St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Lanchester, County Durham, England. It has a main block, a language block, a technology/music block, the sixth form block, two fields, tennis/basketball court and an astroturf. On 1 June 2012, the school converted from secondary to academy, giving it independence from the local authority. The school is currently owned and operated by Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, and has been fully integrated since mid-2020.
| St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
Consett Road , , DH7 0RD | |
| 54°49′41″N 1°44′49″W / 54.828°N 1.747°W | |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | Fortes in Fide |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1964 |
Local authority | Durham County Council |
| Trust | Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust |
| 138172 Tables | |
| Ofsted | Reports |
Headteacher | Catherine Hammill |
| Chaplain | Angela Eddy |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 1396 |
| Colours | Red, White and Black |
| Website | http://www.stbedes.durham.sch.uk/ |
The school opened its new sixth-form centre in November 2007 following a £5 million refurbishment, which included construction work on the new building and rebuilding science laboratories. Sir Tom Cowie, who lived in Lanchester, donated £500,000 to the project, which was named in his honour. St Bede's is frequently cited as the top-performing school in County Durham.[1][2]
Incidents
editIn all of it's history, St. Bede's has went through one notable incident, including suspected homophobia.[3] Back in 2017, the school put up a poster for Religious Studies reading "Homosexuality is a disordered behaviour that must be condemned".[4] Many news outlets talked about this incident. Within days, then-headteacher, Neville Harrison, came out and said the poster was taken out of context.[5] There was no formal investigation, yet, the school is now reconsidering how such materials are displayed.
Notable former pupils
edit- Anne McElvoy, journalist[6]
References
edit- ↑ "Sir Tom opens new centre". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ↑ "Sir Tom Cowie". The Sunday Times. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2011.[dead link] (subscription required)
- ↑ Graham, Hannah (6 November 2017). ""Homosexuality is a disordered behaviour" school poster told students". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ Graham, Hannah (6 November 2017). "Catholic school explains poster saying homosexuality 'must be condemned'". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "st bedes lanchester homosexuality is a disordered behaviour". Bing. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ McElvoy, Anne (22 January 2012). "Grange Hill grows up". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
External links
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