Dear Parents, Carers and Families, 

This week’s update is short, although there are some key announcements below. 

Rather than me writing to you all, I’d like to ask you all to complete the following survey: 

Parent and Carer Survey November 2025 - Framwellgate School Durham 

The survey is a version of the standard Ofsted parent survey that they issue when they inspect a school, but we’re running this for our own internal benefit. The survey will be open from today, 7th November, until Friday 21st November 2025. I’ll offer a response to your feedback via one of these updates prior to Christmas, and we’ll also run the survey again in June so we can look at trends over time. Longer term, the intention would be to run this survey twice every year so we can build up a strong picture of what you, as parents and carers, think about the school. 

Please note that at the end of the survey there are two open text boxes. Please feel free to fill these in, but note that the survey is anonymous, so we won’t be able to respond. You can leave your name and contact details in the open text boxes if you’d like a specific response, but in general I would recommend that people use the contact section of our website to communicate when they want a direct response. You can find that section of our website here: Contact Us | Framwellgate School Durham 

Some of you will have multiple children in the school. Please feel free to complete the survey multiple times if that’s the case. I appreciate that you may have had different experiences, and therefore views of the school, relative to where your children find themselves in their educational journey. 

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

Michael Wright 

Headteacher 

Please find this week's key messages below.   

Rebuild Update 

Work began on site for our school rebuild over the half-term holiday. At the moment, this principally features a temporary fence before the construction of a more substantial boundary, behind which the works will take place. Work will also start this half term on the construction of the separate site access point from Old Pit Lane. While we wait for that to be built, our driveway will be shared between us and the construction firm, meaning wherever possible, we’d ask parents and carers not to drive onto the school site. We will of course share more updates as the project proceeds.  

Temporary Traffic Lights on Old Pit Lane 

Those of you living locally may have been impacted by these, especially earlier this week when they failed and were all stuck on red. Just to note that these are not connected to the rebuild project or school in any way. We would of course ask that those of you driving to drop off or collect your children at school, do so in a way that is considerate of the fact that the majority of our students travel to and from school on foot.  

Christmas Appeals: 

As we approach the festive season, we’re launching two special appeals to support families and children in our school community – and we’d love your help. 

Christmas Present Appeal This year, we’re doing things a little differently. Instead of giving every child the same gift, we’re asking for donations so we can buy a chosen present for each child – something they truly want. Any size donation is welcome, and every penny goes towards making a child’s Christmas extra special. Donate here: [Christmas Present Appeal 2025 - JustGiving] 

Christmas Food Appeal We’re also raising money to support families who may be struggling with food shopping over Christmas. Your donation will help us provide food vouchers so that every family can enjoy a warm, nourishing meal this festive season. Donate here: justgiving.com/campaign/christmasfoodvouchers2025 

If you’d prefer to buy a gift directly, I can anonymously share a student’s wish with you, and the gift can be brought into school. We also welcome donations of selection boxes or other festive treats, which can be given alongside the student’s gift. 

Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness. 

Miss O’Neill, Assistant Headteacher 

Anti-Bullying Week 2025 

It's Anti-Bullying week next week in school, celebrating the theme Power for Good. Each year group will have a focused themed assembly, and we will celebrate recognised achievements of students aligned with the Power for Good.  This year, we hope to empower students to use their Power for Good to speak out, support others and build a world where kindness wins every time. In Personal Development lessons for Years 7 & 8, we will celebrate this and look at British values, shared values and our values.  

On Monday 10th November, we would like to encourage all students and staff to wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique, and during tutor time, we would like all students to thank someone or recognise their kindness and complete one of our Power for Good notelets, to raise and promote kindness and positivity across the school for everyone.  

To know more about Anti-Bullying week, you can watch a short video here: Anti-Bullying Week 2025 

Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding

 Key Year 11 Information 

Progress Meetings 

This meeting is an opportunity for you and your child to meet with a senior member of staff to discuss current progress in Year 11 and how they have been preparing for the upcoming mock series, commencing on Monday 17th November.   

Please note - due to the volume of appointments being conducted, we are unable to change appointments or reschedule. Your child will attend their appointment on their own should you be unable to attend. There will be an additional opportunity to attend an in-person parents’ evening in the new year.  

Raising Achievement Sessions (RAS) 

RAS started on Monday 13th October and will run through to the November mock series. These are targeted sessions designed to intervene where students struggle with key concepts and/or have knowledge gaps. If students have been selected by their teachers to attend a session, it will appear on their Class Charts timetable, and you will be able to see if they have attended or not. Students may be selected to attend up to 3/4 sessions a week, and the majority of the sessions take place at lunchtime, after your child has had a break and time to eat. Some sessions occur after school. Your support in getting your child to these sessions is crucial and much appreciated; last year there was a correlation between attendance at RAS and GCSE success. 

There are two more blocks of RAS, one in January in the build-up to the February mock series and one in April in the run-up to the GCSE exam period. If your child doesn't have a session appear on their timetable for this block, they will likely be selected for one of the subsequent RAS blocks.  

Students had an assembly on Friday 10th October informing them of this information and the process. 

Miss Lutynski, Assistant Headteacher 

What is my child learning?  

A reminder that you can find curriculum details about what your child is studying here on our website: Curriculum Overview | Framwellgate School Durham  

How to help support your child at home?  

Students can use the link below to access resources that will help them study independently at home, such as:  

  • Knowledge organisers  

  • Revision checklists  

  • Past exam papers  

  • ‘How to Revise’ instructional videos 

Students have been shown how to access this SharePoint site and a 'how to' sheet has been sent to you via ClassCharts. As parents and carers, you won’t be able to access this, but the link will work for all students. Students learning how to use this excellent resource early in their time here will be very beneficial to them later as they approach their GCSE studies. All GCSE students should be making regular use of it as a matter of course.  

Resource Hub