Dear parents, carers and families,
When I sat down to write this week's update I realised we'd be sharing it on 11th September 2026, 25 years after the terrorist attacks that continue to shape the world. In September 2001 I had just begun to train to be a teacher here in Durham and was spending that specific week at Bearpark Primary School, hearing about the attacks in a coffee shop when I finished for the day. It may not feel like the world much safer now, but it certainly does feel as though the lives we lead have changed substantially. Most of you will be reading this on your phones, something that wasn't an option in 2001, and indeed the pace of technological change in the last 25 years has been fairly unprecedented with the use of phones and now AI standing out to me as something that I don't think many people predicted would be so central to all our lives back in 2001.
The government has mandated that all schools enforce a mobile phone ban throughout their school over the course of the day. We brought in changes here at the end of the last academic year and so far it's been clear that students understand why they can't have their phones out in school with many welcoming it as an opportunity to break free from the constant notifications. In early 2027 a social media ban for under 16s will take effect, something that has large levels of support across the country. We'll be talking to all our students about this. As we continue to think about the impact of technology on young people's lives, recent research has also highlighted some important questions about the role of artificial intelligence in education. We learnt this week from the OECD that studies show students who use AI to help them do specific tasks like summarise text achieve lower scores in science tests. Those students who just use it for general tasks tend to have the same scores as those that don't, while those students taught AI literacy skills tend to outperform others. All of these things may not be strictly related but the change in our attitudes to phones and our use of technology has been substantial in the last few years, all while our children are still growing and developing, creating unique challenges for them. Children thrive on consistency and certainty, and technological change, for both good and ill, has diminished these for many of them.
These changes might have made their childhoods very different from those experienced by older generations, but some of the fundamentals still remain the same. I enjoyed talking to a Year 11 student this week about his love of fishing, both for the conversation itself but also that it reminded me that not all young people want to spend all day inside gaming. The two Year 7 students who've taken to saluting me when they arrive at school bring a smile to my face each day. Watching Year 7 students on Tuesday night try out for the football team highlights how many of them do enjoy being outside. I also know that our most successful and happiest students are the ones who accept technology as part of their lives but also know that real joy and real relationships are to be found in talking with others face to face in the real world. The fundamental importance of true human connection hasn't changed at all, and it remains a privilege to see this in front of me in school every day.
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 7 Information Evening Wednesday 16th September 5.00pm
We would like to invite all Year 7 Parents and Carers to an information evening on Wednesday 16th September at 5.00pm in the Main Hall. The evening is an opportunity to make you aware of how we will teach and support your child during this academic year. Students may accompany you to the evening, but it is not essential.
The information evening will last for approximately 45 minutes, with the opportunity for individual questions afterwards. If you cannot attend, information from the evening will be sent after the event.
Year 6 Open Evening
Our Year 6 Open Evening is on Monday 21st September. If your child has been asked to help us showcase the school, either as a student guide or in department areas, then they will be bringing a letter home. They should feel proud that they have been asked to carry out this important role. Parents who have attended our open evenings in the past always comment on what a credit our students are to the school, and we agree they are our best advert!
This is a really important evening for our school, and our students always do us proud. Thank you in advance for supporting this by helping your child travel to and from school for the evening and by ensuring they are in their full uniform. The evening runs from 5-7pm, and who/where they should report to will be detailed in the letter they bring home.
At the end of the evening, the site is always very busy with prospective parents leaving and parents of our student helpers arriving to pick up their children, so please could you ensure that you pre-agree with your child exactly where you will meet them.
Letters are being sent out to our main feeder primary schools, but there is nothing more powerful than personal testimony, so if you have friends or family with Year 6 children who are considering their options for secondary school, please do encourage them to attend our open evening and share your positive experiences of our school with them.
