22 November 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
I popped into a maths lesson this week where the teacher was showing students a famous maths puzzle called the Monty Hall problem. It is based on a TV game show, and its notoriety lies in the fact that most people refuse to believe the solution is true.
The paradox is:
Imagine you are on a game show, and you are given the choice of 3 doors. Behind one door is a fabulous car; behind the other two doors there are goats. You pick a door, say No. 1, and the host, who knows what’s behind the doors, opens another door, say No. 3, and reveals a goat. They then say to you, “Do you want to switch to door No. 2?” Is it to your advantage to switch your choice?
It may be hard to believe, but you should always switch, because this will give you a greater chance of winning. Intuitively, this answer sounds unlikely, as it can seem like once Door No.3 is opened and there are two doors left, both have an equal chance of the car. In probability terms, when you chose Door No.1, there was a 1 in 3 chance that it had the car. There was a 2 in 3 chance it was behind one of the other doors. This doesn’t change when the door is opened. Therefore, by switching your choice, you have a 2 in 3 chance of winning the car. Don’t worry if you can’t get your head round this – many mathematicians didn’t believe it until they were shown millions of simulations proving the outcome. The class I was watching took quite a lot of convincing! It was only when the teacher changed the context to a hundred doors that the penny dropped for many.
Whilst watching, I found myself reflecting that the Monty Hall problem is more than just a fun puzzle (or an exciting insight into a very cool branch of maths called game theory with huge real-world application). It offers several worthy lessons for students in decision-making: uncertainty, critical thinking, the importance of thinking strategically and of re-evaluating our choices when circumstances or information changes. We value these skills highly at Durham Johnston Comprehensive School; one of our 5 core values is ‘Acquiring Knowledge - the importance of being an educated person and knowing things’, and we endeavour to support your child to develop in these areas.
In lessons our teachers encourage our students to think critically in the way they skilfully shape and phrase their questions. We encourage students to look at a situation from multiple perspectives, consider various solutions and make reasoned judgements before arriving at a conclusion. By teaching them how to approach decisions systematically, we empower them to take responsibility for their actions and learn from both successes and mistakes. When supporting students to navigate social situations, we model decision making processes to students, and explain how we consider different factors and potential outcomes. We encourage resilience by emphasising that it's okay to make mistakes, because they often provide the best lessons for future decisions. We create opportunities for strategic thinking both in lessons and in our extra-curricular offer through activities that require planning and strategy, such as problem-solving tasks, puzzles, and games. By cultivating these essential skills, we strive to prepare our students not just for academic challenges, but for a future where thoughtful, strategic decisions, thinking critically, and adjusting to changing circumstances are key to their personal and professional growth. In today's fast-paced world, these skills are more important than ever; they are foundational not just for our students’ academic success, but for success in life itself.
Thank you for your continued support, and have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McFadden
Closed for INSET
A reminder that the school is closed to students on Friday 29th November for INSET. School opens again on Monday 2nd December.
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 Assessment Calendars, and 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
Class Charts Year 11 Parent View Trial
Many thanks to all the Year 11 parents and carers who have set up an account with Class Charts, and thank you also to those who have completed the feedback survey. We are keen to get as much parental feedback as possible ahead of a wider school roll-out. The link to the feedback form has been emailed directly, and the survey closes on Monday.
Thank you for your support.
Mrs Bell
Deputy Head
House System News – Non Uniform Day
A reminder that on Thursday 28th November 2024 we will hold a non-uniform day. The non-uniform day will support various charities which will be chosen by students (more information to follow on this - this will be part of our student voice) and our school House System.
Normal rules in relation to jewellery, lashes, make-up, false nails and heeled footwear still apply - please do not wear them. Please remember this is a school environment - students must wear clothing and footwear suitable for school (no crop tops, offensive slogans or images etc. etc.). If clothing is not suitable students will be asked to change.
If students have PE that day, they must have their full school PE kit with them.
Non-uniform is totally optional - however, if students would like to wear non-uniform they need to bring in a donation of £1 which will be collected on the morning of the 28th.
An excellent way for all students to contribute to our giving back campaign!
Miss Forbes
Senior Teacher, the House System
Durham Theology Professors visit Durham Johnston
This week, the RE Department provided our Sixth Form A Level students with a valuable opportunity to delve deeper into their studies of theology, ethics and philosophy. On Monday, three Year 13 pupils who are applying to read Theology at university visited the Theology Department at Durham University. They attended a lecture by Prof Lewis Ayres on Christology and the Chalcedonian definition of the Incarnation; this was a thought-provoking and enriching experience for our students, enabling them to explore a complex area of the subject. After the lecture, students met with lecturers from the university to find out more about life as an undergraduate. On Wednesday morning, Prof Alec Ryrie and Dr Guillermo Martin Saiz visited school to deliver two engaging lectures to our Year 12 Religious Studies A Level students. Dr Saiz gave a fascinating lecture on Islam, including the sociological and anthropological implications of this world religion, whilst Prof Ryrie delivered an engaging lecture on the History of Christianity and answered students' questions about what is involved in a Theology and Philosophy degree course. It has been wonderful to provide our students with an experience of world-class academic lectures this week to develop their super-curricular knowledge and help them consider the demands of undergraduate study. Our students are intellectually curious and relished the opportunity to engage with the profound questions raised by religion in today's world.
Mr Bray
Subject Leader for RE
PE News
Last Saturday, our senior boys swimming team did themselves and the school proud in the English Schools Swimming finals in Birmingham - a competition which was live streamed. The top 30 schools in the country qualified (180 teams entered in England altogether); we were 23rd in the medley relay and 26th in the Freestyle relay. When you take out all the Independent schools, we were actually the fifth best state school in the country, which is a phenomenal achievement when we have no specialist coaches or even a swimming pool we can use. To put this into perspective the winning schools in every single race were either Millfield, Repton or Mount Kelly - all 3 of these schools select the UK's best swimmers and offer them scholarships.
On Monday, our Year 7 & 8 netballers hosted Durham High in league matches. Our Year 7s lost a close game by 2 goals with Sophie POM. Our Year 8 team struggled against a very strong team. We lost comfortably but the girls never gave up. POM was Eliza B.
On Tuesday, our Year 11 futsal team took part in the area tournament. All the games were close, and it came down to the final minutes of the final game. The teams ended on equal points, but unfortunately, we just missed out on progressing to the next round on goal difference.
On Wednesday, our Year 11 football team travelled to St John's in the league cup. We fielded an under-strength team but still dominated possession. We missed several chances and the game ended up 2-2. However, we held our nerve in a penalty shoot-out to progress to the next round. Special mention to Charlie B who stepped in at the last minute to help out the team.
Also on Wednesday, our U19 netball team were at the Beacon of Light competing in the 1st round of the English Schools cup. We started with an excellent 25-3 victory against Durham High and went on to win all of our matches to win the competition. We now go forward to the North East regional round which takes place in January.
Yesterday, our Year 9 girls futsal team were at Bishop Barrington competing in the area tournament. It was an excellent night for our girls as we remained unbeaten and didn't concede a goal as we won the competition to qualify for the next round.
Finally, good luck today to our Year 9 girls basketball team who are playing in a friendly tournament at Emmanuel College, and to our Year 11 football team who take on Trinity School in the English Schools cup.
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE
A reminder of our weekly sports bulletin:
Sports Bulletin