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Dear Parents, Carers and Families,
We’re sharing an earlier update this week due to the school being closed tomorrow, and as a consequence, a shorter one. I did, however, wish to write to you all about something that will actually have little impact on the vast majority of our students.
As you may be aware, we have changed our rewards system this year, in part to celebrate all the good things our students, your children, do day in, day out. We did this because I personally think this is the ethically right thing to do, but also because we wanted to shift some of the culture across the school to make sure everyone sees student behaviour as a positive thing, as well as sometimes something that needs to be addressed from the other perspective.
What hasn’t changed is our use of a stage system to address those students who aren’t getting it right, especially in lesson time. We, like many secondary schools, have a stage system, used to ensure that students can consistently feel confident in terms of how a teacher will respond to certain behaviours. Stage 1 is a warning, a chance for the student to reflect and correct their behaviour. Stage 2 would be issued if a student fails to respond to this, and lets them know that if they continue, they’ll be asked to leave the room so that the learning of others can continue. A Stage 3 is when students are asked to leave and given time to reflect with a member of staff, someone we appointed specifically this year to work with these students, so they can reset and then continue with their lessons. The system is understood well by almost all of our students, and systems like this can be found in the vast majority of secondary schools.
In the recent parental survey, some comments pointed out that they felt the stage system wasn’t necessarily applied consistently across the school by all staff. Next week, we’ll be addressing this and working together collectively to ensure greater consistency. There is the possibility that when we begin this work, we might see a fluctuation in the number of stages issued. While I appreciate that it would be better not to have this fluctuation, I do think the outcome of greater consistency across the school for all students and staff will be beneficial.
Finally, a reminder that we’re sharing this update on Thursday instead of the usual Friday, as the school is closed tomorrow, Friday 28th November.
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
Despite the challenging weather, the rebuild work is progressing well. Approximately 1,000 m³ of peat has now been removed, and the team is shifting its focus across to the haulage road entrance. This is scheduled to be finished by the end of this week, which means the dreaded temporary traffic lights on Old Pit Lane should hopefully be gone by Monday.
There are also plans to install a wet wheel wash at the haulage road entrance. This should help keep the roads clean as construction work continues.
SEND Parental Support
Durham Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) are running a series of drop-in events for parents of students with neurodevelopmental needs, or for those waiting for an assessment. The events will showcase the support that is available from education and health, as well as local support groups and charities.
Neurodevelopmental Family Support Information Drop-ins
Mrs Forrest, SENCO
World Challenge
This week we have begun the launch of our next World Challenge expedition to Turkey for current Year 10 and 11 students. We'd like to invite parents and carers to join an online talk about our exciting Turkey expedition with Turtle conservation, running in July 2028.
This is a life-changing opportunity for students to explore Turkey with expert guides, while developing their life skills, confidence and independence. We’re partnering with World Challenge to offer this 13-night experience which complements school learning. Applications are now open, so please visit our trip webpage here for the sign-up link, itinerary, travel dates, Covid-secure booking terms and trip cost – examples of how past students have earned this themselves will be covered in the talk.
Ali from World Challenge will host the 20-minute Zoom presentation on Tuesday 2nd December at 7pm. Please come along and ask any questions, or just listen in. To attend, please register for the Zoom presentation on the trip page using the QR code below.
For some brief information of the visit you could watch a short brief on it here at this link.
We hope to see as many Year 10 and Year 11 parents and carers there as possible.
Mr Boreland
Christmas Lunch
We will be serving Christmas Lunch on Tuesday 16th December. More details to follow!
End of Term
This term ends on Friday 19th December. School will finish for all students at 12.45pm that day and we will arrange for buses and taxis to be here earlier as a consequence.
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
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.