School History

The Sisters of Mercy established a community in Green Street, Sunderland, in 1843.  In 1902 St. Anthony’s Grammar School was established and in 1904 it obtained state recognition. 

In 1921 a Sixth Form was created.  At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 the school moved to its present site.  In 1972 the school became a direct grant comprehensive and in 1976 a voluntary aided comprehensive.

After two highly successful O.F.S.T.E.D. inspections in 1994 and 1998 St. Anthony’s was described by Inspectors as, “a very good secondary school”.  The 1995 Diocesan R.E. Report referred to the, “excellent ethos of the school”. 

In September 1999 the school became a designated Technology College.  In the year 2000 the school was invited by the D.f.E.S. to become a Beacon School. The school received an Excellence Award from the D.f.E.S. in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

In 2002 the school underwent a highly successful post-16 area wide O.F.S.T.E.D. Inspection.

The 2003 O.F.S.T.E.D. Report described the school as, “very good with some excellent features”.  The 2003 Diocesan R.E. Report describes, “the happy and secure environment where pupils develop academically and spiritually and where opportunities are underlined by a strong moral code”.

The school currently has over 90 teaching staff, nearly as many non-teaching staff and 1350 pupils, including 250 in Year 12 and Year 13.

St. Anthony’s has I.T.T. partnerships with Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland Universities and Vaxjo University, Sweden.  We are also part of the Catholic Partnership G.T.P. training programme based at Carmel Technology College, Darlington.

Within the City of Sunderland the school is part of the Excellence in Cities Partnership.

The school is a member of the Hexham and Newcastle (South) partnership which promotes professional development and curriculum development within a network of secondary schools within the diocese. 

In 2004 the school celebrated the centenary of the foundation of the school as a secondary school with a sixth form.  It continues to go from strength to strength achieving the best ever G.C.S.E. and A level results in 2008 and as a result receiving High Performing Specialist School Status.  From September 2009 the school will become a Specialist Language College, an additional second specialism.