News
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Wednesday 10 June 2026 Parliament Action Day We are 'Send My Friend To School' Campaign Champions. On Tuesday Saoirse and I travelled to London with Mrs O'Driscoll to attend the Parliamentary Action day on Wednesday. This was a pleasant and great experience for both of us as we learned new skills and facts from various MPs and their opinions on global education. First we travelled to the Houses of Parliament to attend MP drop-in sessions where we had tables all set up for us to welcome and discuss global education issues with MPs. After our great few visits from various MPs, we headed over to the House of Commons to listen to Prime Minister's Question Time. This is when we had two parties debating about each question a candidate put forward. Then the Prime Minister had to explain and make accusations on the facts of if the statements were falsely accusing the government or if it was an agreement statement that they would further look on. When PMQs finished we had a bit of lunch and headed towards an office where we met the intern
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Wednesday 10 June 2026 Big Bang STEM at the NEC A huge and diverse range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics interactive opportunities were relished this week by 90 students and 8 staff at Big Bang. Three collaborating schools jointly funded by The Royal Academy of Engineering This is Engineering West Midlands made models, conducted experiments, tested materials and handled zoo animals. 45 of the students were Year 7 Aquinas, 30 Year 8 Colmers and 14 represented St. John Fisher Year 6; each a superb ambassador for their school. An overarching theme was engaging children to thinking about future careers by what they enjoy, for which UKEngineering who sponsor the event provided plenty of hands-on inspiration too.
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Tuesday 9 June 2026 Policing, Criminology and Law at Birmingham Newman University
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Friday 5 June 2026 Year 13 Mass and Celebration Last Friday we celebrated our Year 13 Leaver's Mass, and what a special occasion it was! The largest Year 13 cohort we have had in many years at St Thomas Aquinas came together to wish each other well, and mark the end of two years (and in most cases, seven years) as the Class of 2026. After coming together for some group photos, Fr Srinu celebrated Mass, dedicated to our friend and classmate Jake Timmis. After some words from staff, we watched a video showing how our students have grown and flourished since their induction day back in 2019. Afterwards we retreated to the Quad for pizza, wedges and lots of cake, remembering times shared. So, Year 13: thank you for the memories, the laughs, the madness and the friendships. Thank you for growing alongside one another, for being each other's support and competition, for letting me be 'so cringe', and for making me a much more patient and tolerant person. You are a handprint on my heart. Good luck & God bless.Maria Lavelle Head of
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Friday 5 June 2026 Duke of Edinburgh training walks in Bromsgrove This week, Year 9 and Year 10 students successfully completed their training for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Following a term of after school sessions, groups ventured into the countryside to develop and practise their navigation and expedition skills.
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Friday 5 June 2026 Junior Maths Challenge Certificates Last half term 20 of our best KS3 Mathematicians took part in the UKMT Junior Mathematics Challenge. Well done to all whom took part, lots of students have received Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates!
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Friday 22 May 2026 Year 10 Geography Fieldwork This week we have taken all the year 10 Geography students to Carding Mill Valley in Shropshire for their GCSE coursework. They had to study the valley and the river. All students really involved themselves measuring the depth, speed and width of the water!
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Tuesday 5 May 2026 Year 11 Celebration Mass - May 2026 On Tuesday this week it was wonderful to have parents in school for our annual Year 11 Celebration Mass. Thank you to Fr Srinu for encouraging the students to have courage as they begin their exams and move on to the next stage of their education and the vast majority who will be joining our Sixth Form!
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Friday 1 May 2026 UKMT Junior Maths Challenge
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Friday 24 April 2026 Pilgrims of Hope Relay Race We kickstarted our Lumen Christi relay race from St Thomas Aquinas school with a beautiful prayer service. We prayed for Peter Vince and Jo McAleenan and the two charities we have been supporting – Ovavcom and The Brain Tumour Charity. As they prepared to run, we remembered the four Gospel values: Kind hearts, hunger for justice, questioning minds and thirst for justice. Students and staff ran to SJF school on the first leg of the journey.
