HISTORY

Have you ever wondered why our school is called St Catherineʼs? It started out as something else, can you guess what it might have been?

In the late nineteenth century our parish church, St Dominicʼs, opened a school next door to the church; it was called St Dominicʼs Primary School.

Meanwhile in Jesmond there was an order of Dominican Sisters who lived in a place known as The Minories near the Cradlewell. There was a convent and a small preparatory school for boys. In the late 1960ʼs the city council planned to build a big new road and the Sisters had to move so they were given a new site. St Catherineʼs Convent and a new prep school for boys was built in the early 1970ʼs.

Over in Shieldfield, St Dominicʼs Primary Schoolʼs building was now quite old and in a poor state, while at St Catherineʼs there werenʼt many pupils in a brand new building. It was decided to move all the pupils and staff from St Dominic’s to St Catherineʼs school. The Sisters made a condition, that St Dominicʼs Primary take on the new name of St Catherineʼs.

In September 1973 the new St Catherineʼs RC Primary School opened its doors; the building has been adapted and extended over the years, but the beautiful grounds remain a feature of the school.

In the history of the school, there have only ever been three Headteachers, which says a lot for the drawing power of this special community. Mr Watson was Headteacher from the school's opening at St Catherine's until being succeeded in 1984 by Miss Martin (who later became Mrs Burns). Mr Ewing was appointed Headteacher in 1995 and worked here until December 2022. Ms Hoey was appointed Headteacher in January 2023 and continues to lead the school with dedication, warmth, and a deep commitment to maintaining St Catherine’s strong sense of community, its inclusive ethos, and its high aspirations for every child.

In 2021, St Catherine’s reopened as an academy under its full name, St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School, becoming part of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust following the Diocesan Academy Policy set out in 2019 (Catholic Education Trusts in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle). This policy aimed to protect, strengthen, and secure the future of Catholic education across the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, with all schools joining one of four Catholic Education Trusts. As a BBCET school, St Catherine’s continues to be supported in its mission to provide the very best education, rooted in Catholic values, while maintaining the unique character and community spirit that has always defined our school.

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What is the pattern on our school shield and what does Veritas mean?

Our original school shield showed the Dominican cross; it was black and white because Dominican habits are black and white, and the cross came from the Torch of Truth – a symbol of the Dominican order, often shown being carried in the mouth of a little black and white dog. Veritas, meaning Truth, featured on our original badge and remains one of our core values.

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In 2025, St Catherine’s introduced a new school logo, created with ideas from every year group. Although the shield shape was kept to honour our link with St Dominic’s, the design was updated to reflect our school’s identity, values, and daily life. The new motif includes open, welcoming hands; a shield with a golden cross radiating light; and our mottoes, “let your light shine” and “set the world on fire”. These elements were chosen to represent prayer, inclusivity, belonging, individuality, and our mission to encourage every child to grow in truth, kindness, and confidence. The children love the design, especially because it includes their own contributions and the messages they encounter every day.

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• Incidentally, the road that the council moved the convent for (the Cradlewell Bypass) wasnʼt built until the 1990ʼs.

• The letter giving approval to change the use of St Catherine's from a private school to a primary school within Newcastle Local Authority was signed by the Education Secretary at that time, Margaret Thatcher.

• One of the adaptations which took place in 1995, some 22 years after the school building accommodated both girls and boys, was the removal of the wall urinals from the girlsʼ toilets and an increase in cubicles from two to five!