19 December 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we near the final week there is a palpable sense of excitement around school. It has been a long and productive term and as we reach the end, both students and staff look forward to a well-earned break!
The run up to Christmas is always an enjoyable time in school and this week has been no different; we have added the Year 7 movie night, and the Year 7 and 8 Santa run to our festive activities. There were some fantastic outfits at the Santa run – a big shout out to the commitment of the massive inflatable Christmas tree who showed tree-mendous effort and finished the course in pine condition! As I write this, I can hear the orchestra, ensembles and choirs filling the school with their final preparations for our annual Carol service in Durham Cathedral and I never cease to be amazed by the quality of their performances. Concluding the year at Durham Cathedral is a special part of being a student at Durham Johnston and the unusual opportunity to celebrate with the whole school together in one of the world’s finest buildings is a hugely memorable experience for large numbers of our students. Every year we welcome back former students and staff who wish to join in the experience again. Regardless of faith, our final day of term represents a wonderful cultural opportunity.
At this time of year, we also encourage our students to think about how they can support others in the run up to Christmas, and to give something back to the wider community. Once again, our students have stepped up and embodied our core value of public service via the House System’s annual appeal. Their generosity (and yours) has meant that we have been able to support a number of local charities including Durham foodbank, Feeding Families, Family Action, St Cuthbert's Hospice, and also support families linked to our school community with Christmas hampers. Thank you to all of our student House Leads who supported with the vast amount of organisation.
On behalf of all the staff at Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, I would like to wish all members of our school community a Merry Christmas. I hope you have a restful, safe and very happy break filled with cheer and quality time with those you care about. We look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for the new year when the new term begins on Monday 5th January 2026.
Mrs McFadden
Ahead of the two-week break, rather than our usual bulletin, we would like to draw your attention to some resources to support wellbeing.
Kooth
As a school, we often highlight to our young people a service called Kooth. It provides early intervention mental health support to children and young people. Kooth works with schools and professionals across over 90% of the UK.
Kooth is free to access via any internet-connected tablet, computer or smartphone. There are no waiting lists or thresholds to meet and a referral from a medical professional is not needed. Your child can join Kooth anonymously simply by visiting www.kooth.com.
Kooth offers young people a range and choice of support options under one digital roof.
It has services that are accessible 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This includes one to one text based sessions with experienced counsellors and wellbeing practitioners run from midday to 10pm on weekdays, and from 6 -10pm at the weekend. Appointments can be booked in advance or accessed via a drop-in text-based chat. Kooth also provides a fully safeguarded and pre-moderated community with a library of peer and professional created articles. And there are discussion forums too. All content is pre-moderated and age appropriate.
Kooth covers many topics on the website including relationships, LGBTQIIA+, exam stress, anxiety, eating difficulties, self harm, suicidal thoughts, body image, social media, bullying and family worries. All of these subjects affecting young peoples’ mental health are presenting issues that Kooth and other mental health providers see from all age groups. Kooth is commissioned by the NHS and clinically approved for children from the age of 10, and is the only digital mental health provider to hold a BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) accreditation across the Country.
If you have any questions please let us know. If you would prefer to contact Kooth directly, please email parents@kooth.com.