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Friday 24 April 2026 MP Laurence Turner visit Today we were delighted to welcome our MP Laurence Turner into school. Our campaign champions for ‘Send my Friend to school' Saoirse and Renee presented statistics on how many children globally don't receive an education and asked what his government is going to do to improve the situation and when they are going to increase the aid to poorer countries. Chaplaincy change-maker students challenged him on what he is going to do to improve the situation for asylum seekers and refugees. We are a school of sanctuary and believe that it is important to welcome the stranger. Laurence listened and said he would do everything he could to take our questions to parliament.
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Friday 24 April 2026 Year 12 Trip to Birmingham University - String Theory Just before Easter some of our year 12 Physics were lucky enough to take part in a trip to Birmingham University to see a lecture on the exciting branch of Physics known as ‘String theory'. The pupils were able to experience university life by not only watching a lecture but also able to taste culinary delights the university had to offer. The students were also told what could await them if they decided to join the Maths department at Birmingham.
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Wednesday 22 April 2026 UOB Discovery Day This week our Year 12 students got to experience workshops and lectures in world class setting. After seeing ‘Old Joe' the worlds tallest freestanding clock tower, they were separated into various subject sessions.
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Wednesday 22 April 2026 Year 12 Geography Fieldwork in Bournville and Selly Oak On Wednesday 22nd April, the Year 12 Geography class visited the Bournville and Selly Oak areas to begin developing their data collection and fieldwork skills in preparation for an independent geographical enquiry. The students carried out a variety of surveys, a people count, questionnaire and other data collection sheets designed by themselves in the classroom. They explored the effectiveness of these methods and studied how Bournville, as a place, reflects both continuity and change. I know this work will result in an outstanding piece of coursework when we get back to the classroom.
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Monday 13 April 2026 Year 7 and 8 British Science Week British Science Week was a brilliant success, with Year 7 and Year 8 students exploring the question, “Could we live on Mars?” Pupils thoroughly enjoyed a wide range of practical investigations, developing key STEM skills as they examined how astronauts might land safely, survive, travel, and even grow food on the Red Planet. Students applied scientific knowledge and engineering thinking to realistic Martian scenarios, including testing different tyres for a Mars rover, planting seeds in tubes with filters to simulate lower light levels on Mars and investigate how this affected germination, and designing and testing parachutes to support a Mars landing. The week concluded with our fantastic Mars Geodesic Dome competition—check out the incredible entries, where the most innovative designs were rewarded with delicious chocolatey prizes.
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Monday 30 March 2026 Paris 2026 At the start of the Easter holidays, 45 students from Year 10 enjoyed a wonderful trip to Paris, seeing lots of the sights and soaking up the atmosphere of this beautiful city. They enjoyed visiting Notre Dame cathedral, climbing the Eiffel Tower, taking a boat trip on the Seine and looking back over Paris from Montmartre. They put their French speaking skills into practice at the market in Brie Comte Robert and even tried snails with their Sunday evening meal. Our final day was spent at Disney before travelling home overnight. It was such a pleasure to spend these 4 days with such a wonderful and appreciative group of students. It wouldn't have been possible without a great team of staff who were constantly making sure that our students were safe and enjoying themselves, so a huge thank you to Mrs Devlin, Mrs Stait, Miss Browne and Mr Eburah.
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Monday 23 March 2026 Easter Services This week we celebrated Easter with six separate Easter services. Well done to everyone that has been involved. We would like to wish all our STACS family a very happy Easter.
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Thursday 19 March 2026 Maths Challenge at STACS Our marvellous mathematicians are hard at work in the UKMT Mathematics Challenge follow on rounds. We wish them the best of luck!
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Tuesday 17 March 2026 St Patrick’s Day On Tuesday we celebrated St Patrick's Day in school. Students were allowed to wear something green as part of their uniform. It was lovely to see so many students and staff taking part.
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Monday 16 March 2026 Ski Trip to Andorra 30 students from Year 8 to Year 11 spent the week in Andorra enjoying fantastic skiing conditions under sunny skies. All students successfully completed a blue run, with some even progressing onto red runs.
