23 June 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are nearing the end of a long exam season and I would like to thank parents, carers and, most importantly our GCSE and A Level students, for their hard work and dedication throughout that period. We will now review our examination protocols in preparation for 2023-24. Our younger students have been very considerate too and the longer period for exams, whilst positive for those sitting exams, poses tricky logistical considerations for our large and busy school. One key ritual associated with leaving is attending the Year 11 Prom and I hope that all those participating tonight have both good weather and a lovely time.
We shared a survey with all parents and carers in November 2022 and used the results to consolidate strengths and to identify areas for improvement. We are sharing a parental survey again today and I would encourage as much feedback as possible. We are keen to know what you believe the school does well and what we might do better in 2023-24. Additional Information can be found later in the bulletin. If you would like to discuss a specific point, please be aware that the survey is anonymous and that we would always encourage you to contact the school directly, with positive comments, or questions or concerns that you may have.
The next four weeks offer a variety of opportunities to support our students and the school. We have recently referenced the range of events taking place before the end of term and I wanted to share a number here. In terms of music, we have the upcoming Music Festival, a Music Service performance and Music for a Summer Evening. Music continues to be a real strength of the school.
We also have our Year 6 and Year 12 induction days; Year 12 attended the UCAS Conference in Newcastle yesterday; students have the opportunity to visit universities; and both Year 10 and 12 have work experience. There is also a UCAS information evening for Year 12 parents and carers, and we will be interviewing candidates for the 6th Form Head Student Team and Student Governors. As well as inviting Year 6 into school, we will meet with their parents to discuss safeguarding and how to stay safe online. Similarly, we are currently running a range of informative and age-appropriate personal development sessions.
School teams are competing in the final fixtures of the year and are looking forward to the annual Sports Presentation Evening, which is always a wonderful occasion, as we celebrate the continuing success and strength of sport at the school. We will also look forward to the final of the public speaking competition, and students will be completing the next stage of their Duke of Edinburgh awards.
There are also school trips and visits taking place in the final weeks of term. Please note that there are no travel restrictions in place in relation to Covid-19 and vaccinations. Having organised a variety of trips in my time at Durham Johnston, can I remind parents and carers of how much time and effort goes into running a successful visit for our students? Those wonderful opportunities are only possible because of the commitment and hard work of school staff, who often have their own young children, and it is always greatly appreciated when both students and their families are kind enough to say thank you.
We will be remembering Gill Bittlestone, a much-missed colleague, by raising money via our annual Year 7 and Year 8 colour run, with Year 9 also completing a colour run for charity. Staff and students have also organised a charity football match to support one of our Year 10 students, Kyle, who we all hope will be back in school soon. We will end the year with an event for this year’s winning house and with our enrichment week. It important to note that the vast majority of students will be involved in the events outlined above, and staff work enormously hard to offer so many opportunities for our students. There are other important visits and events taking place and we are very proud that students are fortunate enough to have so many different ways in which they can learn, gain experience and celebrate their success.
If you would like to be involved in supporting the school financially or via sponsorship, we are very keen to hear from you and the school’s Governing Body will be announcing several opportunities to do so in the near future. We hope that all past and current parents and carers are keen for the school to continue providing the wide range of opportunities that we currently do and there are many ways to contribute towards our ongoing success. We will share more soon.
Have a good weekend.
Mr O’Sullivan
What is my child learning?
In the Learning section of our website you can find guidance on what every student at the school is studying. As well as an overview of our curriculum and principles behind it, you can find an overview of each subject area. You can also find a guide to the content being covered in every subject and how you can support your child for each half term here: Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 | Year 12 | Year 13
Parental Survey
As a school we're committed to finding out what our parental body is thinking. To that end we run surveys for parents twice in the academic year. The first survey ran in November 2022 and the second will run between Friday 23rd June and Friday 7th July 2023. The link to complete the survey was emailed directly to all parents and carers this morning. If you have multiple children in the school, please feel free to complete the survey for each child.
The survey is a valuable way of sharing your thoughts about the school. We are keen to know about the things that we do well and that are valued. We are also keen to identify ways in which we can adapt and improve. We always want as many parents and carers to complete the survey as possible, so that all members of our parent body are heard. If you have a positive comment that you would like to make, or a concern that you would like to raise that requires a personal response, please contact the school directly. The anonymous nature of the survey means that we won't be able to identify any individuals who might need additional support. We would always recommend that parents contact the school directly if they have a specific concern so that we can work together.
We use an external organisation to conduct the survey. After the deadline of Friday 7th July, they will analyse your responses and offer comparisons with the views of parents and carers nationally. However, they have been given no access to anyone's personal data at any point, nor will they share your responses with anyone other than us. It is also important to note that each parent response is anonymous as noted above.
If you have any technical issues with the link or the survey, please email school@durhamjohnston.org.uk marked for my attention.
Thank you in advance for sharing your views.
