A new secondary school for 900 pupils on a reclaimed colliery site south of Sunderland for the Durham Diocesan Board of Education. The exposed site dictated a design which ensured sheltered external spaces for both recreational and curricular use. The project was the first new secondary school in the Sunderland LEA's area for over thirty years. The Venerable Bede CofE Secondary School has been included as an example of best practice in the joint DfES/CABE publication “Picturing School Design”. The building also features on the DfES’ “Design for Learning” flyer which is circulated to all Local Education Authorities.