Hello, I am Catherine Young and I am honoured to be the Headteacher of this excellent school! St Benet’s is a very special school – special because of our staff, our families, our parish, our community and of course, our wonderful children! Our school is a small Catholic primary school which serves the parish of St. Joseph’s, Birtley in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. We are one of 48 schools in the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust and we work closely with our parish and trust to ensure that all children thrive and grow, both personally and academically.

Our mission statement ‘a happy and holy place of learning and the centre of a thriving community’ is at the heart of everything we do. We are proud of the relationships that we have with our families and we ensure that every child has the opportunity for their faith to be nurtured in a loving, happy and secure atmosphere. 

During the year 2023-2024, our school was greatly affected by the disruption caused by RAAC. Throughout these challenges, our community supported one another to ensure that every child received the best possible education and opportunities at school. We see it as our mission to spread the Gospel through our aspirations and care for the children in our school, no matter what.

Our school opened on 2nd June 1975 and in June 2025, we shall celebrate our school’s 50th birthday! Although our school is not one of the oldest in our trust or diocese, under the DfE’s school rebuilding programme, we shall see a new school building on our current site in the next few years. It is therefore a very exciting time to be part of our St Benet’s family!

Mrs C Young – Headteacher