They were founded by Dame Eleanor Allan,[1][2][3] the daughter of a local goldsmith and the widow of a tobacco merchant, to provide a proper education for "40 poor boys and 20 poor girls of the parishes of St Nicholas and St John".

[4] The school then moved to College Street in Newcastle in 1883 and remained there until 1935 when it re-located to the present site in Fenham.

[5] A number of new classrooms were built between 2004 and 2005 to replace older facilities, with some intended specifically for the sixth form centre.

The grant was given by the Reece Foundation which promotes the improvement of education in engineering, technology and related subjects.

The £8 million transformative development consists of a light and airy art exhibition space, purpose built science labs, a dedicated design technology space for sixth formers, as well as MFL, Art and maths classrooms.

It does enter all its students in public examinations such as GCSEs and A-levels, so the subjects taught are closely tied into their national counterparts.