lord lawson of beamish academy
Chester Le Street
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is a larger-than-average mixed secondary school
in the town of Birtley. The school role is usually around 1450 students,
including around 200 in the sixth form. The school occupies a large site,
elevated above the east side of the town. Birtley is situated in the borough of
Gateshead, and is between Gateshead and Chester-le-Street. Lord Lawson of
Beamish Academy is a stand-alone academy, with no affiliation to other schools
or academy trusts. Secondary schools in Gateshead work closely together, with
one another, with their cluster of primary schools and with the local authority.
The school was founded in 1970 as an amalgamation of three previous secondary
schools. The present school building was opened in September 2007, built as part
of the government’s Private Finance Initiative. The building was constructed by
Sir Robert McAlpine and is very well maintained. It provides good-sized
classrooms and excellent facilities for learning. Andrew Fowler has been the
Principal since June 2019. Previous principals were Mark Lovatt and, before him,
David Grigg. The principal is assisted by a deputy principal and a small number
of assistant principals. Departments are led by subject leaders, assisted in the
larger subjects by deputy and assistant subject leaders. The school is named
after Jack Lawson, who was an influential local trade union leader and Labour
politician. Jack Lawson became a Member of Parliament, representing a
constituency in County Durham. He was a minister in the MacDonald and Attlee
governments. When Jack Lawson was given a life peerage in 1950, he took the
title Baron Lawson of Beamish. The school’s vision and values are inspired by
Jack Lawson’s dedication to public service and education. The school still
enjoys strong links with local industry and politics.
