End of Year Summer message from our Headteacher

As we reach the end of another incredible year, I am proud to reflect on everything we have achieved together here at the college. This summer the world has celebrated excellence through sport, and it feels fitting to use that same spirit to recognise what we’ve done at Archbishop Beck Catholic College. Here at the college, our standard is clear: Only the Best Will Do. Like football, this year has been about teamwork. Here at Archbishop Beck, we play for each other. From our record GCSE and A Level results to the way our students have supported one another, to the service we’ve given in our community — it has been a true team performance.

At the college, Only the Best Will Do when it comes to looking out for one another. Like the Olympic Games, this has been a year of personal bests. Students across the college community have pushed themselves further than ever before — in lessons, in examinations, in the Arts, in Sport, and in our Chaplaincy. You have represented the college with pride, determination and faith. Only the Best Will Do, and you have shown it.

Like the any competitive situation we have played with courage and belief. Whether on the pitch, on the stage, or in the classroom, students here at the college have stepped up, taken on challenges, and backed themselves and their teammates. That resilience and flair is what makes Archbishop Beck special. Only the Best Will Do.

Like Wimbledon, this year has been about tradition, excellence and grace under pressure.

Above the door as players walk onto Centre Court players’ entrance are the words from Rudyard Kipling poem “IF”.

It serves as a timeless reminder to face every challenge with perspective and perseverance. That is the mindset I have seen here at Archbishop Beck all year. We have celebrated outstanding achievements, and we have supported each other through challenges. In both, you have shown character, humility and the College standard: Only the Best Will Do.

To our Year 11 and Year 13 students who are leaving us: thank you. Thank you for the way you have led, for the memories you have created, and for upholding Only the Best Will Do in everything you did here at the college. As you take the next step on your educational journey — whether to college, sixth form, apprenticeship, or university — go with our blessing and our pride. You will always be part of the Archbishop Beck family.

My sincere thanks to every student for your effort, to every member of staff for your dedication, and to our parents and governors for your partnership. It is you who make Only the Best Will Do real here at the college, every single day. Have a restful and well-deserved summer. I look forward to welcoming everyone back to Archbishop Beck in September for another year where, together, we continue to strive for nothing less than the best.

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Loving God,
We thank you for the gift of this academic year and for all its successes.
Thank you for the learning, the friendships, the challenges overcome, and the growth we have seen in our students, staff and community.
Bless everyone at Archbishop Beck Catholic College who has given their time, talent and care.
As we begin the summer break, we ask for your peace to rest upon our college community.
Grant rest to weary minds and bodies, joy in time with family and friends, and safety in all that we do.
May we return refreshed and ready to continue serving in your name.
Amen.

Paul Stirling
Headteacher