St Thomas the Apostle College

St. Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College is an Outstanding Roman Catholic secondary school for boys in Nunhead, London. A co-educational Sixth Form was opened in 2015.

The school has been extensively rebuilt and the new school building was opened by the Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith, in January 2013, to provide modern teaching spaces and updated facilities. The original Catholic chapel, an important feature in the life of the school, was retained and is the focus for the Catholic and pastoral life of the students.

The Headteacher is Mr. Eamon Connolly, formerly Vice Principal of Mossbourne Academy. Mr. Serge Cefai (Principal of Sacred Heart Catholic School, Camberwell) is Executive Headteacher. Mr Connolly was appointed Headteacher with effect from September 2012.

In August 2013, St Thomas the Apostle College achieved its – up until then – best ever GCSE results, recording 73% A*-C, including English & Maths. In 2013, St Thomas the Apostle College was one of the most improved schools in the UK and among the best in the London Borough of Southwark.

In August 2014, St Thomas the Apostle College achieved its – then – best ever GCSE results, recording 75% A*-C, including English & Maths, retaining its position among the best in Southwark. Under the new senior leadership team put in place by Mr Connolly and Mr Cefai from September 2012, the Ofsted inspection carried out an inspection on 27 and 28 November 2014 which rated the College "Outstanding" in every category.^[1]

In September 2015, St Thomas the Apostle College expanded its provision by opening a co-educational Sixth Form.

2016 saw the school's best ever GCSE results (82% 5A*-C including English and Maths), continuing a trend of ever-improving results. In addition, 2016 saw the introduction of the Government's new Progress 8 measure showing the progress of students during their time in school. St Thomas the apostle College achieved a phenomenal Progress 8 figure of +0.91, ranking St Thomas the Apostle College 11th in all (Boys, Girls and Mixed) non-selective schools in the UK by the DfE; it was ranked 1st in the UK among Boys non-selective schools. St Thomas the Apostle College has again maintained its spectacular results with +0.88 in the 2017 Progress 8 rankings, ranking it 2nd in the UK among Boys non-selective schools.

The achievements of Eamon Connolly and Serge Cefai with the support of their senior leaders was recognised in 2017 with St Thomas the Apostle being named TES Secondary School of the Year; Eamon Connolly's own personal contributions were recognised with a Silver Award in Pearson's "Headteacher of the Year" awards.

History of the College

St. Thomas the Apostle College opened in September 1965 as St. Thomas the Apostle School. The initial intake came from two schools – English Martyrs and St Francis. In September 1967 boys from Archbishop Amigo also joined. The founder Headmaster was Mr W. Uden and his first Deputy was Mr. D. Crawford – they retired in 1982.

The College became Grant Maintained in September 1994 and became known as St. Thomas The Apostle College. In 1998 the College reverted to a Voluntary Aided College.

Dr Tope retired after 21 years as Principal in July 2004. After a disappointing Ofsted report in May 2010, Mr Damian Fox, who had succeeded Dr Tope in 2004, left the College in December 2010. Mr Fox's deputy, Mr Simon Cowdry was appointed Acting Headmaster in January 2011 to work with Mr Cefai, Principal of Sacred Heart Catholic School, Camberwell, as Executive Head. The long-standing Chair of Governors was not re-elected and a new Chair of Governors, Joseph Reed, was elected in September 2011.

The Governors initiated a recruitment process for a new Headteacher. Following the process, the Governors chose not to appoint Mr Cowdry – he left the College in August 2012. In September 2012, the Governors appointed Mr Connolly to work alongside them and Mr Cefai.

In May 2013 Ofsted reported significant improvements in Leadership & Management (including Governance) and Behaviour of Pupils. Following continued improvements in the quality of teaching, Ofsted ranked the College Outstanding in every category in its most current inspection in November 2014.^[1]

St Thomas the Apostle College celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2015 with a well-attended mass celebrated by the Bishop of Southwark and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on the wall of the college, adjacent to the entrance.

There have only been five headteachers at the school during its history which is a remarkable achievement for a school that opened in 1965.

There are four houses, named after four English martyrs from the 16th century during the reign of Elizabeth I – Griffith, Gunstone, Saint John Jones and Saint John Rigby. Some confusion can be found in the details of the houses, because St. John Jones went by the name of 'Griffith' during the 16th century.

Mr Reed, Mr Cefai and Mr Connolly were all asked by the Archdiocese of Southwark to become involved in one of its struggling schools, to ensure it too is supported and outstanding.

References

External links

• St. Thomas the Apostle College website