Dear parents, carers and families,
Towards the end of the last academic year and then in the last week two different parents have spoken to me about school attendance, both taking different views. One parent was disappointed that their child hadn't been rewarded enough for maintaining a 100% attendance record across the school year. The other parent felt their child was being penalised for having genuine health issues by a reporting system that identified their child as having an attendance at less than 90% and that others shouldn't be rewarded just because they haven't got any health issues. Since the Covid pandemic school attendance across the country has fallen and shows no signs of recovering to pre-pandemic levels. All schools have to think about how to both encourage students to be here in school and support those who aren't without making it seem like attendance is optional. As the two parents above show, just how to do this in a meaningful way without causing at the very least some upset within our community is potentially an impossible task.
We did this week in school have the first "Attendance Tuesday" of the year, the day once per fortnight where we celebrate good attendance and students are selected for a prize. We also celebrate those with good attendance each half term. The focus here is shorter term than the whole school year. For many children, and adults, a year seems too abstract but focusing on 10 days of school at a time, we feel, seems achievable. We also know that those students who can maintain this "streak" of good attendance persistently will be academically successful. In Year 11 students who miss 10 days of school just in that year have half the chance of getting a strong pass in English and Maths as their peers, something that will impact on their choices post-16 substantially. I would also say that being physically present in school is about more than achieving good grades. Being around other adolescents is important for children in terms of learning how to navigate complex social situations, how to read people and how to develop the sort of social "soft" skills that make them more employable and more importantly better people – it's hard to develop empathy looking at a screen.
At the same time, we must recognise that attendance is not simply a matter of individual choice. Financially secure families can more easily afford to take their holidays during the school holiday period, but others face the reality that the additional thousands of pounds they have to pay to take their family away in the summer is out of reach. Financially secure families are better able to overcome the fact that the North East still has the worst infrastructure in the country and get their child to school regardless, but for others this may not be an option, with an unreliable bus service being the only chance their child has of getting to school. Financially secure families are also better placed to get the medical care and support their children need so health issues are less likely to impact on their child's attendance.
Obviously as a Headteacher I want children to come to school, we all want them to want to come to school, but I do recognise that for some people this is easier than it is for others. If you're struggling with your child's attendance, please talk to us and we can see what support we can offer. All families will have a letter from Mr Ward, assistant Headteacher, outlining the specific process that sits within the attendance system, but you can also find more details here on our website: Attendance | Framwellgate School Durham.
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.
Free School Meals
If parents or carers think their child may be eligible for Free School Meals, please be advised you will need to reapply even if your child has previously been entitled. We can do this for you in school. Please email the following details to enquiries@framdurham.com
Parent/carer's full name
Parent/carer's Date of Birth
Parent/carer's National Insurance Number
Address
Full name of student(s)
Year 11 Parents and Carers
Year 11 Parents and Carers were sent a key letter this week. Please look for this in your inbox as well as finding it linked here at the first document: Revision & Support | Framwellgate School Durham
Year 7 Art Project
Mr Carney’s Year 7 Art class will be taking part in 'We Are Here', a new national school project organised by The Tate Gallery. Students will respond to artist Meera Chauda’s invitation to “Make a Collage to Show the World Who You Are”, exploring identity and self-expression through creative collage work. We look forward to sharing their artwork and celebrating their participation in this exciting UK-wide project.
Mr Carney, Curriculum Leader for Art & Design
Year 6 Open Evening
Our Year 6 Open Evening is on Monday 21st September 2026. 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
Allergies in school
In light of recent guidance regarding the management of allergies in school, we have been reviewing our current policies and procedures.
We would like to move in line with NICE guidance which states that people should personally:
"Carry two adrenaline auto-injectors at all times, check the expiry dates, and obtain replacements before they expire. Expired injectors will be less effective".
Task 1:
Many students already carry two, but for those who just carry one, we would like to ask parents to ensure that your child carries their two pens on them personally at all times. It will be parents' and carers' responsibility to ensure that these are in date. If your child uses an EpiPen, you can sign up to free a reminder service EpiPen® Expiry Date Alerts
As part of Department for Education guidance on allergy management in schools, we also have Allergy Response Kits strategically placed around the school for emergency use.
Task 2:
To ensure that the school safely manages your child's needs and respond appropriately in an emergency, we are standardising the information which we hold for all students with allergies. Can you please ensure that your child has an IHCP that is up to date. All students who use EpiPens should have an IHCP - Individual Healthcare Plan. If you are unsure about this, please contact your child's Year Team.
Task 3:
Students should also have an allergy action plan which they will have completed with their hospital specialist. A copy of this should be carried with their pens ideally, but it would also be helpful for us to have a copy of this if possible. Can you please contact your child's Year Team to share this information.
Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding
In School Assessments
An overview of when students will be assessed in Term 1 can be found at
Assessment | Framwellgate School Durham
Further to this KS3 End of Year Assessments will take place on the following dates:
Year 7 - Week Beginning 24th May
Year 8 - Week Beginning 7th June
Year 9 - Week Beginning 14th June
Key Stage 4 Mock Examinations
Year 10 - Mock Exams Week Beginning 12th April and 19th April
Year 11 - Mock Exams 1 Week Beginning 16th November and 23rd November
Year 11 - Mock Exams 2 Week Beginning 22nd Feb and 1st March
Key Stage 5 Assessments/ Mock Examinations
Year 12 and 13 Week 1 - Week Beginning 2nd November and 9th November
Year 12 - Assessment Week 2 -Week Beginning 1st February and 8th February
Year 12 Mocks- Week Beginning 21st June and 28th June
Year 13 Mocks - Week Beginning 1st February and 8th February
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 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