7 November 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
“Are you a traitor or a faithful?”
Celebrity Traitors is a phenomenon that has gripped the nation and last night's finale was certainly a worthy conclusion to a series that has had more twists than our school’s popular (and reasonably priced!) pasta king pots! The whispers, the suspicion, the shocks at the Round Table… it has been both hugely entertaining and a case study in human behaviour, critical thinking, and social pressure. In many ways, this high-stakes game of Faithfuls and Traitors has parallels with the world students navigate in a secondary school.
In the Traitors Castle, players are trying to process information all the time, trying to interpret if what others are telling them is true and trying to separate facts from feelings… did that player seem shifty because they are a Traitor, or are they just blunderingly trying to prove they are a Faithful? In much the same way, students are navigating information and misinformation (fake news and gossip) on social media, in interactions with others at social times and even in conversations within their close friendship group. As educators and parents, it is often our role to encourage children to pause, reflect and look for evidence rather than just blindly trust what they are told or go along with the crowd. The Faithfuls' entire game relies on trusting the right people and forming strong, genuine alliances, and in the teenage world of peer pressure, shifting alliances and gossip, good friendships are key. Again, our role is often supporting students to be kind to each other, how to be a good friend and stressing the importance of honesty and integrity. How often in this series of Traitors did a player at the Round Table start with a strong conviction, only to be swayed by a louder, more confident voice? The pressure to conform, to avoid being the odd one out, is huge and this is the heart of peer pressure; there can be a safety in herd mentality and the desire to 'fit in' can override a teenager’s better judgement. It takes courage to stand up and express a different opinion, especially if it’s against the herd but we try to instil in our students to challenge when something is not right and not to sheepishly follow the crowd.
The best players, both Faithful and Traitor, were those who were masters of emotional intelligence. They read body language, picked up on subtle cues, and managed their own reactions under intense pressure. The modern teenage world might feel like the Traitors Castle, a world of cloaks and deceit, but we hope that you our combined support they will emerge as strong Faithfuls!
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McFadden
SEND Clinics
We will be holding SEND online clinics every month for parents to meet with a member of the learning support team to discuss any area of their child's learning or development. The aim of the clinic to identify the most appropriate support which may be signposting to external support. The next clinic will be held online on Thursday 20th November between 10-12. If you would like to make an appointment to talk with a member of school staff please contact Mrs Sangster who will arrange this for you, via learningsupport@durhamjohnston.org.uk
Non-Uniform Day
On Wednesday 12th November we will hold our first non-uniform day. The non-uniform day will support various charities which will be chosen by students (this was part of student voice) and our school House System.
Normal rules in relation to jewellery, lashes, make-up, false nails and heeled footwear still apply - please ensure your child does not wear them. Please remember this is a school environment - students should 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! Students should bring their school bag, stationery and books as normal. Please check they’ve taken anything they’ll need from their blazers.
Taking part in non-uniform day is completely optional. However, if students would like to wear non-uniform, please could they bring in a donation of £1 which can be handed to tutors from Wednesday 12th to Friday 14th 2025.
Thank you in advance for your support and for helping us to donate to local charities and those in need.
Miss Forbes
Senior Teacher, the House System
Pompeii Trip
The week before half-term, 45 students from Years 9-11, accompanied by Mrs Bothwell, Ms Colquitt, Mr Holmes & Mr Ingram, spent 3 days in Italy visiting the sites overwhelmed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. We saw the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the luxurious villa at Oplontis and a farm at Boscoreale which was added to the itinerary at short notice when bad weather prevented us climbing Mt Vesuvius itself. Along with the exhibitions in Pompeii and the Naples Archaeological Museum, these sites gave us an amazing insight into the realities of everyday life in the Roman world; students commented on the impact of seeing the everyday objects - bread, furniture, kitchen utensils, jewellery - which reminded them that these were real people, in many ways very like themselves. The trip was quite arduous as we travelled overnight both ways and we crammed a lot in, but students showed great resilience and enthusiasm. Plans are already underway for our next adventure!
