Dear Parents, Carers and Families,
This is the final Headteacher’s Update of this academic year. Below are a number of key points, largely linked to the next academic year. Hopefully having this information centrally in one place will make it easier for everyone.
On a personal level, this week also marks the end of my first year here in the school as Headteacher. The aim of these updates across the year has been to try and provide an insight into school life for everyone, as well as a sense of what I believe is important about education. Hopefully this has led to a better understanding of what we’re trying to achieve. Can I thank all parents and carers who’ve responded to these updates by taking the time to write to me about the themes I’ve explored. Having worked at a number of schools across the Northeast, one of the things that has stood out to me most about FSD this year is how much it’s rooted in the local community in a way that hasn’t been my experience before. Thanks to all of you who’ve welcomed me into this community.
Many thanks for your continued support of the school; I hope you all have a good week and an even better summer holiday.
Michael Wright
Headteacher
Enrichment Week 2025
Blessed with excellent weather conditions, the school has completed another successful Enrichment Week, with students enjoying a wide diversity of experiences and opportunities which were aimed to support and embed our school values. Enrichment Week gives staff, both teaching and non-teaching, the opportunity to get to truly know and value the passions of our students. As a collective endeavour, both staff and students can find joy through a different style of learning and varied experiences.
Year 7 have had a tremendous week. Cultural visits to both Beamish and a Mosque were balanced with a classic cinema experience. These visits were blended around a range of opportunities to learn circus skills, teamwork Taskmaster activities, sign language, boules, Islamic numeracy, enterprise challenge and finally celebrating the week with inflatable fun. Huge thanks to Miss Love and Miss Surtees for the immense time and effort in bringing this to fruition.
Year 8 and Year 9 have participated in their selected options. This has meant students taking part in a wide range of sports for Option A in weather conditions similar to Spain. Option B were cooking and creating and on Tuesday had the opportunity to experience some Duke of Edinburgh activities. Option C puzzled, gamed, built robotics and created movies. In addition, we have had students on Science visits to Cragside and The Auckland Project, plus fishing trips when the swell settled on the North Sea. Thanks to all the staff who facilitated such a wide range of opportunities so that students could explore their passions.
We have also had students on many other visits. Year 9 historians have explored the classic historical sites of Northumbria with the History department, subsidised by a gift bequeathed from our past Head of History, John Robson, whose legacy remains. Year 8 students have been in North Yorkshire on a residential visit with the year team and faced all sorts of challenges with excellent bravery and resilience. Thanks to staff for planning and delivering such incredible experiences.
Finally, we have had foreign trips for our three year groups, which have offered fantastic cultural experiences and memories for those who were lucky enough to participate. Thanks to Dr Smith and the MFL team who took Year 7 to France, Mr Sands and the PE team who took Year 8 to Spain and the Geography department who took Year 9 students to Italy.
Mr Ward, Assistant Headteacher
Last Day of Term
A reminder that on Friday 18th July school will, as is usual for the end of the academic year, finish early. We’ll move our lunch time forward so that all students have an opportunity to have a hot meal but then dismiss from the school site at 12.45pm, with the buses having been informed of this change.
A Level Results Day
A Level and L3 qualification results will be available to collect from the school on Thursday 14th August from 8.00am to 10.00am in the 6th Form area. Staff will be available to congratulate students and offer support in terms of their next steps.
GCSE Results Day
GCSE results will be available for students on Thursday 21st August from 9.00am to 11.00am in the main hall. Students will then be able to complete their enrollment into 6th Form.
September Start Dates
A reminder that students in Years 7 and 12 will return to school on Wednesday 3rd September. All year groups will join us on Thursday 4th September.
Staffing Update
Two long-serving members of teaching staff are leaving us this summer, Mrs Atkinson from Art and Mrs Davis in Drama. We wish them every success with their future endeavours.
The following staff members will be formally joining our teaching staff body in September. Some of these staff members are already working in the school but their positions are being formalised for the start of the next academic year.
Mrs Horrocks – Curriculum Leader of Geography
Mrs Foster – Assistant Curriculum Leader for English
Mr Lowes - Teacher of History
Mrs Pearson - Teacher of English
Mr Rosher - Teacher of Drama
Mrs Stirling - Teacher of Reading
Miss Tomaney – Teacher of History
Miss Walker – Teacher of Art
Year 11 Tutor System and Intervention Support for 2025–26
We are writing to inform you of an important change to the tutor system for our Year 11 students starting in the next academic year.
To provide even more focused academic and pastoral support during this critical stage in your child’s education, we will be reorganising the Year 11 tutor system. From September, students will be placed into tutor groups led by subject specialists in one of the core subjects: English, Maths or Science.
This revised structure will also allow us to implement a targeted intervention programme. All Year 11 students will receive additional support in English, Maths and Science through a planned rotation system. These sessions will take place during tutor time and make use of the additional time available on Wednesday mornings. This is not a new approach — we have successfully used this model over the past two academic years, and it has had a positive impact on student confidence and progress. We are also creating one extra teaching class in the core subjects to allow for smaller classes across the year group and therefore more targeted support.
Alongside this academic focus, we remain fully committed to supporting students pastorally. Each student will continue to benefit from the guidance of their tutor and, in addition, will have access to academic mentors who will work alongside the tutor team to ensure students are supported both emotionally and academically.
Students have been carefully selected for each group to ensure they receive the most appropriate support for their needs, and we have taken into account both academic progress and pastoral considerations. Once groupings have been finalised, students will be informed of the group they will be joining in preparation for the new academic year.
In addition, students will continue to receive high-quality personal development throughout the year. Dedicated time will still be given to key aspects of the personal development curriculum — including wellbeing, relationships and sex education (RSE), careers, citizenship and safeguarding themes — to ensure that statutory requirements are fully met and that students are well-prepared for life beyond school.
We are confident that this structure will provide your child with the balance of academic focus and pastoral care they need during their final year with us.
Mrs Mersh-Roberts, Deputy Headteacher
Change to Grouping Structure – Ability-Based Teaching Groups
Beginning in September, we will be moving from mixed-ability groupings to teaching students in groups based on their current level of attainment and learning needs across Years 7, 8 and 9, except for those subjects in Year 9 that students have already made an options choice for. Therefore, students who are already in sets for Maths, will also be for Science, RE, English, Art, French, Geography and History.
This decision has been made following careful consideration and consultation among staff, with the aim of further improving the quality of teaching and learning. Grouping students by ability will allow our teachers to tailor instruction more closely to the specific needs of each group, enabling all students to make better progress at a pace that suits them.
This new approach will help to:
· Ensure lessons are appropriately challenging for all learners.
· Provide more targeted support where needed.
· Enable teachers to focus on the specific skills and knowledge required at each level.
It is important to emphasise that these groupings will remain flexible. We understand that students develop at different rates, and we will review placements regularly to ensure every student is in the most suitable group for their progress and development.
We remain committed to high expectations for all learners and believe this change will support us in continuing to raise achievement across the board. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how this may affect your child, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Mrs Mersh-Roberts, Deputy Headteacher
Mathematics Exam Board Change
We have made the decision to change exam boards for our students doing GCSE Maths. We are changing from Edexcel (our current exam board) to AQA. The reason we have made this decision is that in recent years, AQA have made a concerted effort to make their exam papers more accessible to students by reducing unnecessary language and putting the focus on the maths. This allows students to feel more successful when completing AQA Maths GCSE papers.
The maths specification is the same for all exam boards, so students will be covering all the same content they have previously. All exam practice and mock exams that we do with our Year 11 and Year 10 students will now be using AQA past papers and exam questions. Again, I want to stress that the specification is the same, the maths content is the same and nothing will change in terms of the topics we teach or how we teach them. The only difference that students will notice is that we will be using AQA papers in all the exam practice we do to familiarise them with the style of AQA papers. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
Mr Robinson, Curriculum Leader of Mathematics
Enrichment Week Trips Summer 2026
The next academic year is likely to be the last one with an Enrichment Week in the current format, as we prepare to move into the new building in the summer of 2027. To help families prepare, we’ll be looking to offer trips during this week to the following places for the following year groups in the week beginning 6th July 2026. More detailed information will be shared for each trip at the beginning of the next academic year.
Year 9
Naples
London
Year 8
Spain
Year 7
France
Mr Ward, Assistant Headteacher
Safeguarding During the Holidays
I wanted to share some important information that you may find useful for over the summer break. We know that some families find the school holidays quite challenging, so we want to make you aware of all the support there is available to you as a family.
We have a strong safeguarding culture in school and we prioritise our students’ safety and wellbeing at all times. However, I feel it's important to share the following links with you regarding remaining safe outside of school:
I would also like to share the following contact details with you in case you have any safeguarding concerns or are worried about the safety of any young people during the summer break.
You can call First Contact on 03000 267 979 and report your concerns, or discuss any worries you may have about the safety of young people. There is also the website https://www.durham.gov.uk/firstcontact# which offers further guidance.
You may also find the following links useful if you need any additional support or health information:
The Mental Health Crisis Team can now be reached via 111 option 2
Fearless: Anonymous Reporting for a Safer Community | Crimestoppers
If any child or person is in immediate danger, we would always advise you contact 999, or Durham Police on 101 for non-emergencies.
Help and support of local foodbanks can be found here:
Ending hunger together | Trussell
County Durham Foodbank | Helping Local People in Crisis
Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding