Dear Parents, Carers and Families, 

As you may be aware, the school lost access to the internet for a period of roughly 24 hours this week. Like all large organisations, schools struggle to run efficiently when not online for any length of time and, as a school leader, it was encouraging to see staff and students adapting quickly to this reality. For myself, not being able to access my email for 24 hours initially made me anxious about what I was missing out on, but it swiftly felt pretty freeing. I’m not a Luddite and I don’t wish to return to a pre-computer age, but the technological advancement that we’ve all seen in the last quarter century hasn't been without some costs, many of them to do with how we relate to each other. Increasingly, email can feel like a barrier to clear communication, with people using AI to generate lengthy messages that are then just fed back into AI to be summarised. I often feel that if people just talked to each other directly, they would get to a solution much more quickly. 

The government this week made two announcements that will have a direct impact on schools, both of which link to technology. The first was with regard to mobile phone use, with the government pushing schools to adopt tougher policies and saying Ofsted will be checking both these policies and their enforcement. I’ve written before that I think mobile phone use by children can be problematic, and I do support the emerging cross-party consensus for a ban on social media for children, but I know that there will be a healthy minority of you as parents who won’t share this view. The government also issued new guidance around the complaints process for parents, warning against the use of social media and the use of AI, saying that AI in particular “doesn’t always get it right when citing laws and can make a complaint more complex than necessary”. I would say that both these announcements are coming from the same place, one that says that technology has become more of a hindrance than helpful, either through the potential addictive qualities of social media aimed squarely at teens, or by making honest communication actually more difficult. 

On a perhaps overly personal level, my family in the past week also suffered from communication issues made more complex by technology. Last Friday, my dad received a thoughtful, kind letter telling him that, following his recent cancer diagnosis, he was entitled to all sorts of additional support. This was all fine except for the fact that no one had actually told him he had cancer. Wading through various phone lines over the course of several days, he did indeed discover what he suspected – that he has a melanoma, will have surgery, and it should all be pretty straightforward, but trusting in communication systems to share key information had, in effect, caused more problems and stress than it was trying to solve. I’m not advocating that we turn back the clock; I’m writing this on a computer to be shared via email, which those of you who do read will do so on your phones. However, when we had an in-person parents’ evening just over a week ago for Year 11, the first in the school since the pandemic, it felt great for people to be able to talk face-to-face, to find common ground in helping our students in a way that screens don’t really achieve. I felt the same talking to so many Year 9 parents in school on Wednesday night about the Options process, that people being able to hear from myself and other staff directly in person was far better than any other form of communication. We’re a relationship-based organisation, and all the best relationships are forged in person, face-to-face. 

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

Please see the latest video from the Media Club below.

 

Year 9 Progress Evenings 

Year 9 Progress Evenings are on Thursday 29th January between 4.00pm and 6.45pm for students in X Band, and Thursday 5th February between 4.00pm and 6.45pm for Y band, which is an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress with teaching staff.   A letter explaining how to make appointments has been sent to parents/carers. 

Information Options Booklet 

The information booklet outlining all of the courses available for students to choose for their GCSE options is now available on the school website. Options | Framwellgate School Durham 

Year 11 Summer Study Leave 

All Year 11 students will be expected to attend school and all timetabled lessons until Friday 22nd May. A leavers’ assembly will be held for students on this final day. Further details and information will follow from the year team. A quick-tips and grade booster timetable that will support students while completing exams in school will follow. 

Year 11 Leavers’ Prom 

The prom will take place on Monday 29th June at Ramside Hall. Invitations will be sent at a later date. Students are required to have 2000 positive achievement points to receive their invitation. Students’ behaviour and attendance will also be taken into account by the year team and SLT. Any further queries about the prom will be addressed by the year team. 

Summer 2026 Exams – Contingency Day 

All students taking GCSE, AS, or A‑Level examinations in summer 2026 must be available up to and including Wednesday 24th June 2026. 

This date is known as the contingency day. It is set nationally by the exam boards and the Department for Education as a safeguard. 

The contingency day is only used if there is a major disruption that prevents an examination from taking place as scheduled. This could include events such as: 

  • severe weather 

  • widespread transport disruption 

  • a national emergency 

If such a disruption occurs, affected examinations may be rescheduled to this contingency date. 

Students should therefore avoid making travel or other commitments that would prevent them from being available on this date. 

Mrs Mersh-Roberts, Deputy Headteacher 

Ushaw Moor Sensory Group 

Please find information below about a charity aiming to support young people with autism, alongside their families. 

Uniform Expectations  

Many thanks to those of you who have supported the school as we address our expectations regarding the wearing of jewellery at school. Students should only wear one pair of small stud earrings. No other jewellery, including rings, necklaces, bracelets, or additional piercings, will be permitted. Each morning, Tutors, Heads of Year and Pastoral Managers will check for compliance. Any additional jewellery will be confiscated and kept safely until the end of the school day, when students can collect it. 

Why this is important: 

  • Safety: Excess jewellery can pose a risk during physical activities, PE lessons, and in crowded spaces. 

  • Uniform Standards: Maintaining a consistent appearance helps promote equality and reduces distractions. 

  • Preventing Loss/Damage: Jewellery can easily be lost or broken in school, causing upset and inconvenience. 

We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations at home. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s Head of Year. 

Miss O'Neill, Assistant Headteacher 

Raising Achievement Sessions (RAS) 

RAS started on Monday 12th January and will run through until February half term, in preparation for the March mock series beginning on Monday 2nd March. 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. 90% of students attended RAS sessions last term, with 54% of students attending extra sessions of their own accord. Your support in getting your child to these sessions and maintaining these high attendance figures is paramount and much appreciated, thank you; last year there was a correlation between attendance of RAS and GCSE success. 

There will be one final RAS block in April, including an Easter holiday study programme in the run up to the GCSE exam period. If your child doesn't have a session appear on their timetable for this block, it is likely they will be selected for one in the final RAS block. Students have had an assembly reminding 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 

For information about different A-Level and GCSE exam boards and programmes of study, please follow this link: Exams | Framwellgate School Durham