Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is a stand-alone academy, with no affiliation to other schools or academy trusts. Secondary schools in Gateshead work closely together, with one another, with their cluster of primary schools and with the local authority.

The school was founded in 1970 as an amalgamation of three previous secondary schools. The present school building was opened in September 2007, built as part of the government’s Private Finance Initiative. The building was constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine and is very well maintained. It provides good-sized classrooms and excellent facilities for learning.

Andrew Fowler has been the Principal since June 2019. Previous principals were Mark Lovatt and, before him, David Grigg. The principal is assisted by a deputy principal and a small number of assistant principals. Departments are led by subject leaders, assisted in the larger subjects by deputy and assistant subject leaders.