10 October 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
“Have you put your heating on yet?”
It’s that time of year when our British obsession with the weather inevitably turns to this question. Some of us proudly resist, wrapped in layers and cuddling cups of tea whilst others quietly admit to switching it on “just to take the edge off”.
The start of a new school year always comes with high energy and good intentions — new shoes, new routines, fresh start. But six weeks into an eight week half term and even the best of us are starting to feel the chill, not just in temperature, but in energy levels, motivation and, in some cases, wellbeing. For many of our students, this is also the point in the year when the pressure starts to build; Year 11 students are just about to start their mocks, Year 13 students are completing their UCAS applications, and the honeymoon period is over for other year groups as the work ramps up in new subjects. Behind the scenes, however, teachers, support staff and pastoral teams are all working hard to try and keep the temperature for students just right.
Our focus in school is always on supporting our students not just academically, but also emotionally and personally. We know that our students can face a wide range of challenges over their time with us and they don’t all materialise in the same way. Whether it’s friendship issues, exam stress, low mood, anxiety, or just a sense of being overwhelmed, our pastoral staff are here to listen, guide and support.
Sticking with the temperature analogy, your child’s form tutor is the gentle, consistent warmth in their daily routine. They greet students each morning, do a welfare check, and offer that first layer of support to give our students a positive start to their day. Our Year Leaders and Assistant Year Leaders are responsible for the overall wellbeing of the cohort and, if the temperature dips for any student, they step in to adjust the thermostat. With care, they provide extra warmth through targeted support and guidance.
Our approach to pastoral care isn’t just about stepping in when things go wrong, it’s about proactively building relationships, creating a safe and inclusive environment, and helping every student feel that they belong, are understood, are valued and are part of a community. Just like a heating system, sometimes the settings may need to change and what a student needs in October might not be what they need in January. We may not always be perfect, but we try our best to keep checking in, tweaking, and listening to make sure we’re offering the right level of support at the right time so our students can thrive - no matter what the weather outside is like.
Saying all that, when it really does get cold, please try and get them to bring in a coat for break times!
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McFadden
Computing Notices
Programming Club
After a short hiatus programming club is back on and bigger than ever!
We had an overwhelming turn-out for its return which now means that we are at full capacity. If you are still interested in joining, you can let me know and I can add you to a reserve list.
Year 7 and 8 Programming club will be on for two more weeks before a half-term pause (returning after Christmas).
Year 8 CyberFirst Girls Competition
The Year 8 CyberFirst Girls Competition is open and is looking for teams of up to 4 girls to compete this year. This is a competition at which we've had overwhelming success as a school. We have won the competition 2 out of the 4 years we have competed (and were in the top 10 on the other two occasions). Winners of the competition get a goody bag of tech which has featured brand new laptops and AirPods!
If you are a girl in Year 8 and are interested in taking part in the competition, please let me know in IT2 at break or lunchtime, or you can message me on Teams.
Click here to find out more about the competition.
Mr O’Connor
Computing Department
BioBee
To celebrate Biology week, the Royal Society of Biology have been running a national spelling bee competition. The Biology Department have had an impressive influx of students for the qualifying rounds, and we would like to congratulate our finalists Katrina and Evelyn (Year 12) and Isaac (Year 13). Prizes and certificates will be awarded by the RSB.
Miss Murphy
Subject Lead for Biology
PE News
Last Friday afternoon our Year 8 boys’ football team travelled to Emmanuel College in the English Schools Cup. In horrendous conditions we beat them 4-3 in a closely contested game. The team showed great resilience after going behind three times. Our goals came from Charlie D, Thom B who was POM and two goals from Maxwell D. Special mention to Xander B from Year 7 who stepped up to play in goal.
Also last Friday, our Year 7 boys’ basketball team were at Dame Allan’s for a friendly. We started strongly and went on to secure a comfortable 33-16 victory. A great team performance with Ben S POM.
On Sunday, 13 of our runners travelled to Sedbergh School, Cumbria to compete in the English Schools Fell Running championships. It was a very challenging and steep course, but all our runners persevered. Amazing news that Lilian H from Year 7 finished runner-up in the country. Also an outstanding run by Henry E, who finished 7th.
On Monday our U13 girls’ football team were due to host Mortimer School in the County Cup. Unfortunately, they conceded the game so we progress to round 2. Our VIth form boys football team did however play as we took on Dame Allan's in the second round of the English Schools Cup. We scored four goals in the first 20 minutes on our way to a 6-2 victory. This included a hattrick from POM Cole C.
Football continued on Tuesday as our Year 8 boys’ team faced St Bede's, Peterlee in the County Cup. We started strongly and were 3-0 ahead at half-term. Despite a second half comeback we showed great resilience to win 6-4. Will S scored a hattrick and was joint POM with Matthew H.
Our Year 10 boys’ football team were also in County Cup action on Tuesday as the hosted St Robert's. This was another excellent victory as we controlled the game going on to reach the next round with a 6-1 win.
On Wednesday afternoon we hosted the U16 girls’ county rugby tournament. This was an outstanding afternoon of high-quality rugby in perfect conditions. We won all but one of our matches, finishing runners-up to Egglescliffe. The girls demonstrated real progress thanks to the excellent coaching they have been receiving from Mark and Kirsty from Durham City RFC.
After school our Year 11 netball team were at Durham High competing in the Area tournament. They also finished runners-up after only losing one match to the hosts who were champions. Verity R was POT.
A busy week of football continued on Thursday as our Year 7 girls played their first match, an English Schools game away at Whitburn. This was a great performance as we led 6-0 at half-time. We reached the second round with a 6-1 victory. POM was captain Lilian H.
Our Year 7 & 8 boys’ teams travelled to King James for league games. Both teams secured comfortable victories as our Year 7s won 6-2 with Blake and Juan joint POMs. Our Year 8s won 10-1 with seven different goal scorers! Joint POMs were Scarlett G and Will S.
We finish the week tonight with basketball, rugby and girls’ football matches. Our U13 girls’ football team are heading to Whitburn in the English Schools Cup and our Year 7 boys’ basketball team and Year 8 & 11 boys’ rugby teams are at Emmanuel College for friendly fixtures. Good luck to them all.
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE
A reminder of our weekly sports bulletin:
Sports Bulletin