Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle

Bishop Wlikinson Catholic Education Trust serves schools in the west of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, in the north east of England. 

In December 2019, the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle published its Diocesan Academy Plan which outlined plans for all Diocesan schools to become academies within one of four Diocesan Education Trusts. Underpinning the Diocesan Academy Policy was the desire and need to ensure the promotion, preservation, protection and future development of Catholic education within the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle so that it is fit for the mission of the Church. 

In establishing these trust structures and having a single system in the diocese, the aim continues to be to ensure that the children and young people in our schools will continue to receive the very best educational opportunities and life fulfilling experiences, within communities which have the teachings of Christ and his Church at the very centre. 

This Catholic Trust model, where every school has its place, is now well-established and means that no individual school is left isolated or vulnerable in a rapidly changing environment. It ensures that the uniqueness of each individual school is celebrated and the unique contribution of all is recognised and appreciated. 

Pope Francis appointed Bishop Stephen Wright , the fifteenth Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, on 14 June 2023.