St Cuthbert's High School

St. Cuthbert's Catholic High School is a boys-only Roman Catholic secondary school with academy status located in the Benwell Hill area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Admissions

St Cuthbert's is a seven form entry school. The School has a series of pre-entry tests, called CATS, the results of which help to decide which class a boy will be placed into. The school admits students of all faiths although it is a Roman Catholic school.

History

Grammar school

St. Cuthbert's Grammar School was opened in Westmorland Road, Elswick on 16 August 1881 largely due to the efforts of Bishop James Chadwick and his successor Bishop Bewick building upon the foundations of the Catholic Collegiate School established in 1870 in Eldon Square. Shortly afterward the School moved to larger premises in Bath Lane in the centre of the city. In 1922 the School transferred to the present site on Benwell Hill. Part of the school (1922 Block – now demolished) is built directly over the Vallum of Hadrian's Wall. During the war, boys were evacuated to Cockermouth in what is now Cumbria. In 2011 the School again became single site on the completion of the BSF building Phase, the former Lower School buildings on Fox & Hounds Lane have now been demolished.

It was a direct grant grammar school until September 1977, then began to take a comprehensive intake.

Comprehensive

In recent years, St. Cuthbert's High School gained Science College status and was recognized in 2007 as a Modern Foreign Languages Specialist School (2nd Specialism).

Academy

The school converted to academy status in March 2012.

Principals

Since 1881 there have been 7 clergymen as Head:

• Canon Wickwar
• Fr. Magill
• Monsignor H. (Dr.) Mann
• Monsignor Jeffrey
• Monsignor Canon Cunningham, V.G.
• Canon M. Cassidy, STL, MA
• Fr. M. Walsh, MA (Cantab)

and two lay Headteachers:

• Mr E. Lovell, BA, M.Litt
• Mr J. G Murphy, BA.

The present incumbent –

• Mrs. Carol Davison, BA, M.Ed.

Academic statistics

St. Cuthbert's is 662nd in the Financial Times Top 1000 Schools 2008 – 17th of 34 schools in the North East to make the list.

Notable alumni

• Kenneth Allott – poet
• Flt Lt Dominic Bruce OBE MC AFM MA KSG RAF – World War II Escaper, the 'medium-sized man' of Colditz Castle
• John Carver – football player and coach
• Ryan Donaldson – footballer
• Declan Donnelly OBE – Dec of Ant & Dec
• Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh – First Sea Lord from 2001–02 of the Royal Navy
• Sir Terry Farrell CBE OBE – architect,
• Sir Anthony Grabham – President from 2002–03 of the British Medical Association, and Chairman from 1993–2005 of the BMJ Group
• Alan Hull – Musician
• Paul Kennedy – historian and writer
• Rt Rev Hugh Lindsay – Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle from 1974–92
• Rt Rev Joseph McCormack – Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle from 1937–58
• Cecil McGivern CBE – BBC executive, and Controller of BBC One from 1950–57
• Lawrie McMenemy – football coach
• John Middleton – Vicar Ashley Thomas in Emmerdale
• Lee Novak – footballer
• Gordon Sumner (Sting) – singer in the band The Police
• Neil Tennant – Singer in the band Pet Shop Boys
• Rt Rev Joseph Thorman – Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle from 1925–36
• Tom Tuohy CBE – put out the Windscale fire in October 1957
• Rt Rev Frank White – Assistant Bishop of Newcastle (Anglican)
• Liam Noble – Professional footballer