Dear Parents, Carers and Families, 

It’s a pleasure to once again be writing to you all as Headteacher here at Framwellgate School Durham. As some of you may be aware, I became Headteacher here last September and since then have written to parents and carers every Friday. One year ago, I said the intention of these updates would be to offer “...a summary of what has been happening within our community and to outline what’s coming up and how we can work together to ensure the best possible experience for your children.” In general, I think the updates have helped achieve that aim, and I’ll be continuing them this year. Occasionally I’ve allowed the updates to be written by students to ensure that their voice is central to what we do, and some of the updates will take the form of video. The main purpose remains the same, to communicate our values, our ethos and for everyone to have a clear sense of what’s happening across the school. 

This week of course in school we’ve welcomed new Year 7 students. They showed all the usual range of emotions on their first day, from those excited to be here, those clearly nervous and many of them both these things at once. I asked them in assembly who had had their photo taken that morning and nearly all raised their hand, the photo of a Year 7 on the doorstep in a new and perhaps ill-fitting uniform – you'll grow into it - now a rite of passage. As a parent, I’ve taken those photos myself, feeling a sense of pride but also slight sadness that my little boy wouldn’t be staying that way. However, I also recognised that for him, it was important that he continue to grow and develop and that at times, even if he was nervous about it, he would need encouragement to take even greater steps towards his own independence. The Year 7s who started here with us this week all showed, to slightly varying levels, that they were ready for this next step in their own development, and our purpose as a school is to help guide and support them over the next five years so they feel safe, happy and achieve in a way that allows them to know excellence and success. 

The other group of students I spoke to on Wednesday, also embarking on the next stage in their education, were our new Year 12 students who’ve joined our successful 6th Form. I spoke about the fact that A Level and Level 3 qualifications are a very different prospect from GCSE, that as they begin to specialise in what they study they can also look forward to the fact that their work will feel more challenging but also perhaps more enriching because of this. I shared the following about our 6th Form students who collected their results this summer in a different post celebrating their success, but I think it’s worth repeating here; “Students have secured university places across the country—many choosing to stay here in the North East at places like Durham, Newcastle, and Northumbria, while others are taking the opportunity to move away, with a statistically large number heading to Sheffield. They are moving on to study a wide range of subjects, from Law to Physics, Sociology to Nursing, Mechanical Engineering to Pharmacology, and Cybersecurity to Digital Media, Culture and Society. Additionally, a number of our students will be starting higher-level apprenticeships with companies such as BAM, in areas like Civil Engineering. Their diversity of success and destination matches their diversity of interests and passions.” This is true of our Class of ‘25 and looking at the new Year 12 students in front of me I was confident it will be true of our Class of ‘27 and indeed of the Class of ‘32 when the new Year 7 students leave with their A Levels that summer. 

Many thanks for your continued support of the school; I hope you all have a good weekend.   

Michael Wright 

Headteacher 

Year 6 Open Evening 

Our Year 6 Open Evening is on Monday 15th September. If your child has been asked to help us showcase the school, either as a student guide or in department areas, then they will be bringing a letter home. They should feel proud that they have been asked to carry out this important role. Parents who have attended our open evenings in the past always comment on what a credit our students are to the school, and we agree they are our best advert!  This is a really important evening for our school, and our students always do us proud. Thank you in advance for supporting this by helping your child travel to and from school for the evening and by ensuring they are in their full uniform. The evening runs from 5-7pm, and who/where they should report to will be detailed in the letter they bring home.  

At the end of the evening, the site is always very busy with prospective parents leaving and parents of our student helpers arriving to pick up their children, so please could you ensure that you pre-agree with your child exactly where you will meet them and encourage them to have their phone charged so they can be contacted.  

Prospectuses are being sent out to our main feeder primary schools, but there is nothing more powerful than personal testimony, so if you have friends or family with Year 6 children who are considering their options for secondary school, please do encourage them to attend our open evening and share your positive experiences of our school with them. 

Mrs Machin, Deputy Headteacher 

Parking near the School 

The road network around the school can become very congested. Where possible, we encourage people not to park near the school as it also tends to lead to issues with local residents. We also ask parents and carers not to drive onto the school site at the end of the school day to collect their children, as this can lead to even more congestion, especially in terms of school buses. We appreciate that this can be a source of stress for some parents and carers, but ask that we’re all appreciative of our local community and each other. 

