The school has a large catchment area covering parts of the City of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and south-eastern Derbyshire, including such places as St Ann's, Carlton, Clifton, Long Eaton and West Bridgford.

For Years 7 to 11 there are six forms, designated by the initial letters, B, E, N, P, R, and T, of six saints: Bernadette Soubirous, Edmund Campion, Nicholas Garlick, Patrick, Robert Ludlam and Thérèse of Lisieux.

The school was for boys only and was based on Wilford Lane, next to the suspension bridge over the River Trent.

In 1975, there were only two priests of the Assumption Order still at the Becket school; the headteacher, Father Roger Killeen and his bursar.

The heads of the two schools, Father Roger and Mr Arthur Davis, who were in post at that time gave up their headships to enable the amalgamation to go ahead.