Mr Wright
Deputy Headteacher
Year 10 Mock Exams
Next week, Year 10 students will sit mock exams in Science and Maths. These important exams will be conducted in exam rooms and under examination conditions. Students have been given their timetable and an assembly with all the details. Below are 3 top revision tips each from Subject Leads for Science and Maths and Year Leader.
Relationships and Sex Education Update: Summer Term 2022-2023
You can find the new RSE policy here.
Year 8 sessions
Wayne Stevenson will be delivering a series of RSE workshops with our Year 8 students as part of wraparound support on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th of June 2023. The sessions will focus on the law concerning consent and sharing indecent images and how to recognise abusive relationships.
You can find out more about Wayne here.
Miss Robson
Assistant Headteacher, Personal Development
Year 10 Food Technology Trip
On Friday Ms Hart and I walked into Durham with 28 GCSE Food & Nutrition students to The Cellar Door for lunch. The purpose of the trip was to inspire them and give them ideas of how they could present their foods, considering portion size, colour, texture and exciting combinations of flavours. The chef agreed to design a tasting menu just for us to showcase a variety of food. The students were served all the meals by the chefs who talked through how the food was prepared and cooked. This was an incredible experience, and we are so grateful the restaurant agreed to cater for such a large group - huge thanks to all the staff at The Cellar Door!
Malak said: "it was exciting to see and eat foods that I'd never heard of and things I wouldn't normally eat."
Miss Greenfield
Design Technology Department
Public Speaking Competition
The English Department warmly invites you to the final of this year’s public speaking competition. Students in Years 7 and 8 work hard to produce persuasive speeches as part of their English lessons, and the early rounds take place in school time. The 2023 final is on Tuesday 11th July, starting at 4:00pm and expected to finish by 5:30pm, in James Hall. This year our guest judge is The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Durham.
DofE at DJCS
Applications for Bronze now open
Students in Year 8 are invited to apply to take part in the Bronze level of the DofE award. Information about the DofE award can be found on the DofE website.
Letters have been handed out this week; you can also read the letter at this link or download an application form at this link. Students may come to Sc4 to ask questions on Monday or Tuesday lunchtime.
The deadline to hand in the application form is Friday 30th June.
Mrs Gibb
DofE Manager
Sixth Form Notices
Please click the link below to read the weekly digest of news and information for Sixth Form Students.
Music Notices
Instrumental & Vocal Exams
If your child has a music exam off-site and they need to leave school to attend this, or arrive late following their exam, please would you write a note in their organiser so this can be formally authorised by their form tutor. If they need to leave the site, they can then obtain a permission slip from reception.
Also, if they would like some extra support on the aural (singing/ listening) parts of their assessment, please do ask them to book a lunchtime slot with a member of the department asap.
Durham Johnston Music Festival
This will take place in James Hall on the evening of Thursday 29th June. We are delighted that Alexander Chisholm-Loxley (a former pupil) will be our adjudicator this year. Tickets are not required and supporters of those performing are welcome to attend one class, and also to stay for the whole evening if they so wish.
- The Whinney Hill Cup (Grades 1-3), 18.00
- The Crossgate Moor Cup (Grades 4-5), 18.45
- The Durham Johnston Cup (Grades 6+), 19.30
Music for a Summer Evening:
his will take place on Thursday 6th July at 7.00pm. This is an informal ‘cabaret–style’ event taking place in the Cafe, where Y13 pupils and staff entertain their guests whilst they enjoy drinks and a light buffet. It is an opportunity to say ‘goodbye’, and ‘thank you’ to the leavers for all their commitment to extra-curricular music over their years at Durham Johnston School.
If you would like to attend, tickets are available now from the Music Department at a cost of £7.00. This includes food and your first drink. If any Year 13 pupil or staff member would like to provide a musical item, please let a member of the music department know and it can be added to the running order. Similarly, if you would like to organise a group item, as a last chance to perform with friends, then let us know. Please note that performers still need to purchase a ticket to cover refreshment costs.
Mr Holmes
Subject Leader for Music
PE News
Unfortunately, the rain on Tuesday caused the postponement of league tennis matches against Yarm.
On Wednesday, our Year 8 cricket team faced St Thomas More in the quarterfinal of the County Cup. We struggled with the bat and only scored 77 in our 20 overs. However, we produced an excellent bowling and fielding display to bowl them out for 51 runs and reach the semi-final. Barney Forster and Ray Wright both took 3 wickets.
The final athletics competition of the season took place on Thursday as our Year 7 & 8 teams travelled to Riverside Stadium for the Area Championships. We are still waiting for the official results, but we produced some outstanding performances with 18 of our athletes becoming Area champion.
Good luck today to our Year 8 cricket team who are at Whickham CC taking on Whickham School in the Tyneside cup. Also, good luck to our U13 & U15 boys tennis teams who are at home against Durham School.
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE