Aquinas College, Stockport, Greater Manchester is a Roman Catholic sixth form college. It was established in 1980 on the site of St. Michael's Secondary School, and is owned by the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The college is named after St. Thomas Aquinas.
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Reports
OFSTED inspectors who visited the college in September 2013 said that the college is a Good college, which is a drop from its former status as an Outstanding College. Inspectors said that the Catholic mission of the college is emphasized by Governors and Senior Management to raise student's aspiration, and that the college is committed to providing high-quality education. However the report stated that not enough lessons were deemed as outstanding and that there was not enough provision of challenges for the most able students. In light of this report the college has taken steps to improve its provision for the most able students through its Aim High to Succeed programme which has been running since September 2013.
Ofsted Inspection 2008
Inspectors in their report on the college in 2008 concluded that "Aquinas is an outstanding college. The college provides a very welcoming and positive learning environment and students enjoy the opportunities and experiences offered. There is a strong commitment to the Catholic ethos at all levels. The college community effectively promotes the Gospel values of freedom, justice and love. The well-planned ethics programme is valued by students and their personal development is outstanding. Achievement and standards are good. The progress made by the majority of students is very good. Teaching and learning are good. The use of information learning technology (ILT) to enhance learning and students' enjoyment is very good."
The inspectors previously had criticized the college accommodation as being inadequate. Since however a new state of the art, and much larger building has been constructed by the construction company Norwest Holst Limited/VINCI Construction UK Limited which opened in September 2010). This new building had proven popular amongst the student body.
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Reception
The college is popular among school leavers in the Stockport area, so much so that Aquinas College receives twice as many applications as there are places. The college also offers a range of adult education courses.
Alumni
- Dominic Monaghan of The Lord of the Rings and Lost fame
- England field hockey captain Kate Walsh
- Paralympic swimmer Matt Walker
- Neil Conley, artist and designer and winner of the Andy Goldsworthy young artist of the year award 2006
- DJ Richard Straffon of 97.6 Chiltern FM.
- Actor Sacha Dhawan
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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