Contacting School 

We encourage all parents and carers to contact the school and share any concerns (or indeed praise) they may have. However, during the day our focus is on the students here within the school, and this means it isn’t always possible to offer an immediate response to calls or emails, or indeed for the relevant person to be available. Equally, please don’t arrive at school without a prior appointment and expect to see whoever you’d like to speak with, as this is only likely to lead to disappointment. Few of us would expect to go to our GP or dentist and be seen straightaway; please see school in the same way. What can be an urgent conversation from your or your child’s perspective must be seen in the wider context of the 1,300 students here. Many thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding. We don’t list individual teachers’ email addresses and don’t expect teaching staff members to respond to queries out of hours. This section of the website allows you to be in touch, and your message will be directed to the appropriate person: Contact Us 

Student Reception Closure 

Those of you with older children, and indeed those of you who attended the school, may be aware that the school has had two receptions for some time; one for visitors, one for students. From the start of this academic year, we have closed the student reception and instead, like most schools, will just have one main reception. In part this is to increase efficiency in the school as staffing two receptions is naturally more expensive than one, and it also leads to lost time as people inevitably report to the wrong reception. From a parental and carer point of view, if visiting the school, you should now go directly to the main reception. Many thanks for your understanding. 

Detention System 

Below is an outline of the detention system, which is designed to support both students and staff in maintaining a calm and focused learning environment. The purpose of this system is not simply to punish, but to provide structure, reflection, and a chance to reset. It reinforces our expectations while also offering students an opportunity to take responsibility and move forward positively. 

Detentions are one part of a wider behaviour strategy centered around support, high expectations, and clear boundaries. 

There will be some changes to the detention system this academic year. All detentions will be on Class Charts, and students will be reminded during tutor time in the morning. 

  • Lunchtime Leadership Detention – 40 minutes – for behaviours such as late to lessons, late to school and uniform violations. 

  • Lunchtime Curriculum Detention - 40 minutes – for behaviours such as missed independent learning, lack of effort with work and removal from lessons. 

  • After School Detention – 1 hour on a Thursday after school - for behaviours such as missed lunchtime detentions, rudeness to staff, repeated lateness and truancy.   

After school detentions will be on Class Charts in advance so parents or carers can arrange transport. Students are required to attend these. 

Miss O’Neill, Assistant Headteacher 

Student Rewards 

This year, there is an exciting new student reward structure in school. Students will have the opportunity to gain points on Class Charts throughout every aspect of school life. In lessons, students will be awarded points for excellent standards of work, for answering questions correctly, actively engaging in discussions and helping their classmates during challenging tasks. Students will also be awarded points when they attend extra-curricular clubs or represent the school in a positive light. Students can gain further points by displaying acts of leadership, courage, compassion and resilience throughout the school day. Curriculum Leaders and Heads of Year will also award students with extra points when they go above and beyond in any aspect of school life, using a points system to recognise hard work and dedication to academic studies or social interactions.  

As points are earned, prizes are awarded. Students can climb the ranks quickly by amassing as many points as possible throughout the year. As students reach milestones, for example 1000 points, this will be recognised and celebrated in half termly assemblies by their teachers and peers. Badges, prizes and certificates are awarded alongside this recognition, so students can proudly display their progress across the year. In addition, each half term, the top 20 students in each year group will receive extra recognition and are invited to a rewards afternoon or morning to celebrate with a selection of prizes, including food and fun activities.  

Additionally, students will also be competing as a collective. Tutor groups will go head-to-head to try and achieve the most points each half term. A running total will be shared weekly, so students and tutors are aware of where they sit in the half term leaderboard. The winning tutor group each half term will be the one that gains the most total points (minus any negative points for poor behaviours). The winning tutor groups from each year group will gain an extra reward of a breakfast morning in the following half term, with a selection of breakfast options to tuck into in celebration with their peers and teachers. If you don't win in the first half term, don't worry! The leaderboards are reset each half term so that tutor groups can refresh and go again in an attempt to try and win next time round.  

Finally, at the end of the year, our most successful and hardworking students are celebrated in our Framwellgate School Awards Evening. Students will be recognised by their Heads of Year and Curriculum Leaders and teachers for their academic achievements and developments from across the year. A lovely evening to be part of, where we share and celebrate all of the wonderful students we have here at Fram. 

Mr Sands, Curriculum Leader for PE, Sport and Health