12 December 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
“Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
As we reach the end of the penultimate week of term, the festive finish line is in sight! Much like a tray of warm gingerbread biscuits, it brings with it a sweet aroma of excitement and, if I am being honest, a small measure of exhaustion! The quote above is reflective of the pace in school at this time of year (as I’m sure if is for you at home too) and, just like a busy kitchen during the festive season, school has been abuzz with activity this week.
This week we have had a great Year 8 Film Night (Year 7 will be having theirs on Tuesday) and as a community shared festive cheer with a fabulous Christmas dinner yesterday cooked by our wonderful catering team. In an unusual turn of events, the gravy took second place to the roasties this year! The generous donations for the Christmas Appeal have continued to flow into school (we are incredibly grateful for your support), and our enterprising Year 11 students has been selling candy canes to fundraise for the prom. The buzz continues next week with our annual Santa Run and our celebratory end-of-year assemblies where we will recognise the hard work, talent and dedication of our students.
Every evening after school the atrium has been filled with the sounds of musical excellence as rehearsals for the Carol Service are in full swing. We are excited once again to be holding this in Durham Cathedral next Friday. A huge amount of preparation goes into this event, and it is always a wonderful way to end the term. It is the only occasion when we are able to have the majority of the school in one space, which brings with it a lovely sense of community and belonging. In assemblies this week, Mrs Bell and I have spoken to all students about the privilege of being the only state secondary school to have a service at the cathedral, and we are very pleased to invite our Year 7 parents and carers to celebrate with us, marking the end of their fabulous first term.
Throughout all this festive excitement our core purpose of educating continues; Year 12 students have been demonstrating focus and dedication in their mock exams this week whilst Year 11 Food students have been doing some cooking of their own with mock exam trails. These and other exam year groups in particular will be looking forward to a chance to rest and re-charge during the break. I hope all members of our community manage to find some time over the coming weeks to slow down, catch their breath, and make the most of the Christmas period. My aunt was a phenomenal baker, and she always said a good gingerbread recipe needs time for the dough to chill before baking; if you skip this step, the biscuits will spread out and lose their shape. Our bodies and minds need the same care and attention. So perhaps this should be a time not to chase the gingerbread man but instead slow down, spend time with the people we care about, read a book by the fire, go for a long winter walk or simply have a lie in.
We will be in contact next week with a wellbeing update and links to sources of support over the break should they be needed.
Thank you for all your support this term, and have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McFadden
Year 11 RSE Event
On Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th December we welcome back Wayne Stevenson from Stevenson Training and Interventions Relationships and Sex Education. Wayne will be in school working with year 11 students. The focus of the session is on consent, factors influencing the capacity to consent, healthy relationships, coercive control and the law. You can find the resources he will be using in the RSE section of our website.
FBM Beamish Visit
Our Year 8 Future Business Magnates Team were invited along to Beamish Museum this week. The aim of the day was to show students how towns and shopping has advanced and how problems could be solved with inventions, market research and effective marketing. We learnt SO much - it was such an interesting experience, from presentations on the Davy Lamp, baking, cinema experiences and sweet making (yes, the sweet shop was a highlight) - the day was packed with fun and learning. The Team represented the school so well - a real credit! On to the next challenge as we look to bring our ideas to life!
Miss Forbes
Subject Leader for Business & Computing
Christmas Appeal 2025
A few weeks ago we launched our annual Christmas Appeal; we always hope it is a success, and always hope as a community we do something magical. We were a little worried this year as we know the cost of living crisis is taking its toll on so many of our families. As the gifts and food started to arrive under the tree, we realised we didn't need to worry; once again our students have far exceed anything we could have hoped for - amazing gifts, an abundance of food and some special treats for those who need it most. First class!
Once everything was in place a team of unbelievable sixth formers gave up their time to organise and sort the food for two of our charities - Durham Foodbank and Feeding Families - in the midst of this the Young Carers team arrived to collect the toys, and they could not believe what they were seeing. We all got a little emotional at the sheer volume and quality of the gifts, which filled two cars literally to the brim!
All of the food for both charities was sorted into categories to make things easier at the depot. The Foodbank have confirmed that our donations equate to 163 meals for families this Christmas - just wonderful.
We would like to thank you, your child, tutors and the Sixth Form House Leads for your donations, time and care - it just shows how important community is and that by working together - we can achieve a lot.
Have a lovely Christmas; you've certainly made it a little easier for those in need.
Miss Forbes
Senior Teacher – the House System
PE News
Last Friday our Junior boys, Junior girls and Inter boys cross-country teams travelled down to Rugby to compete in the English Schools national finals held at Princethorpe School.
After a restful nights' sleep, the best schools from around the country gathered for an excellent day of high quality competition. Conditions were good but the course was extremely wet and muddy. Despite this we produced some excellent performances. Our Junior girls’ and Inter boys’ teams finished 19th but were both the 6th best state school in the country. Our Junior boys finished 22nd and were 11th best state school. Henry E finished 21st in his race.
On Monday, our Year 7 boys futsal team were at Bishop Barrington for the Area final. This was a close game throughout and ended 2-2. A penalty shoot-out was required, and we held our nerve to become champions and progress to the county final after Christmas.
On Tuesday our Year 9 & 10 netball teams faced Durham High in league matches. Our Year 10 team remained unbeaten and top of the league with a comfortable 27 - 4 victory. They have an excellent Year 9 team and proved too strong for us eventually winning 42-3. Also on Tuesday, our Year 10 boys football team were at Castleview School in the County Cup. We played some great football on our way to a straightforward 6-0 victory. We now move into the semi-final. Louis B scored 4 goals and was POM. Unfortunately, the poor weather caused the postponement of the Year 7 boys football match against Parkview and the Year 7 & 8 girls CVL at Parkside.
Last night we hosted the Year 10 boys Tyneside basketball tournament. We started with a comfortable 20-12 victory against Emmanuel College and became winners with a final win against Framwellgate. POM was Manos M. We now reach the final against Kings after Christmas.
Good luck tonight to our Year 9 basketball team who are at Emmanuel College for their Tyneside tournament.
Also good luck to our biathletes, who are travelling to Lancashire on Sunday 28th December to compete in the north regional biathlon finals hoping to secure a place in the national finals in March.
As this is the final instalment of PE news for the calendar year, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas on behalf of the PE department and thank parents for the continued support this year. We look forward to more sporting success in 2026!
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE
A reminder of our weekly sports bulletin: