It opened in 1798 to provide a free education to girls, funded by a bequest from Elizabeth Donnison.
Students from the ages of 7 to 16[5] were taught needlework, spinning, sewing and knitting in addition to reading and writing.
[10][11][4] The school closed at some point between 1905-1910[10] and the buildings became the caretaker's cottage to the Church of the Holy Trinity.
In 2001 it was purchased by the charity Living History North East from the Church of England.
[12][13] Five years later, the charity received a grant of £287,000 from Sunderland City Council and the National Heritage Lottery Fund to repair and refurbish the school.