St. Thomas More High School

Located in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, St. Thomas More High School is a Roman Catholic bilateral academy for boys aged 11 to 18. The majority of students are from local roman catholic schools. The school does not accept pupils from other Christian denominations. The school has over 1000 students, including 500 students in the sixth form.

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General information

Address: St. Thomas More High School, Kenilworth Gardens, Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 0BW

General enquiries: 01702 344933

Local authority: Essex

Website: https://www.st-thomasmore.southend.sch.uk/

Email: office@st-thomasmore.southend.sch.uk

Gender of Entry: Boys

Day/boarding type: Day School

Age Range: 11 to 18

Exam board type/format: CSSE (Essex 11 Plus)

Admissions policy: Selective

Pupils: 1010

Places in Year 7: 180 places

Ofsted Report: Good | Ofsted report

Headteacher: Mrs G Ackred

Admission to St. Thomas More High School

Admission to St. Thomas More High School depends on the child’s performance in the 11 plus exam conducted by CSSE. The school ensures that pupils and parents are aware of the school’s expectations as it aims to accept students who can work hard, respect their needs, and can support the school and its reputation.

The St Thomas More High School offers 150 places, out of which 30 are offered to students that pass the 11 plus exam, which is administered by the CSSE. In case the school is oversubscribed, priority is given to boys-

That is looked after or previously looked after by Catholic families
That is baptised, practising catholic from selected parishes
Other baptised, practising catholic boys
Baptised catholic boys
Others looked after boys
Boys that practise Christianity and attend a catholic school
Boys that practise Christianity
From families that want their son to study from a catholic school

In addition to this, preference within each category is given to the student who has a sibling at the school and the ones that live closest to the school.

To know more about the school, parents are advised to visit one of the open evenings organised by the school to gather more information about the admission process at St Thomas More High School, you can also visit the School’s admission page or contact the school directly at office@st-thomasmore.southend.sch.uk or by telephone on 01702 344933.

How to apply to St. Thomas More High School

To apply for a place in Year 7 at St. Thomas More High School, parents need only complete the Common Application Form (CAF) and Supplementary Information Form. Both these forms can be filled online via the website.

In some cases, a Certificate of Practice will be needed in order to support the application. This certificate can come from your Parish Priest or another priest who knows you well.

Apart from this, parents need to complete the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE) application for the selective place for their child. The entire process is administered by the CSSE and the details are available at www.csse.org.uk.

Registration begins in early May when pupils are in Year 5, the 11 plus exam is taken in September and the results are received by parents in October.

The catchment area of St. Thomas More High School

Yes, St. Thomas More High School has the priority on admission based on the location and distance from the school. The catchment area covers postcodes SS0, SS1, SS2, SS3, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS7, SS8 and SS9.

The 11 Plus Exam Format of St. Thomas More High School

The 11 plus entrance exam for St. Thomas More High School has two tests English and Maths papers both of 1 hour each with a 10 minute reading time between both the papers.

The English and verbal reasoning papers include vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, verbal reasoning, creative writing and literacy.
The mathematics paper includes questions based on non-verbal reasoning and the KS2 National Curriculum.

The 11 plus scores are age-standardised to make sure that all applicants get a fair chance.

How to prepare for St. Thomas More High School

With an average of 5 to 6 applications for a place in St. Thomas More High School, the competition is high, and therefore it is important for your child to be well prepared for the 11 plus exam. You can start your child’s 11 plus exam preparation by preparing a proper study schedule covering all the important topics of the 11 plus exam. If you wish to know more about the 11 plus exam, visit our 11 plus guide for parents.

You can also add activities that can help your child improve the important 11 plus exam skills in your study schedule such as vocabulary skills, comprehension skills, vocabulary skills, and creative writing skills.

Comprehension and vocabulary are the most important parts of the 11 plus exam, learn these 7 comprehension strategies and try our 11+ vocabulary module to strengthen your child’s 11 plus skills.

You can try our creative writing course for 11 plus and online tuitions to learn creative writing.