Dear Parents, Carers and Families,
As you may be aware, we ran a Parental Survey in November, and I said I’d respond to some of the comments, so this week's update is focused on your feedback to us.
I would recommend this school to another parent.
90% of people said yes to this question. The average score across the country, or at least when last published, is 84% so I would suggest this score reflects well on the school. However, I appreciate that if you’re part of the other 10%, knowing you’re in a minority doesn’t mean you’ll have a better experience of the school, and my job is to change this number upwards, year by year. The other multiple-choice questions in the survey reflected this trend, with parents and carers consistently grading us above the published national data.
Can you tell us the area of school life you are happiest with?
Pastoral care is excellent.
Comments like the one above were the most common response. Obviously, this is pleasing for us to hear, although it is important to recognise that not everyone always feels like this. As Headteacher, I try to ensure we’re a community-based school that recognises that all of us, our staff, your children and you as parents and carers, are real people, and therefore try and foster relationships based on this premise. This inevitably means there will be some bumps in the road in these relationships, but I’d always much rather this than try and treat everyone like robots and expect the same behaviour from everyone all the time.
Child is academically doing well; there are a range of clubs open to them.
This comment also captures what many people wrote, a happiness with both the extra-curricular offer and, crucially, that their child is making the right progress here.
The fact that my son enjoys going to school and comes home happy.
As a parent myself, this is all I ever wanted for my own son, and for me as Headteacher, is what I want for every child here.
What area of school life do you think could be improved?
A wider variety of subjects.
This was the most common response, with a focus on our GCSE offer being too restrictive and the A-level offer being too limited. We’re changing our GCSE offer this year for the current Year 9 students to give more choice. This will then, I would hope, feed into our A Level offer. It’s also our aim to change at both stages the type of subjects we offer, but not in a rushed way. This may be cold comfort to those of you with older children in the school, but does I think reflect the fact that we recognise and share these concerns and are responding accordingly.
The buildings - but you're on with that.
Comments about the state of the facilities were the second most common area for improvement. As this respondent acknowledges, we are at long last moving forward with that, although it would be wrong of me to claim any credit. A project of this scale was set in motion long before my time here.
Communication
This also stood out as an area of improvement, although the responses tended to be really varied, so it’s hard for me to pick out a precise issue. Class Charts received positive feedback from many parents, especially those of you with younger children in the school, but was also criticised from the point of view of sometimes messages disappearing, or the time at which they were posted and the expectation that parents could instantly respond. We’ll continue to work on this; we are looking at specific solutions around the issue of disappearing messages. I do think on a personal level that in the pre-internet age, parents didn’t expect, certainly at secondary level, to receive too much information from the school except for a crumpled letter in a school bag. The situation now is better, but having to check Class Charts, ParentPay, email, etc, can lead to overload and, while on balance better, can create a different set of problems that schools need to manage and respond to.
Can I again thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey. We really do value all your input and positive engagement with the school. Changing a school is slow, but with your support I do believe that we’re moving in the right direction to achieve a strong, holistic education for every child who comes here.
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.
Year 11 Leavers’ Hoodies
To mark the end of their mock exams, Year 11 were given their leavers’ hoodies today. They can wear these in place of a blazer, but otherwise their uniform should remain the same. Students without a hoodie would be expected to have their blazer as usual.
Mrs Mersh-Roberts, Deputy Headteacher
Library Book Fundraising Project
We have partnered with Collected Books and The Assembly Rooms in Durham to fundraise to buy some new books for the library. We are hoping, in particular, to improve our offer for Sixth Form students, as well as recommended reading in some specific subjects.
To help, please buy tickets to see either Brontë (10th, 11th, 12th December) or Jane Eyre (15th, 16th, 17th January) at the Sir Tom Allen Assembly Rooms in Durham. The money raised will be sent to Collected Books, where we have a list of books we are hoping to buy.
(Jane Eyre is suitable for all secondary age students, while Brontë is more suited to an older teen audience.)
How to join in:
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Search online for Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre.
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Click on Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre (top option on Google).
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Click on What’s On.
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Choose either Brontë or Jane Eyre.
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When you get to the payment page, you do not need to do anything extra, just pay for your tickets and £1 from each ticket sale will be automatically donated to our fundraiser.
Enjoy your show, knowing you’ve helped school too!
Any questions, just get in touch.
Mrs Morgan, LRC and Library Officer
Roblox Security Changes
The introduction of the Online Safety Bill earlier this year has brought welcome controls over what we and our children can access online. As internet speeds have increased and the digital world has expanded, the ability for anyone of any age to reach almost any content has grown at a pace far beyond our capacity to safeguard against it. The risks have become unmistakable. Adults now face increasingly sophisticated attacks from hackers and scammers, while children remain acutely vulnerable to online predators.
Although some internet services initially resisted tighter regulation, the government’s commitment to reducing online harms has ultimately prevailed. For children, one of the most persistent avenues for predatory behaviour has been online video games. These are spaces where young users gather, communicate, and interact, often with limited verification or oversight.
Roblox, a platform widely associated with younger players, is now beginning to address this by introducing facial analysis age checks and optional ID verification for users over 13. These real-world verification measures are designed to confirm a user’s age more accurately and to restrict interactions that could place children at risk. In practice, they signal an important shift in how major platforms are starting to manage online safety and respond to the expectations set out in the Bill.
If you would like to know more about this, you can read more about these checks on the SWGfL website:
https://swgfl.org.uk/magazine/roblox-announces-facial-age-checks-for-chat-features/
Foodbank Opening Times and Locations
As Christmas is quickly approaching, we know a lot of families might find this time particularly stressful for lots for reasons. We have attached the link to local foodbank locations in Durham https://durham.foodbank.org.uk/locations/
The opening times will be available on the foodbank website in the upcoming weeks.
Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding
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:
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Knowledge organisers
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Revision checklists
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Past exam papers
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‘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
For information about different A Level and GCSE exam boards and programmes of study, please follow this link: Exams | Framwellgate School Durham