Our history

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. 

Schools in the west of the diocese form Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust and are located within Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead and Northumberland local authorities. As a family of infant, junior, first, primary, middle and secondary schools, our schools nurture pupils aged 3 to 18 years. There are 16,000 pupils in Trust schools served by approximately 2,000 staff.

Schools are supported by central teams, who have been based at BWCET HQ in Washington since November 2022. The essential services teams include school improvement, finance, human resources, governance, estates, operations, procurement, and IT.

Our Trust is named after the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, Rt Rev Thomas William Wilkinson. Having been born near Stanley, County Durham, Bishop Wilkinson spent most of his life in the region. Despite periods of ill health, he was ordained Auxilliary Bishop on 25 July 1888 before being translated to Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle nine months later. He was also invited to take responsibility for Ushaw College Seminary, Durham, and remained resident there until his death in 1909. Bishop Wilkinson loved Ushaw and it is therefore fitting that he is buried in the grounds of the college, right at the heart of our Trust.