Burnside College, Wallsend

Burnside College is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Wallsend, North Tyneside, England.

History

The school was opened on 15 July 1960 by the chairman of Parsons under the name, Wallsend County Technical School. It cost approximately £280,000 for the building work, the furniture and the equipment. On 3 September 1969, the school was renamed as Burnside High School. The school took its current name when it moved into its new buildings in September 2004 that were later inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II. These new buildings cost around £15 million.

In 2009, The Wallsend Sports Centre began moving into the school grounds, and another new building is currently under construction costing £7 million. Subsequently, the school facilities will improve - the fitness suite in the centre will be larger and a swimming pool will also feature inside the centre. In the Summer of 2010, the building was complete, creating a large swimming pool and fitness suite available for use of local people and students.

Notable former pupils

• Michael Carrick, midfielder and captain since 2017 of Manchester United F.C., and plays for England
• Vicky Pattison
• Robin Peers, rugby league player
• Chris Thorman, rugby league player
• Micky Ward
• Steve Watson, footballer

Wallsend Grammar School

• Maurice Benn, 1500m runner at the 1968 Olympics
• Richard Gaddes, opera manager
• Sir George Leitch, CB, OBE, Permanent Secretary from 1974-75 of the British Ministry of Defence
• Ian 'Walter' Fairbairn, musician
• William Fieldhouse CBE, Chairman from 1973-81 of Letraset, and from 1980-83 of Carrington Viyella
• George Rochester FRS, Professor of Physics from 1955-73 at Durham University, discovered the V particles and the kaon or K meson, with Sir Clifford Charles Butler in the 1940s at the University of Manchester