Friday Bulletin

Dear Parents & Carers,

We are at the end of a busy half-term, and, in many ways, it has been a much more normal period for the school than we may have expected in early September. Whilst Covid-19 cases have fluctuated, we have been fortunate to avoid the significant case numbers that have affected other schools, with most students and staff able to maintain high or full attendance. Of greater impact have been the other forms of cold and flu as students and staff mix more freely again. However, it has seemed on occasion that controls are limited nationally; Test & Trace oversight of school cases has seemed quite sporadic, with some staff members receiving between 10 and 15 calls to check that they are isolating and some families of children who have tested positive reporting that they have received limited or no contact at all. We were unsure quite what to expect when preparing for the new term and it is encouraging that the trepidation felt by many in our school community has been largely unfounded. We are, however, thinking cautiously about next half-term, as nationally case numbers are rising and it has been hard to avoid the national debate around a ‘Plan B’. 

Normality has also been represented by a positive period between August & October, with excellent results for Years 11 and 13 and a highly successful summer school for our new Year 7 students. From September onwards we have had a wide range of sporting opportunities, activities and competitions. The school is regularly filled with music after school, with students preparing for the Christmas and Cathedral concerts. County ensembles have started up again, as have a wide range of individual music lessons thanks to Durham’s excellent music service provision. A range of clubs and societies are flourishing, and we will end the half-term with the much-anticipated ghostly Spooktacular.

The school has also welcomed the parents and carers of Years 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13 for information sessions and we have hosted successful open evenings for families that are considering places for September 2022. We have also had a large number of teachers training with us and have organised subject specific training days for prospective teachers across the county. Many of our internal discussions during the past two years have focused upon Durham Johnston Comprehensive School being able to return stronger than ever, and we are certainly working hard to fulfil that aim. It has also been excellent to physically welcome new governors to the school and to meet face to face again with those who have offered long and excellent service. I became Headteacher formally in 2019 and it is good that the balance of our daily work is now allowing us to both manage the current issues associated with the pandemic and its impact, whilst also thinking about how the school can improve, adapt, and offer more to our community in the years ahead. A friend recently recommended The Habit of Excellence: Why British Army Leadership Works by Lt Col Langley Sharp and I was particularly taken with this quotation:

Leadership is messy, never ending and full of painful trade- offs that make you question whether or not you are doing the right thing. Indeed, if leadership doesn’t feel difficult, it probably isn’t happening at all.

It has certainly felt like that since 2019, but we are heartened by the positive conduct of our students, keenness of staff to work collaboratively and the support that we have received from parents and carers. We will be surveying parents and students in the next half-term, but are also asking if the parents and carers of students with a special educational need or disability would be willing to participate in the following school focus groups. The first group is for the parents or carers of a child with a diagnosis of autism, or those going through that process, and the second is for those who would like to join a Special Educational Needs working group, so that parental voice features alongside student voice in the review of our school policy and information report.  Please contact Helen Davies, our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator via the following address: learningsupport@durhamjohnston.org.uk

There are some important dates for the half-term ahead that it is sensible to share with you. Those dates are:

• Ofqual Update for Year 11 & 13 Parents – Monday 1^st November 2021.
• Year 10 Parental Information Meeting -  Tuesday 2^nd November 2021
• Year 7 Parental Information Evening - Wednesday 3^rd November 2021.
• Year 13 Parents’ Evening - Monday 8^th November 2021. Booking for Year 13 Parents Evening opens Monday 1st November at 12.00pm and closes on Thursday 4th November at 12.00pm.
• Year 11 Parents’ Evening - Monday 29^th November 2021. Booking for Year 11 Parents Evening will open on Monday 22nd November at 12.00pm and close on Thursday 25th November at 12.00pm. Year 11 Parents will receive more detailed information about this after half term.
• Christmas Concerts – Thursday 9^th December 2021 and Friday 10^th December. (Please see the music notices at this link for more information.)
• Cathedral Carol Service - Friday 17^th December 2021.

We have been contacted by members of the public and local residents about three specific things this week, all of which have a potential safeguarding context. Firstly, could I ask you to speak at home about road safety again? We have had reports of students walking into traffic on the A167, as opposed to using the appropriate crossings and bridges. This is extremely dangerous and we will continue to speak very directly with students choosing to behave in such a dangerous way. Please support us by having a similar conversation at home. We have also received calls from concerned drivers about students cycling on the A167 without safety helmets, particularly near to University Hospital and Framwellgate roundabout. Please make sure that your child wears a helmet if cycling to school, as not doing so puts them in real danger of a serious head injury. Finally, could I please remind those choosing to drop their children near to the school by car, that blocking the drives of local residents or parking on their property when doing so is inconsiderate and unfair to those within our wider community. Similarly, the area outside the school gates is not a designated turning circle, and dropping your children at that point can represent a significant safety risk. We want our students to have good manners and to think of others and it is important that we model that behaviour as adults too.

Have a good half-term.

Mr O’Sullivan