St Thomas a Becket Catholic Secondary School

It was a pleasure to welcome Year 11 students into school this morning to pick up their GCSE results. We are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved and the hard work and dedication they have shown throughout their studies. Congratulations to all of our students on this important milestone, and we wish them every success in the future!

A reminder to all of our Year 11 students that you can pick up your results from school tomorrow morning between 9am and 11am.

We are looking forward to seeing you all!

📖 Are you in need of some holiday reading inspiration?

The latest edition of The Reading Realm is here!

Produced by our talented students, this issue includes our Poet Laureate’s award-winning poem, book reviews from both students and staff, and a useful guide to literary events happening across the local area this summer.

Take a look and discover your next favourite read by following the link in the comments below.

This week, our 'Poem of the Week' is written by Year 7 student, Amelia.

Amelia has recently played a key role in supporting Year 6 students in their transition to Becket's and, as Amelia's first year here draws to a close, her poem captures the often complex feelings surrounding transtition.

Thank you for sharing your poem with us, Amelia, and we hope that it helps students who are joining us in September to feel excited about their new chapter.

As part of one of our guided reading initiatives in school, each half term we carefully select a number of books and encourage our Year 7 students to read one, or more, and share their reviews.

Students who complete a review are rewarded with the opportunity to visit our local Costa Coffee, where they can enjoy a drink (iced this time! 🧊☀️) and chat with staff and fellow readers about the books they have been enjoying.

It’s great to see our students developing a love of reading, sharing recommendations and inspiring each other to read more.

We are incredibly proud of our students who recently represented Becket's at the Wakefield Schools Athletics Competition, achieving some outstanding results and showcasing fantastic determination and talent in some grueling temperatures.

Our Year 10 boys' team were crowned champions, while the Year 9 boys' team secured an impressive second-place finish.

There were also some record-breaking performances:
🏃 Ryan broke the boys' 100m competition record, taking first place in a time of 11.06 seconds.
🏃 Tommy broke the boys' 800m competition record, winning in 2.04.

Our girls also performed brilliantly, bringing home individual titles:
🥇 Bella (Year 7) – 1500m Champion
🥇 Victoria (Year 8) – 100m Champion

Congratulations to all of our athletes who demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and represented the school superbly! 🎉👏

Inspired by our resident Young Poet Laureate, and with so many wonderful poems being shared by members of our Poetry Club, we’re excited to introduce our brand‑new Poem of the Week feature.

This week’s choice comes from Amelie Rose, who found her creativity sparked by the recent heatwave. With another hot spell of weather on its way, who else can relate to how she was feeling?!

Last week we held our annual Rewards Evening, the first of many celebrations as we approach the end of the school year. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of our students over this academic year, from subject and year group awards to those who reached Legendary Status with an incredible 2100+ merits this year.

It was a truly special evening, with students proudly collecting their awards in front of their friends, families and loved ones. Moments like these remind us how special the Becket's community is, and we are incredibly proud of our students who continue to live our school's values and mission everyday.

Head to our website for the full photo gallery. 👇️

Last week we were delighted to welcome 130 Year 5 students into school from our Catholic Primary feeder schools, English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, St Ignatius Catholic Primary School, St. Austin's Catholic Primary School, Wakefield and Rothwell St Mary's for an inspiring taster day.

Students experienced the very best of Becket’s through a jam‑packed programme of creative curriculum sessions, energetic PE activities, and a liturgy and celebration assembly led by our Lay Chaplain.

We hope the students thoroughly enjoyed their time with us and that it has inspired them to want to continue in Catholic education and take advantage of their priority status on offer day.

Our Reading Ambassadors are on a mission and need your help!

Due to the closure of parts of our school building caused by RAAC, we have sadly lost access to our much‑loved school library. Our passionate Reading Ambassadors are now reaching out to local businesses and our wider community to help us create a brand‑new reading space within our temporary buildings.

With a minimum donation of £10, you can join our Reader Sponsorship Programme. Your support will help us to purchase essential items including furniture, soft furnishings and new books, to build a welcoming, inspiring space where our students can continue to develop a lifelong love of reading.

To learn more about the programme, please contact school on: 01924 303545.