History

St. Mary’s Grammar School

The history of St Aidan’s can be traced back to 1928 with the founding of St Mary’s Grammar School by Canon Smith, the parish priest of St Mary’s at the time. The school was established to provide education for Catholic boys in Sunderland, responding to the town’s growing population driven by the success of the coal mining and shipbuilding industries. The original school building is now known as Bede Tower.

The Briery, Corby Hall, Sunderland Catholic College, Corby School, St. Aidan’s RC Grammar School

In 1935, the Jesuits took responsibility for the school and, the following year, moved it to The Briery on Ashbrooke Road, renaming it Corby Hall. In 1937, the name was changed to Sunderland Catholic College, before becoming Corby School in 1939. Following the departure of the Jesuits in 1948, the Christian Brothers assumed control, and the school was officially renamed St Aidan’s. Initially called St Aidan’s RC Grammar School, the institution remained a grammar school until 1973.

St. Aidan’s RC Boys Comprehensive School, St. Aidan’s Catholic Academy

In April 2013, St Aidan’s converted to an Academy. With a pupilpopulation of over 1,000, it has grown into a larger-than-average institution, serving boys from Sunderland of all faiths and backgrounds who are committed to upholding the Academy’s distinctive ethos.

In 2020, St Aidan’s became a part of the Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which provides an exceptional educational experience to young people in Sunderland and beyond

St. Aidan’s and St. Anthony’s Catholic Sixth Form

In 2016 St Aidan’s Catholic Academy and St Anthony’s Girls’ Catholic Academy merged their Sixth Forms.