5 December 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week in school has marked the start of the festive season and I was really proud to see our core value of Public Service in action when I visited 7SA in form time yesterday morning. The overwhelming generosity from our community supporting the Christmas appeal was genuinely lovely to see – it literally took three members of staff to carry the giant gift bags of donations from the room! This generosity has been echoed around school and across all year groups. This year we are working with Durham Foodbank, Family Action, DJCS Community Appeal and Feeding Families; thank you to everyone who has donated to support these worthy causes.
This week has also been marked by our annual Christmas Music concerts – the first under the leadership of our new head of music Mr Howarth. I am delighted to report that both evenings were an overwhelming success and were superb showcases of the remarkable musical achievements and dedication of our students. The first concert, held on Tuesday, provided captivating instrumental performances whilst Wednesday evening’s event was a feast of vocal excellence. Across the two evenings, audiences were treated to polished and sophisticated performances from the Senior Orchestra, Wind Band, Jazz Band, Senior Choir and Chamber Choir. We also heard from those in the early stages of their musical journey at Durham Johnston including delightful performances from the training orchestra and training choir. The concerts finished with a thrilling crescendo on Wednesday night - a sneak preview of our major end-of-year production, Les Misérables. If this small sample is indicative of the final show, the full show in the summer will undoubtedly be an event not to be missed!
Beyond the formal performances, the spirit of engagement was exceptional. Both nights included audience participation with the highly entertaining Elves vs. Reindeers Sing-Off, a competition that fostered great excitement and enthusiasm and I am sure will become an annual tradition. Overall, the concerts demonstrated not only the exceptional talent and commitment of our students but also the inclusive nature of our musical offer in school. A massive thank you to all the students and staff (both in school and from the Durham Music Service) whose support, commitment and exceptional work behind the scenes makes events like these possible.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McFadden
End of term arrangements
We are looking forward to our annual carol service at Durham Cathedral to celebrate the end of this term, on Friday 19th December. Letters with detailed arrangements were sent to parents last week, and also posted on the school website at this link:
News article | End of term arrangements
We are aware that there was a typing error which may have caused confusion, for which we apologise – the service takes place on the last day of term, Friday 19th.
We would like to remind parents of Year 7 students that the deadline for completing the form telling us about your child’s collection arrangements, and to inform us if you are attending, is Monday 8th December. We regret that we are only able to invite one family member per child in Year 7.
School Shop Grand Opening!
Our new school shop will have its grand opening next Friday, 12th December. The shop is an exciting initiative and will be managed entirely by our dedicated Personal Development Student Leaders.
This experience provides our students with invaluable real-world skills in public service, finance, and leadership.
Please note the school shop is cashless. Funds for purchases can be added to your child's account easily through ParentPay. To do this, simply log in, select the 'pay for other item' option, and then choose 'shop'.
Miss Robson
Assistant Headteacher
Winter Warmers Reading List
As the frost nips at our noses and snow falls outside, why not cosy up with a winter warmer? Hot chocolates and blankets are optional!
Our Sixth Form librarians have been working hard this week creating our winter warmer reading list.
Pop into The Reading Room to pick up the perfect December book! These can be found on the left table. Please see the Sixth Form Librarians or school staff for help.
Maths Challenge Update
On 25th September, 8 students competed in the UKMT's Mathematical Competition for Girls and 4 students competed in the UKMT's Mathematical Olympiad for Girls. In the Competition, 4 students were awarded a Merit and 4 students were awarded a Distinction. Masha Z-P achieved Best in School, which is a phenomenal achievement in addition to that fact she is going up against students who are two years older. In the Olympiad, Judy L was awarded a Merit and Tina H was awarded a Distinction and Best in School. Well done to all the students who competed, for showing off the talent of our female mathematicians!
On 9th October, 62 students competed in the UKMT's Senior Mathematical Challenge 2025. 16 students were awarded Bronze, 22 students were awarded Silver and 12 students were awarded Gold. A huge congratulations to everyone who participated, particularly students from younger years who performed exceptionally well. Following the Senior Maths Challenge, 10 students were invited to Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo and 2 students were invited to sit the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 - we are awaiting their results!
On 27th November, our Senior Team went to Durham Sixth Form Centre to compete in the Regional Final of the Senior Team Maths Challenge. They worked exceptionally hard in training and performed very well on the day, achieving a valiant 4th place out of 14. Well done to Tina H, Elijah C, Leo B and Aidan J (backed up by their star reserves Daniel A and Hari A).
The Online Simulated Maths Challenge took place over 22nd/23rd November. 12 students from our school participated, and 6 of them did particularly well. 5 of them earned the title of IMC Elitist (high performers), and one of them (Chengzong S) earned the title of Champion. For context, students scoring between the 80th and 95th world percentile are classified as Elitists (high performers), while those above the 95th world percentile are recognised as Champions (winners).
Well done to all of our mathematicians, who continue to amaze us with their mathematical talent! Watch out for more opportunities coming up in Maths in 2026.
Miss Whittock
KS4 Maths Co-ordinator
Durham University Geography Department Lecture
On Tuesday Professor Gavin Bridge from Durham University came into school and delivered a presentation titled "Phones, Drones and Stones: Why Everyone is Talking About Critical Minerals". 27 students from across year 10-13 attended, where Professor Bridge covered what critical minerals were, how they are used and the geopolitical issues they present alongside responses to such challenges. The lecture was excellent, where many students have commented on how interesting and useful they have found it for their studies. Professor Bridge also delivered a short presentation on the different Geography degree pathways at Durham University which was highly informative for our students who will be applying for university in future years. We would like to thank Professor Bridge for taking the time to come and speak to the students about some of his recent research; it was an excellent opportunity for our pupils.
Mr Ray
Subject Lead for Geography
World Challenge Fund Raiser
As part of the 2027 World Challenge Expedition to eSwatini and Mozambique the students will complete two charity projects. Whilst in eSwatini the students will be working with young children at an outreach project supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds and young people that are overcoming personal challenges including those who have suffered bereavement. Whilst in Mozambique the students will complete a conservation initiative looking at coral reef conservation, marine surveys, plastic collection and collecting data for marine wildlife monitoring.
Throughout the month of January, the World Challenge students will be undertaking their first big fund-raising event. Throughout the month the team will be running, swimming and walking the length of the coastline of Mozambique equating to 100km each. They will be tracking their progress, logging their km and sharing updates throughout the challenge. If you would like to show support to the team and their collective fund-raising efforts the link to donate is below.
Thank you for any support you may be able to show.
Please click here to sponsor the students!
Mrs Hardwick
World Challenge Coordinator
PE News
I would like to start this week by thanking Rob Ribchester from Ribchesters Chartered Accountants and John Nicholson from Dowen Estate Agents who have kindly sponsored our new PE gazebo. It is amazing to have a gazebo to protect our children from the weather when attending major events around the country. It will be being used tomorrow at Princethorpe College, Rugby where our Junior boys’, Junior girls’, and Inter boys’ cross-country teams are all competing in the English Schools national finals. Good luck to them.
Last Monday we hosted the Year 7 district futsal tournament. We won the competition after remaining unbeaten. We now reach the district final after Christmas.
Last Tuesday we hosted the Area cross-country championships. It was an outstanding morning for our runners as we completely dominated the competition achieving the following results:
Year 7 boys – First & Area champions; Will Ribchester first place
Year 7 girls - First & Area champions. Celia De Lucas first place
Junior boys - First & Area champions. Henry Engelhart first place
Junior girls - First & Area champions. Evie Kleiser first place
Inter boys - First & Area champions. Joe Shields first place
Inter girls - Second
Senior boys - First & Area champions
Senior girls - First & Area champions
The highlight of the morning was the junior boys’ race where Durham Johnston finished in the first 8 places!
After school our Year 8 boys’ football team travelled to Parkside in the league cup. We started strongly and dominated the game going on to reach the next round with an 8-0 victory. Matthew H scored a hattrick and was POM. Our Year 9 girls’ futsal team were at King James for the district tournament. We had a depleted team but still remained unbeaten winning 1 game and drawing 2. Unfortunately, this meant we finished runners-up. Esme was POM.
Last Wednesday our Year 8 boys’ team played in their district tournament. We started with an unlucky 2-2 draw but after that improved to winning our next two games. However, we finished runners-up on goal difference.
During the afternoon, our Year 7 boys’ football team hosted Trinity School in the English Schools Cup. Despite playing the better football we just couldn't create enough chances eventually losing 4-1. Also during the afternoon, we hosted the Year 11 County rugby tournament. Unfortunately, several schools dropped out, but we still had some very competitive matches. We finished runners-up after losing a close game to the eventual champions from Barnard Castle.
Futsal continued last Thursday as our Year 9 boys’ team took part in the district tournament. It was better news for them as they won two games and drew one to win the tournament and go through to the final after Christmas.
On Monday our U14 girls’ basketball team hosted High Tunstall in a friendly. This was a great game in which we played some excellent basketball eventually winning 46-16.
On Tuesday our year 7 & 8 sports hall athletics teams were at Maiden Castle for the Area championships. All our four teams produced outstanding performances as we dominated the competition winning all four titles. All our teams now go on to the county finals in February. We won 21 out of the 24 track events across the four age groups.
After school our U14 boys’ basketball team travelled to High Tunstall for an English Schools game. We took an early lead but struggled to score consistently eventually losing 61-42. Joint POMs were Brodie S and Rory L. Also on the road were our Year 8 girls’ futsal team who were competing in the district tournament at King James. We won all our games including a 5-0 victory against Teesdale to win the competition and reach the final.
Finally, to complete a busy day, we hosted the Year 10 boys’ futsal tournament. We started with a good victory against Parkside 6-2. However, we drew our next two matches meaning we finished runners-up.
On Wednesday, our Year 11 basketball team were at St Cuthbert's in the Tyneside tournament. We played some excellent basketball finishing in 4th place after a narrow defeat to the hosts and QEHS, Hexham. Our Year 9 & Year 10 football teams both had matches. Our Year 9's faced Whickham in the County Cup. We scored an early goal and dominated the game eventually reaching the quarter-finals with a 6-2 victory. Our Year 10s took on St Cuthbert's in the English Schools Cup. They also played some outstanding football progressing to the last 64 schools in the country with a comfortable win. Finally, our Year 10 girls’ futsal team competed in their district tournament. They also won comfortably and progress to the finals.
Yesterday our U14 boys’ basketball team played again as they travelled to Acklam Grange in the English Schools competition. They are a good team and despite a battling performance they proved too strong for us as we lost 74-48. During the afternoon we hosted the Year 7 boys county rugby tournament. This was a great afternoon of high-quality rugby. We demonstrated that hard work in training is paying off with great performances against High Tunstall and the eventually winners from Durham School. There was also more futsal as our Year 11 boys’ futsal team played in the district tournament. They won all their games comfortably to reach the finals after Christmas.
Hopefully next week I will be able to share excellent news from the national cross-country finals tomorrow.
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE
A reminder of our weekly sports bulletin: