appropriate to the needs and
aspirations of our students.
In our current specialist subjects, Mathematics has been recognised as outstanding
continuing its position as a leading department within college and beyond.
There is an excellent careers education programme. Throughout the year local
representatives from industry and business contribute to lessons and help pupils develop
their skills through the wide range of experiences offered. We have recently achieved the
Gold IAG award.
Pastoral Care
We have high expectations of all our pupils and great emphasis is placed on high
standards of behaviour, attendance, punctuality and achievement.
Pupils are supported by a caring team of staff that looks after their day to day needs. The
pupils are organised into form groups and each group has a form tutor who is responsible
for the day to day welfare and progress of each child. The pastoral structure in the college
is managed by the Pupil Achievement Leaders supported by a Senior Pupil Achievement
Leader and the SLT. Learning and behaviour support are very well established and a wide
range of strategies are in place to respond to individual pupils’ needs. This has been
recognized in the achievement of the Advanced Inclusion Award.
Community Links
The college works in partnership with parents, parishes and members of the community
and receives strong support from its Governing Body.
Parents and staff work together in the Parent Teacher Association to actively support the
college, also raising funds for any project the college may undertake.
The college has also developed good relationships with business and industrial partners in
the local community. These have been enhanced through our ‘specialist status’ work.
PLEASE SEE THE MOST RECENT INSPECTION REPORT ON THE OFSTED WEBSITE.
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