- This school was established as a private institution by the Duchess of Northumberland in 1808. It educated 20 girls in one of the second duke’s properties in Alnwick. It moved sites several times and became a co-educational comprehensive school in 1979. Eventually it was rebuilt in a multimillion-pound project and opened in 2017 on land leased through the duchy.
- The school converted to an academy within the Ponteland-based Pele Trust in 2023 but retained its name, badge and uniform. The co-head teachers James Wilson and Alan Rogers chose Pele Trust partly because of its smaller list of schools and partly for this opportunity to retain a level of autonomy.
- There is an eclectic range of extracurricular activities, from French puppet theatre and a ceilidh band to conservation groups and Vex robotics.
- Sports facilities include the Lucy Bronze Sports Hall, named in honour of the ex-student and England football player, who helped the Lionesses take victory at the 2022 and 2025 European championships. Students also have access to the nearby Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre.
- Other notable former pupils include Ida Cook, a British romance novelist who published under the name Mary Burchell and used the proceeds to help Jews escape from Nazi Germany. Cook was aided by her sister, Louise, and in 1965 Israel honoured them as Righteous Among the Nations.
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