Year 11 Sophie reflects on the experience:
The Pompeii trip provided us with an opportunity to see first hand the remarkable remains of the ancient Roman city we had learnt so much about. It felt really strange walking through the places people had lived so many years ago and how well preserved their lives were. Herculaneum was a far smaller town but the roofs of many of the buildings still remained and it was fascinating to see how far the sea has moved away from the boat houses since the eruption. I had an amazing time and it was a very memorable trip. Big thank you to the teachers!
Lésigny Study Visit
40 Year 8 students went to Lésigny during the week before the break. They were outstanding; a credit to the school and their parents. Once again, a great well done to all who participated in the trip!
A long way to go by coach and ferry but all went smoothly. We arrived at the centre on the Monday afternoon, discovered the place and had a snapshot activity to finish the day, glad to find a good bed!
MARDI, we went to Brie-Comte Robert, where we used the phrases learnt in the morning to purchase items at the market. After our picnic, we had a trail around the town and went back to the centre to prepare our evening Dragon’s Den. We discovered some real talents!
MERCREDI, we went to Paris! We enjoyed Montmartre and “le Sacré Coeur” in the morning.
In the afternoon, we went on a “bateau mouche” to discover Paris from the river Seine. We ended our Parisian day with a visit of “la Tour Eiffel”.
JEUDI was our last day at the centre, we visited “le Château de Fontainebleau” with audio guides. We learnt a lot! To wrap up our time together, we ate some “escargots” and had a disco.
We had a great study visit!
Well done everyone!
Ms Kavalier, Mr Carss, Mr Rooney and Mme Venet
Geography Department Guest Speaker
On Tuesday 2nd December, the Geography Department will be hosting Professor Gavin Bridge from Durham University to give a talk entitled “Phones, Drones and Stones: why everyone is talking about critical minerals.” This is open to all Geography students in Years 10-13; 3-4pm in Geography 2.
Future Business Magnates 2025
This week our Year 8 Future Business Magnates were invited to the official lunch of the competition at Radisson Blu in Durham; a superb event run by Business Durham. We had the opportunity to network with local business partners, listen to guest speakers – including local entrepreneurs and journalists – and meet our competition. We have been lucky enough to be partnered with Erwin Hymer, a manufacturing company with a base in County Durham, and we look forward to visiting their HQ soon.
Students were gifted treats, journals and lanyards - very professional! We're off to Beamish later this month for our first challenge - the students were a credit to the school, and I am looking forward to seeing how they will meet the brief of "Your Town - Your Story".
Miss Forbes
Subject Leader for Business & Computing
PE News
On Monday our U13 girls’ football team faced Whickham School in the 2nd round of the County Cup. We fought back from 1-0 down to reach the quarter finals with a well-deserved 2-1 win, thanks to a fantastic goal from Poppy. POM was Scarlett G but it was a great effort by the whole team.
On Tuesday, our Year 10 vocational PE students were at Maiden Castle acting as leaders for a Year 2 fundamental skills event. The received lots of compliments and acted as great role models for the younger children.
After school our U14 boys’ basketball team hosted High Tunstall in the English Schols Cup. This was a close game throughout. We lead by 6 points in the 3rd quarter, but unfortunately foul trouble and injury caught up with us as we eventually lost 59-50. Hopefully we can get revenge in the away game in a few weeks’ time. Joint POMs were Brodie S, Rory L and Toby R.
Yesterday all our of cross-country teams were at Stewart Park, Middlesbrough for the regional round of the English Schools Cup. It was an outstanding afternoon for us as our Junior Boys, Junior Girls and Inter Boys teams all qualified for the national finals which take place at Princethorpe College, Rugby on Saturday 6th December. Our Junior Girls produced a particularly outstanding performance to win the competition and get one of the best scores in the country going into the national finals.
Also yesterday, our Year 7 & 8 boys’ rugby teams were at Maiden Castle for an emerging schools festival. This was a great evening of high-quality rugby. We played 5 matches and demonstrated good progress from the recent hard work in training. The highlights included two victories over St Leonard's and Southmoor. A big thank you to the coaches and Harrison G from Y12 for refereeing.
Finally, we have launched our sports trips to Malaga 2026 today with Year 7 & 8, and our ski-trip to Italy in 2027. These are both exciting opportunities for those who wish to apply. Those children who are interested should have brought home application forms to complete. Please can we ask that these are returned as soon as possible.
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE
A reminder of our weekly sports bulletin:
Sports Bulletin