Benfield School

Benfield School is a coeducational secondary school located in Walkergate, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Benfield School
Address
Benfield Road Walkergate Newcastle upon Tyne , Tyne and Wear , NE6 4NU England
Coordinates	54.98991°N 1.55936°W / 54.98991; -1.55936
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Growing leaders, Inspiring the extraordinary
Established	1967
Local authority	Newcastle City Council
Trust	NEAT Academy Trust
Department for Education URN	108526 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Headteacher	Anthony Martin
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11 to 18
Enrolment	969
Colour(s)	Blue
Website	www.benfield-school.co.uk

^[1]

Its pupils come from a large area of Newcastle's East and West ends including Byker, Heaton, Walker, Walkergate, Benwell and other areas of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Benfield was first opened in 1967 as one of the first purpose-built comprehensive schools in England, and over the years has built up a reputation as a sports college. The school is also the North of England gymnastics centre and has all-weather floodlit football, rugby and basketball pitches, badminton courts along with ordinary pitches, tennis courts and a swimming pool.

Previously a foundation school administered by Newcastle City Council, in May 2017 Benfield School converted to academy status. The school is now sponsored by the NEAT Academy Trust.

Facilities

Benfield School is renowned locally and regionally for its sport and creative arts facilities. Below are a number of examples of the facilities available at the school to students and the community:-

• Swimming Pool - 20m x 9m Swimming Pool with swimming a part of the curriculum offer for students.^[2]
• Floodlit 3G Pitch - which supports the work of the Benfield Elite Football Academy.^[2]
• Gymnastics Centre - 2336 square meters of floor gymnastics space.^[3]
• Staged Drama and Dance Studio - a versatile performance space with light rigging in place with two fixed stages.^[4]

Alumni

• Lee Hall (playwright), English playwright and screenwriter most famous for his Academy Award-nominated screenplay for the 1999 film Billy Elliot. Hall also wrote the screenplay for the 2019 biopic Rocketman which documents the life of Sir Elton John. His lyrics appear on Elton John's 2004 album Peachtree Road which includes 'The Letter', 'Electricity' and 'Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher'.^[5]
• Steve Bruce, Former Newcastle United Football Manager (2019-2021) and former footballer ^[6]
• Lee Clark, English football manager and former footballer ^[7]
• Vineeta Rishi, actress known for starring in Line of Duty, Doctor Who and Holby City^[8]