St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy, Wakefield
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wakefield, part of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 6th-highest of the 9 schools in Wakefield with published results, and 1,108th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.5 first-choice applications for every place. It was 92% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Wakefield and 47 across England.
51% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Wakefield and 47% in England.
That is up from 46.3 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.29: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.8, against 53.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 201 families put St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 448 named it as one of their preferences, for 137 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 76 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy are Kettlethorpe High School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.8); Trinity Academy Cathedral (1.5 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 50.9); Outwood Academy City Fields (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.5); and Crofton Academy (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.3).
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Kettlethorpe High SchoolTrinity Academy CathedralOutwood Academy City FieldsCrofton Academy
The trust
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy is one of 15 schools run by The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.6 in 2024/25.
All 15 schools in The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust
Where pupils go next
Of the 145 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 42% to a further education college and 1% into work.
Who goes there
36.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (43%), Asian (19%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 43 pupils (5.6%) received SEN support and 72 (9.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sandal & Agbrigg Rail Station, about 240 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Thomas A Becket School (at), 40 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy issued 205 suspensions, 26.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy are Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School (0.4 miles); Sandal Magna Community Academy (0.4 miles); Methodist Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School: With Communication Resource (0.9 miles); and Walton Primary Academy (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Sandal Castle VA Community Primary SchoolSandal Magna Community AcademyMethodist Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School: With Communication ResourceWalton Primary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
29.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.29 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 44.1 to 49.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 40% to 51% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 49.1 | 51.4% |
| Disadvantaged(42) | - | 38.8 | 35.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(100) | - | 53.4 | 58% |
| Boys(71) | - | 49.6 | 54.9% |
| Girls(71) | - | 48.6 | 47.9% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(56) | - | 51.4 | 55.4% |
| Non mobile(134) | - | 50.5 | 53.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 2 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 145 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
4
Permanent exclusions
0.52%
Exclusion rate
205
Suspensions
26.87%
Suspension rate
68 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 763 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy is in Wakefield; for families living there:
- Wakefield's school travel policy: Home To School Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 24
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 16 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy
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What the report includes for St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wakefield got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
761 pupils
830 places
69 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wakefield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wakefield
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,300
Applications
3,912
Got 1st preference
90.7%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All secondary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
72
EHC Plans
15.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
762
Total Pupils
392
Boys
370
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
42
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,809
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,310
Per pupil
£5779k
Total funding
£205k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.5%
Overall absence
22.4%
Persistent absence
789
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy
Questions parents ask about St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy
What are GCSE results like at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.1. 51% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 830 places.
How big are the classes at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Classes at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy average 23.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy has around 762 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
Does St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy have specialist SEN provision?
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
8.5% of sessions were missed at St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy in 2024/25. 22.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 16 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy?
St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy is at Barnsley Road, Wakefield, WF2 6EQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)