St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College

What St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College does

St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College is a voluntary aided Catholic comprehensive school for ages 11-18, located on Biddick Lane in Washington, Tyne and Wear, England. The school operates within the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and is governed by The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust (BWCET), a multi-academy trust and exempt charity. It serves over 1,600 students drawn from the Catholic parishes of Washington, Birtley, Penshaw, Houghton and Hetton, and maintains formal feeder relationships with five Catholic primary schools in the area. The school's motto, 'Let Your Light Shine', anchors its stated Catholic ethos and full-time chaplain provision.

Name

St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College

Legal name

St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College

Website

https://strobertofnewminster.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The school's portfolio comprises a secondary school covering Years 7-11 (Key Stages 3 and 4) delivering GCSE qualifications, and an integrated Sixth Form College covering Years 12-13 (Key Stage 5) offering more than 30 A Level and vocational subjects, including BTEC Sport, Cambridge Technical IT and Engineering. Supporting products include the Preparing for Success cognitive-science revision programme, KS3 Literacy and Numeracy programmes, the Oliver library system, GCSE Pod for KS4 revision, Duke of Edinburgh Award (Bronze/Silver/Gold), and a UCAS/careers guidance programme built on Unifrog. The technology backbone is Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams for remote learning and student email; communications to parents run through the Arbor platform, and admissions processes for the Sixth Form are administered via Microsoft Forms. Revenue is government-funded on a per-pupil basis via the Sunderland Local Authority and the Diocese; there is no tuition fee. Family-borne costs are limited to uniform, examination resit fees, replacement planners and voluntary contributions, with a Sixth Form Bursary available to eligible students. Admissions to Year 7 are coordinated through the local authority, while Sixth Form applications are direct to the school, supported by open evenings, feeder primary networks, and dedicated bus routes across Tyne and Wear.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Per Pupil): As a voluntary aided Catholic school, the school receives government funding based on pupil numbers through the local authority and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. This covers the core educational operations.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St Robert of Newminster provides Catholic secondary education for students aged 11-18, delivering the Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 curriculum leading to GCSEs and an integrated Sixth Form offering A Level and vocational qualifications (BTEC Sport, Cambridge Technical in IT, Engineering). Education is supported by structured pastoral care, UCAS and careers guidance, and a wide co-curricular programme including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and an international Zambia partnership.

Product overview

St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College is an 11-18 mixed Catholic comprehensive school serving over 1,600 students across the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Its educational portfolio comprises a core secondary school (Years 7-11, covering KS3 and KS4 curriculum) and an integrated Sixth Form College (Years 12-13, KS5). The Sixth Form offers A Level and vocational qualifications including BTEC Sport, Cambridge Technical in IT, and Engineering. Supporting products include the Oliver Library Management System, GCSE Pod revision tool, a Preparing for Success cognitive-science revision programme, KS3 Literacy and Numeracy support programmes, and Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Bronze/Silver/Gold). Remote learning is delivered via Microsoft Office 365 and Teams, student university/apprenticeship guidance through Unifrog, and parent communication through Arbor. The school also provides dedicated bridging work materials for all 30+ Sixth Form subjects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% GCSE pass rate in Mathematics; over 90% in English
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GEMS Education: International K-12 school operator with presence in the UK and globally. Comparable as a scaled secondary education provider, though differentiated by private fee-based model rather than state per-pupil funding.
• Academies Enterprise Trust: Major UK multi-academy trust operating a national portfolio of primary and secondary academies. Comparable through MAT structure, government per-pupil funding and a similarly broad operating footprint across regions.
• Harris Federation: Large multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies, primarily in London and the South East. Comparable as a large MAT with central governance and a track record of academic improvement in state-funded schools.
• United Learning: One of the largest multi-academy trusts in the UK, operating a broad portfolio of primary, secondary and independent schools. Comparable as a MAT governance structure and funding model that could conceivably encompass Catholic schools.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: Large UK multi-academy trust operating a network of academies across England. Comparable as a peer MAT providing shared governance, training and operational support to state-funded secondary schools.
• Oasis Community Learning: Multi-academy trust operating Oasis academies nationwide with a strong values-driven ethos. Comparable through shared MAT governance and per-pupil funding model, and partially through a distinctive non-academic ethos.
• E-Act: Large UK multi-academy trust operating around 30 academies nationwide. Comparable through shared MAT governance, central back-office support and per-pupil government funding model.

Direct peers

• Cardinal Hume Catholic School: Catholic secondary school in Gateshead, also within the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, serving a similar 11-18 cohort. Direct peer by virtue of shared Catholic ethos, diocese governance, and overlapping North East catchment.
• English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College: Catholic secondary school with attached Sixth Form in the Hartlepool area, offering a comparable 11-18 Catholic comprehensive model with A-Level and vocational pathways. Direct peer through shared faith-based structure and similar North East operating profile.
• St Leonard's Catholic School: Catholic secondary school in Durham operating under the same Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Direct peer through shared Catholic character, similar voluntary-aided funding model and overlapping North East England catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100085238990988
• Instagraminstagram.com/strobertofnewminster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-robert-of-newminster-catholic-school-and-sixth-from-college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College