St Benedict's Catholic School
St Benedict's Catholic School is a co-educational Roman Catholic state school in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England.[1] Opened in 1967, it is part funded by the Catholic diocese of East Anglia and Suffolk Local Education Authority. The school has around 900 students.[2]
St Benedict's Catholic School | |
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Address | |
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Beetons Way , , IP32 6RH | |
Coordinates | 52°15′30″N 0°42′07″E |
Information | |
Type | Voluntary aided school |
Motto | Ora et Labora |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1967 |
Local authority | Suffolk |
Department for Education URN | 124861 Tables |
Ofsted | Reports |
Headteacher | Mrs Imogen Senior |
Gender | Coeducational |
Age | 11 to 19 |
Enrolment | c.900 |
Houses | Caritas, Industria, Patientia, Humanitas |
Colour(s) | Green, Silver and Black |
Nickname | Bennies |
Website | http://www.st-benedicts.suffolk.sch.uk |
St Benedict's was a Mathematics and Computing Specialist School.[3] Whilst the school is based in Bury St. Edmunds, many of its students travel from a wide area, including Haverhill, Thetford, Sudbury, Stowmarket, Newmarket and other surrounding villages and towns, because it is the only Catholic secondary school in the vicinity.
Ofsted
In September 2014, a snap Ofsted inspection (which were introduced after Operation Trojan Horse), was held at the school.[4] Following the inspection, the school's previous rating of good was downgraded to "needs improvement".[5] Inspectors found St Benedict's to be in breach of rules surrounding guarding against extremism and radicalisation, and were failing to prepare students “for life and work in modern Britain”.[6] The report was withdrawn within hours,[6] with Ofsted stating that "quality assurance checks" were required.[5][6] In November 2014, the school was one of 11 highlighted by Ofsted as failing to promote British values.[7]
The wording of the report was later revised, with references to extremism and radicalisation removed, but the needs improvement rating was maintained.[8][9] The decision to downgrade the school was criticised both by the Head teacher of the school and the Catholic Education Service.[7] An interim inspection then took place in January 2015, and Ofsted wrote to the school to confirm "the school has made progress in key areas since the inspection."[8] Later that month the school was ranked second in the West Suffolk league table, with Head Teacher Hugh O'Neill stating, “The results vindicate the work we do here. I think you will find that there is a disparity between schools’ Ofsted ratings and their position in the league table across the county.”[10]
The school was graded as Outstanding or Good in all areas in its most recent Ofsted inspection carried out in September 2016.[11]
Curriculum
The school follows the National Curriculum and offers a range of subjects at GCSE and A-Level. As a Catholic school, Religious Education is taught from that standpoint and is compulsory at GCSE. Sixth form students are obliged to enrol in a course leading to a certificate in Religious Education.
The school offers a sixth form for students over the age of 16, covering Year 12s and Year 13s. The Sixth Form is highly successful and has a strong track record offering a range of 'facilitating' and 'keystone' subjects at A level. The school has enjoyed long-standing success in supporting students with securing places at Oxford and Cambridge universities as well as medicine and dentistry. Around 150 students study in the Sixth Form.[12]
References
- Suffolk County Council school profile. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- Direct Gov School profile. Retrieved 15 May 2009
- Ofsted Profile. Retrieved 15 May 2009
- "Bury St Edmunds: Why did Ofsted inspectors choose to spot check highly regarded St Benedict's Catholic School?". Emma Brennan. East Anglian Daily Times. 17 September 2014.
- "Bury St Edmunds: Ofsted accused of being 'heavy handed' following judgement of St Benedict's School". Mariam Ghaemi. Ipswich Star. 5 October 2014.
- "Catholic school breaches 'Trojan Horse' Ofsted rules". Richard Adams. The Guardian. 3 October 2014.
- "Catholics demand apology after Ofsted makes 'unsubstantiated' extremism claim against school". Graeme Paton. The Telegraph. 15 December 2014.
- "Inspector's visit puts St Benedict's Catholic School on track to 'reclaim' 'good' Ofsted rating". Matt Reason. East Anglian Daily Times. 13 February 2015.
- "Ofsted backs away from 'British values' claims in Suffolk school row". Richard Adams. The Guardian. 14 November 2014.
- "St Benedict's Catholic School 'vindicated' by high flying league table position after Ofsted rating downgrade". Matt Reason. East Anglian Daily Times. 29 January 2015.
- "St Benedict's Catholic School". Ofsted. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- St Benedict's Catholic School - Sixth Form Brochure 2011/2012 Archived 13 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine