St Robert of Newminster Catholic School
| St. Robert of Newminster Roman Catholic School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Biddick Lane, Biddick Washington City of Sunderland , Tyne and Wear , NE38 8AF England 54°53′17″N 1°31′16″W / 54.88815°N 1.5212°W | |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | 'Sic Luceat Lux Vestra' - 'Let your light shine.' |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Local authority | Sunderland City Council |
| Trust | Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust |
| Department for Education URN | 147142 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Headteacher | Chris Hammill |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Houses | Finchale, Whitby, Durham and Lindisfarne |
| Colours | Finchale - blue, Whitby - green, Durham - red and Lindisfarne - yellow |
| Website | http://strobertofnewminster.co.uk/ |
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Washington in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England.[1] The school is named after Saint Robert of Newminster. As a Catholic school it is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
Previously a voluntary aided school administered by Sunderland City Council, in July 2019 St Robert of Newminster Catholic School converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust.
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School offers GCSEs and BTECs as programmes of study for pupils, while students in the sixth form have the option to study a range of A Levels and further BTECs.
Notable former pupils
- Jordan Pickford, goalkeeper for Everton and England[2]
- Ethan Robson, footballer
- Jessica Andrews, author and lecturer
- Paul Coughlin, cricketer
- Bridget Phillipson, Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Houghton and Sunderland South (2010–present)[3]
- Si King, Hairy Bikers member[4]
- Paul Thirlwell, footballer
- Carl Magnay, footballer[5]
- Matthew Potts, cricketer[6]
- Rebecca Welch, Referee
- Paul Mullen, musician
Conviction of headteacher
In 2025, the BBC reported that the former headteacher, Dean Juric, had pleaded guilty to "downloading and distributing indecent images of children including teenage girls"[7] He was caught by an undercover police officer whilst he was in charge of the school, being found with 380 illegal images. The trust immediately suspended him, issuing a replacement. Juric, who was previously "asked what turned him on and he replied: 'Schoolgirl'" according to ITV,[8] was later given a suspended sentence.
References
- Back to citation Official school website; accessed 8 May 2015.
- Back to citation "Jordan Pickford School". Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- Back to citation "Bridget Phillipson: Houghton & Sunderland South constituency election results". 9 June 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- Back to citation "Si King reference". 24 July 2014.
- Back to citation @TeamStRoberts (24 January 2022). "Really lucky to have past pupils who come back to work with our students. Carl Magnay visited us today to talk abou…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Back to citation Players pcboard.com.pk
- Back to citation "Washington head Dean Juric admits sharing indecent images of children". BBC News. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
- Back to citation "Paedophile headteacher found with hundreds of indecent images of young girls avoids jail". ITV.