Dear Parents, Carers and Families,
Mobile Phones
Many thanks to those people who contacted the school in terms of the changes to our policy on mobile phones. We haven’t received any criticism, and indeed there has been a lot of support, particularly from students who recognise that, for their own mental health, knowing they can be in an environment free from the stress and anxiety that mobile phones cause them, is a real positive. I genuinely believe we’re at a tipping point in society where we’ll look back at the amount of time we allowed young people completely free access to their phones as a collective act of insanity. This is not to make a moral judgment on anyone. I gave my own son a phone when he was younger, fearful he would miss out and not wanting him to be different from his friends, but we now know that for many young people, the good aspects of unfiltered access to the online world in their pocket are far outweighed by the bad.
A reminder that when students return to school after the holiday on Monday 1st June, any mobile phones seen on site will be confiscated and only returned to parents or carers at the end of our working day. Students must have a bag into which they can securely place their phone, turned off, during the day.
Holocaust Assembly
Last week, we welcomed Dr Marek Szablewski into school to talk to our 6th Form students about the experiences of his family during the Holocaust. Below is a reflection on the talk from Seth in Year 12. We thank both Dr Szablewski for his time, along with Seth for this write-up.
The assembly delivered by Dr Marek Szablewski gave us, as pupils, a great chance not just to think about the events of the devastating tragedy of the Holocaust, but also the fact that we must ourselves learn from those events. Now, more than ever, we must think about how we should not allow ourselves to be controlled simply because we are uncertain about someone else or another group of people. We learn that through the words of Primo Levi, it is not impossible that atrocities such as this will happen again. In the time we live in, we must not be scared to say what is true to us, and Marek highlighted this perfectly. Instead of letting fear control us and make us followers, courage and morality will help us prevail. Because if one person can speak up, they will not be fully alone, as was the case with Marek Szablewski's father. Most of all, we learn that we have to remember the Holocaust. Not just to stop us from repeating history, but to remember those who survived and honour all those who didn't.
Seth, Year 12
Safeguarding Survey - A message from Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding
It has been Safeguarding Awareness Week in school, and as part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all students, we are asking parents and carers to complete a short safeguarding survey.
We take safeguarding very seriously in school and all of our staff receive regular training and updates on prevailing safeguarding concerns that young people face.
Your feedback is extremely valuable and will help us review and improve our safeguarding practices, culture, and support systems within the school. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in helping us maintain a safe and supportive environment for all children, in school, online and in the community.
Access the survey here Parent & Carer Survey May 2026 – Fill in form
Many thanks as always to you all for your continued support of the school; I hope you all have a good weekend and even better half-term holiday.
Michael Wright
Headteacher
Please find this week's key messages below.
Safeguarding during the Holidays
We know that during the half-term holiday period, some individuals and families may benefit from some extra help and support.
If you have any safeguarding concerns or worries during the holidays, you can contact First Contact on 03000 267979 or the Police on 101.
If you need any urgent support or are finding the holiday period quite difficult, you can contact Childline on 08000 1111 or the Mental Health Crisis Team on 111 option 2.
Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding
Rewards Evening
Our whole school awards evening will take place on Thursday 18th June at the Gala Theatre in Durham, 6.00-8.00pm. When winners have been decided, information will be sent out to parents and carers. It will be an excellent night of celebration, recognising the hard work and positive attitudes of our wonderful students.
Mr Sands, Curriculum Leader for PE, Sport and Health
From Cyber to Tech
I am delighted to inform you that Framwellgate School Durham has recently been awarded gold accreditation as a CyberFirst School by the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ. We had previously been recognised as a silver school since 2024.
This accreditation will convert to become a TechFirst school from September, and the department for Science, Innovation and Technology, who run this programme, will help us to reach, support, and develop more of our students into exciting and impactful careers across areas such as cyber security, AI, quantum computing, and more, through enhancements to the computer science curriculum and enrichment opportunities with regional industry business partners. Currently, we are one of only a small number of schools in the region that will hold this accreditation from September.
This is an exciting initiative to be part of, both locally and nationally, as we prepare to move into our new build.
Mr Fingleton, Curriculum Leader for Computer Science
Computer Science Reading Challenge
This half term we had a Computer Science based Reading Challenge – students have been reading some classics (one of my favourites - Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) as well as some inspiring stories of women being recognised for their talents (Girl Code is well worth a read, while Hidden Figures is also an excellent film if you want to watch after you read the book!).
Well done to our competition winner Poppy, who created a great PowerPoint review – she goes home with a £10 Amazon voucher.
We’ve also been finding fun ways to look at computer science through crafts and puzzles in the library – some have managed to conquer the hexahexaflexagon paper folding marvel (which I am still baffled by!), while others have used ‘colour by pixels’ to create some fun artwork.
There are always things to do and create in the library, as well as books, so it’s worth popping in to see what’s going on – I’m already looking forward to our final challenge of the year, brought to you by the English department this time. Look out for more details, but if you want a head start over the break, try looking up some modern poets (we had Emilie Lauren Jones in school earlier in the year who was great) or find a verse novel to read.
Mrs Morgan, LRC and Library Officer
Year 11 GCSE Exam Plan
This information has been shared with students directly, but please see below for details.
Year 11 students are welcome to attend the below revision opportunities in school during May half term:
Wed 27th May - Physics in the 6th form area with SBA and ITI, 9-12pm
Thurs 28th May - PE in the sport hall classroom with SVI, 9-12pm
After Half Term – Study Leave
Students are only in school if they have an exam, or they are going to a gradebuster session arranged by departments (see list of opportunities below).
Registration takes place during Quick Tips sessions, so it is essential students attend.
Students to leave school after they have sat their exam. If staying between exams, they can go to Einstein’s. If students wish to come into school rather than study at home, please let the Year 11 pastoral team know.
Gradebuster Sessions
Revision sessions the day before an exam. Even though students are on study leave, they are welcome to come into school/stay in school after a morning exam, to work with a teacher during these sessions and prepare for their next exam.
Monday 1st June: Physics, periods 2-3 with ITI, SBA, JEC. IN SCHOOL (Science Dept)
Monday 1st June: French, periods 3-4 with GOL. IN SCHOOL (B9)
Tuesday 2nd June: Geography Paper 2, Lunchtime & P5 with TGO & BKN. IN SCHOOL (D3/D7)
Tuesday 2nd June: Maths Paper 2, Periods 3 & 4 with MRO, EWE, JEV, JGR & PRI (+ JDI, JWA and PDI joining period 4) IN SCHOOL (B18, D14, B26, B24, B25)
Tuesday 2nd June: Health and Social Care, P5 with LBO. IN SCHOOL (SPHC)
Thursday 4th June: English Language Paper 2, 5-6pm with ASM. ONLINE
Friday 5th June: Biology, periods 3-4 with SWR, JEC, KBA, JCO. IN SCHOOL (Science Dept)
Tuesday 9th June: Maths Paper 3, Periods 3 & 4 with MRO, EWE, JEV, JGR & PRI (+ JDI, JWA and PDI joining period 4) IN SCHOOL (B18, D14, B26, B24, B25)
Wednesday 10th June: Geography Paper 3, Lunchtime & P5 with KSC & DHO. IN SCHOOL (D1/D2)
Thursday 11th June: Chemistry, periods 3-4 with JSU, SSM, SAT. IN SCHOOL (Science Dept)
Friday 12th June: Physics, periods 3-4 with ITI, SBA, JEC. IN SCHOOL (Science Dept)
Miss Lutynski, Assistant Headteacher
Exam Stress
As we move into exam season, stress for students becomes more prevalent. If you’re worried about how your child is coping with the stress and worries of upcoming exams and revision, please see the links below which you may find helpful.
Exam Time & Exam Stress | Parents Guide To Support | YoungMinds
Help your child beat exam stress - NHS
Mentally Healthy Schools’ Anna Freud also shares some practical advice and resources for young people with their mental health and wellbeing through independent self-care. The link below may help students create their own self-care plan my-self-care-plan-secondary.pdf and support them emotionally and socially.
Mrs Osborne, Director of Safeguarding
Year 6 Parents
If you have a child starting with us in Year 7 in September, a reminder to visit this section of our website: Transition | Framwellgate School Durham
Upcoming Assessment Dates
KS3 Assessment Week will take place during lesson time, in the week beginning Monday 1st June.
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:
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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.
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:
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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.