It caters for boys from ages 11 to 18, providing GCSE and A Level and BTEC qualifications as part of its teaching programme.

It is also twinned with St Joseph's Agricultural School In Blama, Sierra Leone.

The building on Burdon Road is a villa in Italianate style originally the home of Mayor John Moore.

The original Superior of the teaching staff, and of Corby Hall Retreat House, was Father SJ Whittaker.

It was opened on 8 October 1933 by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, Joseph Thorman and closed in 1973.

Ashbrooke House was used as a retreat by the Brothers for many years, but was sold off in the 1970s and demolished to make way for flats.