Mrs Machin, Deputy Headteacher
Parking near the school
The road network around the school can become very congested. Where possible we encourage people not to park near the school as it also tends to lead to issues with local residents. We also ask parents and carers not to drive onto the school site at the end of the school day to collect their children as this can lead to even more congestion, especially in terms of school buses. We appreciate that this can be a source of stress for some parents and carers but ask that we’re all appreciative of our local community and each other. The school's Director of Safeguarding has included a message about car park passes below.
Contacting School
We encourage all parents and carers to contact school and share any concerns (or indeed praise) they may have. However, during the day our focus is on the students here within the school and this means it isn’t always possible to offer an immediate response to calls or emails or indeed for the relevant person to be available. Equally, please don’t arrive at school without a prior appointment and expect to see whoever you’d like to talk with as this is only likely to lead to disappointment. Few of us would expect to go to our GPs or dentist and be seen straightaway; please see school in the same way. What can be an urgent conversation from your or your child’s perspective must be seen in the wider context of the 1,300 students here. Many thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding. We don’t list individual teachers' email addresses and don’t expect teaching staff members to respond to queries out of hours. This section of the website allows you to be in touch and your message will be directed to the appropriate person: Contact Us
Safeguarding
We have a strong safeguarding culture at Framwellgate School Durham and believe that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Our staff receive regular safeguarding training on a variety of issues facing young people and their families and are committed to creating an environment where our students feel able to speak to trusted adults if they have any worries or concerns. We encourage students to seek help whenever they need it and remind them that there is always someone available to listen and support them.
Throughout the year, students will participate in tailored Personal Development lessons, themed assemblies and activities that promote their wellbeing and help them develop the knowledge and skills needed to stay safe. This includes topics such as online safety, positive mental health and wellbeing, bullying awareness and personal safety.
We greatly value our partnership with parents and carers. You know your child best, and we encourage you to contact us if you have any concerns or worries about their welfare, behaviour, attendance, emotional wellbeing or online activity. By working together, we can ensure that our students receive the support they need to thrive both academically and personally.
As well as working collaboratively with parents and carers we also work closely with external agencies and mental health support teams. We also have a bespoke Online Safety Hub on our school website, which can be found here Online Safety Hub - Framwellgate School Durham and offers a wide range of advice on digital safety for parents and carers, including how to set parental controls on devices, the safe use of AI tools, healthy screen time, social media and gaming. There is also a link for the Qustodio Parent App which can be found here, which is to support parents manage and supervise their child’s online activity.
https://framdurham.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/articles/qustodio-parent-app
If you have any safeguarding concerns, or if there is anything you feel we should be aware of to help support your child, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Year Team in the first instance, who are Designated Safeguarding Leads in school. We also have a team of Mental Health Champions in school and an Emotional Wellbeing Worker who can offer bespoke support to overcome any worries they may have. Further mental health support is available by calling 111 option 2.
If you have any safeguarding concerns, you can also call First Contact for Support on 03000267979 or the Police for any non-emergency concerns on 101.
Car Park Passes
We understand that whilst a lot of students travel independently to and from school, some students are collected by parents and carers for a variety of reasons. To reduce the number of cars on site at the start and end of the school day, we are happy to issue a car park pass for those students who need to be collected. This may include students who are particularly vulnerable or have mobility issues. Please can you contact your child’s Year Team so we can issue you with a car park pass.
Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding
Summer 2027 Exams – Contingency Day
All students taking GCSE, AS, or A‑level examinations in summer 2027 must be available up to and including Wednesday 23rd June 2027.
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:
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severe weather
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widespread transport disruption
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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.
Key Dates
Year 7 Information Evening Wednesday 16th September 2026
Year 7 Progress Evening Tuesday 27th April 2027
Year 8 Progress Evening Tuesday 18th May 2027
Year 9 Progress Evening Tuesday 19th January 2027
Year 10 Progress Evening Thursday 18th March 2027
Year 11 Progress Evening Thursday 15th October 2026
Sixth Form Progress Evening Thursday 10th December 2026 and Tuesday 9th March 2027
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. Learning how to use this excellent resource early in their time here will be very beneficial to students 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