St Aidan's Catholic Academy
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St Aidan's Catholic Academy (formerly St Aidan's Catholic School) is a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
boys' secondary school and
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
with academy status, situated in the
Ashbrooke Ashbrooke is a residential area of Sunderland, North East England directly south and south-west of the city centre. Ashbrooke developed through the Victorian era as Sunderland's first suburb. Originally occupied by large middle-class families ...
area of Sunderland. It caters for boys from ages 11 to 18, providing GCSE and
A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...
and BTEC qualifications as part of its teaching programme. The school was founded by the Christian Brothers, and is coupled with St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy, its sister school which is located nearby. It is also twinned with St Joseph's Agricultural School In Blama, Sierra Leone.


History

Canon Smith, then parish priest of St Mary’s in Sunderland, founded St Mary's
Grammar School A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
at Bede Towers in 1928/29. The building on Burdon Road is a villa in Italianate style originally the home of Mayor John Moore. Records show the first schoolmaster, Mr J Goundry, was a layman. The
Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...
took over the running of the school in 1935 – two years after taking on Ashbrooke Hall as a retreat for local
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
men and renaming it Corby Hall. Ashbrooke Hall, in Ashbrooke Road, had originally been built for glassmaker James Hartley in 1864 by architect
Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...
, whose masterpiece was Monkwearmouth Station. It later became the home of the Short shipbuilding family, before being taken over by the
Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...
. The original Superior of the teaching staff, and of Corby Hall Retreat House, was Father SJ Whittaker. It was opened on 8 October 1933 by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle,
Joseph Thorman Joseph Thorman (6 August 1871 – 7 October 1936) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle from 1924 to 1936. Born in Gateshead, County Durham on 6 August 1871, he was ordained to the pri ...
and closed in 1973. The school transferred from Bede Towers to The Briery in Ashbrooke Road in 1936 – previously the home of Mr Craven of Craven Ropery. There was a pedestrian tunnel under the road to gardens opposite, which the school later used as a sports ground. The name was then changed to Corby Hall, to avoid confusion with another school. Further confusion arose, however, between Corby Hall and Corby Hall School, so that "an interchange of letters was necessary after each of the postman's rounds," according to Jesuit archives. Just a year later, in 1937, the name of the school was changed yet again, to Sunderland Catholic College, and in 1939 it became Corby School. The dedication of both Corby School and Corby Hall recalled, according to the Jesuit archives, the historical association of Sunderland with Father
Ralph Corby Ralph Corbie (Corby, Corbington, at times Corrington) (25 March 1598 – 7 September 1644) was an Irish Jesuit. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Corbie was born near Dublin. His parents were from Durham and returned to England wh ...
who was captured by
Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...
in 1644 and hanged. The name Corby School lasted until 1948 when the Jesuits left and handed running of the school over to the Christian Brothers of Ireland. It was renamed as St Aidan's RC Grammar School and remained a grammar school until 1973, when a new school block and gymnasium building was completed on the opposite side of Ashbrooke Road and linked to the old school site by a tunnel. At this date the school was reclassified as a comprehensive school, although the last 'grammar school' pupils took their O-levels in 1975. St Aidan's retained the Briery building for use by the sixth form. Ashbrooke House was used as a retreat by the Brothers for many years, but was sold off in the 1970s and demolished to make way for flats. In April 2013, St Aidan's Catholic School was converted to an academy and renamed St Aidan's Catholic Academy.


Houses and uniform

St Aidan's has forms into which each year is divided. The forms, which form houses are: Aquin and Bede making Ashbrook House, Corby and Fisher making Corby House and More, David and Rice making Brookfield House. The school is split into two main buildings: the main school, which caters mainly for boys up to Year 11, and the Briery, which housed the Sixth Form until the Sixth Form joined with sister school St Anthony's under one umbrella.


Controversy

In 2016, an ex-pupil of St Aidan's school was paid £17,000 compensation by the Congregation of Christian Brothers after claiming two members of the Christian Brothers abused him at school in the 1960s. Other ex-pupils have come forward and made similar claims.


Notable former pupils/teachers

* Frank Cook MP - Politician *
Tom Coyne Tom Coyne may refer to: * Tom Coyne (writer), American writer and professor * Tom Coyne (broadcaster) (1930–2015), British television presenter * Tom Coyne (music engineer) (1954–2017), American mastering engineer * Thomas Coyne (cricketer) ( ...
– Broadcaster *
Kevin Dillon Kevin Brady Dillon (born August 19, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Johnny "Drama" Chase on the HBO comedy series '' Entourage'', Bunny in the war film ''Platoon'', and John Densmore in the musical biopic ''The Doo ...
– former
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, Newcastle United, and
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
footballer. *
Dennis Donnini Fusilier Dennis Donnini VC (17 November 1925 – 18 January 1945) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth force ...
VC – recipient of the Victoria Cross * Mike Elliott – actor *
Lee Howey Lee Howey (born 1 April 1969) is an English former footballer who played primarily as a defender. Howey began his career at Bishop Auckland, before moving to Sunderland where he spent the majority of his career. He later player for Burnley, N ...
- former
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
footballer for Sunderland * Steve Howey - former
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footballer for Newcastle United and an England international


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Aidan's Catholic Academy Congregation of Christian Brothers secondary schools Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle Boys' schools in Tyne and Wear Secondary schools in the City of Sunderland Academies in the City of Sunderland 1928 establishments in England Sunderland