Dear Prospective Parents,
Welcome to St Bede’s Catholic Comprehensive School and Byron 6th Form College, a high achieving, disciplined and caring catholic community. Our distinct catholic ethos is at the very heart of all we do, and as a fully inclusive school we welcome students of other faiths and no faith to be a part of our family. We believe we can offer your son or daughter the very best educational provision, both academically and pastorally as they make the important transition from primary to secondary education.
Our 2018 examination results for 6th Form placed us third in the whole of County Durham with 55% of A Level grades at A*-B and 95% of vocational subjects at a Distinction *-Distinction grade. At GCSE 65% of students achieved a grade 4 in both English and Mathematics which was amongst the highest in the East Durham area and well above the County average. We were top in the area for proportions of pupils entered for the Ebacc qualification with 67% of pupils accessing this highly ambitious suite of qualifications. A number of students were awarded a grade 9 across a range of subjects, the highest grade possible for the new and challenging curriculum at Key Stage 4. These are remarkable student achievements of which we are very proud and continually seeking to improve upon.
St Bede’s is a forward thinking school always seeking to futureproof our curriculum offer. We aim to ensure that all pupils leaving us are equipped with the relevant skills and qualifications to enable them to be highly successful adults. The introduction of Mandarin Chinese as our second language has proven to be extremely popular and is recognised by students, parents and industry as advantageous to student future career opportunities.
Catholic Education however, is about much more than just the narrow delivery of a curriculum. We are also responsible for the spiritual and moral formation of young people; a responsibility we take just as seriously as academic progress. As parents you have entrusted the care of your child to primary colleagues for a number of years, in a school who no doubt knows your son or daughter as the unique individual that they are. We believe the transition to Year 7 should be no different, and St Bede’s provides a secure, nurturing environment that allows every pupil to flourish. We have an intake which is almost half the size of some other providers and as such we know every student by name and can minister to their specific needs. The pastoral system is the bedrock of our school and is based on high behavioural standards, mutual respect and a level of dedication towards students from our compassionate staff which is truly humbling to observe.
School Applications via the Durham Local Authority web page can be found here
I look forward to meeting you and your son or daughter in the very near future.
Best wishes
Mrs F Cessford
Head Teacher