Dear Parents, Carers and Families,
It’s been Science Week here in school this week. Students have been engaged in a range of activities. There have been a number of Space masterclasses and the chance to explore a planetarium on loan from Durham University. Some students will have received specific careers advice about the various fields open to them in areas of scientific research. There have been sessions looking at bacteria, AI and machines, and exoplanets. We’ve also welcomed visitors from OASES who have been looking at climate change and sustainability (and not, as I first thought, how to live forever...) All of this has been themed around that most vital of scientific principles, curiosity. The scientific process is all about asking questions and then linking the evidence to those questions. There is a broad understanding of the importance of scientific qualifications for a range of careers, but the skills involved in thinking like a scientist are invaluable for all in every potential career.
You can often feel students' enthusiasm for science when you walk into a lab. There is something about the excitement that Year 7 students radiate when they know they’ll be using Bunsen burners later that lesson in a way that feels clichéd but is very real to them. You can also see it when students are watching a dissection or carrying out experiments with rockets made from bottles and using a foot pump. As parents, you may have the same memories of carrying out the same sort of experiments. I can still remember my own science teacher showing us what an implosion was by changing the pressure within a can. I can still remember them adding potassium to water and that vividly demonstrating to me that something could be on fire and in water. Experiments like these remain in the curriculum not just because they remain the foundation of good science, but also because they’re likely to spark curiosity in not just what is happening but, most importantly, why it’s happening.
In the unreal online 21st century world, science has been subject to unfair criticism in recent years, with scientific orthodoxy challenged by the more conspiracy-minded amongst us, from people continuing to argue that the earth is flat, to those who link aspects of everyday science to the “deep state” and control over our lives. However, I look at the queues of young people this week in Kent seeking vaccinations against the meningitis outbreak and it reaffirms my belief that the vast majority of ordinary sensible people, people who live in the real world and not online, know that it’s scientific curiosity and the developments that flow from it that will give them the best protections and the best possible future. The Year 7 student on Wednesday lunchtime who was excited to tell me about what they’d been doing in science this week, hopping from foot to foot as they talked about the experiment they’d just done, may or may not develop the next cure for cancer, but seeing them excited about the prospect of what they could learn and just how curious they were about where science might take them, makes me feel confident that in the long term science with all its knowledge and skills will continue to be at the heart of not just this school, but also this community and this country far into the future.
Many thanks as always to you all 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.
Alumni 150
Many thanks to everyone who signed up following the appeal last week. I’ll be contacting people after Easter about the next steps. Just under 100 people have already signed up. You can find out more about it here in last week’s update: Headteacher's Update 13.03.26 | Framwellgate School Durham If you haven’t had the chance to do so, please sign up here: Framwellgate School Durham - Alumni 150 sign up
Year 11 Easter RAS
During the Easter break, students need to keep on top of their revision and exam prep, as well as have a well-earned rest. To help, many teachers have offered to run sessions to help focus students during this holiday period, as some may find it difficult to revise at home and prefer to come into school to work with friends and subject specialists. Please see below a comprehensive Easter study programme that all Year 11 students can access during the upcoming Easter holiday.
Please look at this with your child and decide together which sessions they are able to attend. Students can then factor this into their own revision schedules and start to plan their Easter break to make the most of this time.
To attend - students must use the link sent out to them via ClassCharts
Miss Lutynski, Assistant Headteacher
GCSE Art & Photography Exams
Please be aware of the upcoming GCSE practical exam dates for Art and Photography:
GCSE Art Exams
- Thursday 26th March and Friday 27th March
GCSE Photography Exams
- Monday 30th March and Wednesday 1st April
It is essential that all pupils are in school on these allocated exam days and that they arrive fully prepared with all of their prep work (sketchbooks) and materials they need for the two days.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Mr Carney, Curriculum Leader of Art & Design
Upcoming Assessment Dates
KS3 Assessment Week will take place during lesson time, in the week beginning Monday 1st June.
Year 10 Option Subjects' Assessments will take place in lesson time between Monday 20th April and Friday 8th May.
Year 10 Core Mock Exams in the Main Hall will take place from Monday 27th April to Thursday 30th April. Further details will follow after Easter.
Year 12 Mock Exams will take place during week beginning 30th March and the week beginning 20th April at the Sjovoll Centre.
Progress Evening
Year 8 - Thursday 7th May
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
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.
For information about different A-Level and GCSE exam boards and programmes of study, please follow this link: Exams | Framwellgate School Durham