The stage is set for tomorrow’s inaugural DHS Live!, which is our outdoor summer music event to celebrate the musical talents of our pupils and wider school community. The event will run from 1.00pm – 5.00pm in the grounds of the school and the cost is £5 for adults and £3 for concessions. The proceeds from will be donated to St Cuthbert’s Hospice.
Please remember to bring your own picnic and camping chairs to enjoy the sunshine. There will be an ice-cream van and free inflatable slide for children throughout the afternoon, and every attendee will get their own DHS Live! wristband. Please like and share our event page on Facebook and help us to spread the word.
School Leadership Team
Between now and the end of term, we will be introducing you to the new School Leadership Team from September 2022. This week, we begin with our Pre-Prep (Nursery – Year 2) and Prep (Year 3 – Year 6) Departments:
Kathryn Hall, Head of Pre-Prep: I am thrilled to introduce myself as your Head of Pre-Prep Department from September. I have been at Durham High School for 22 years and worked in all Primary Key Stages, which means I have already established good relationships with many parents and your wonderful children. I very much look forward to developing these partnerships, and indeed creating new ones. I am excited to continue our journey together and know there will be fantastic times ahead for our school.
Carolyn Hopper, Head of Prep: I have had the pleasure of working at Durham High School for 20 years, teaching throughout the Primary range. My own children were educated here, from Nursery through to Sixth Form, and I was even a pupil myself many years ago. You could say that Durham High School is in my blood! I am very excited to become Head of Prep Department. I aim to make our curriculum even more stimulating and exciting than it already is, encouraging the children to become independent learners who are well-prepared for a rapidly changing world. I pride myself on getting to know parents and grandparents as well as the children; I am looking forward to working with you all.
Heads of Year 2022-23
We can now also confirm the Heads of Year for the Senior Department from September 2022:
- Year 7 – Mrs J Lonsdale
- Year 8 – Mrs B Wildish
- Year 9 – Mrs H O’Neill
- Head of KS4 (Year 10 and 11) – Miss A Schofield
- Deputy Head of KS4 (Year 10 and 11) – Mrs A Hawkins
- Head of Sixth Form – Mrs C Wheeler
Honk Jr
It was an absolute pleasure to see pupils taking to the stage on Wednesday evening, as part of our Year 5 Drama Outreach. We performed Honk Jr, the musical retelling of The Ugly Duckling, to a packed crowd at the Gala Theatre, Durham. There was some fantastic talent on show, with pupils from Durham High School, Barmston Village Primary, Browney Academy, Esh C of E Primary, Finchdale Primary, Gillas Lane Primary Academy and Wynyard C of E Primary. Well done to everyone involved, including Mrs Lonsdale, Dr Hardy, Mr Brown, Mr Raine and all who made this fabulous performance possible.
Sport Update
Congratulations to our Year 9 Rounders team following the combined Year 9 and Year 10 Area Tournament on Tuesday. The group came 2nd overall and were the best-placed Year 9 team. There was also success for the Year 7 and the Year 8 teams, who also came out as winners of their respective Tyne and Wear Tournaments. Well done to all for their fantastic efforts.
There is more to celebrate for Darcy in Year 9, following her superb performance in the javelin this season. She has been selected to represent County Durham at the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships in Manchester. This is tremendous news – well done Darcy.
Some of our athletes were in action yesterday at the Tyne and Wear Athletics Championships. It was a fabulous effort and great team camaraderie. There was also a fantastic win for our U13 Tennis team, who took on Barnard Castle School on Monday. It was fantastic work and a great result from the girls.
Nearly- New Uniform Sale
We will be holding a Nearly-New Uniform Sale in school, for current and new parents, on Friday 1 July from 3.00pm-4.30pm in Room 18. If you are able to support on the day, especially for the first hour slot, or can help with setting up after school on Thursday 30 June, all help would be greatly appreciated. Please contact the school and we will put you in touch with Dr Jenkins, who is organising the sale. If your child has any spare uniform or sports kit that they no longer need or fit into, then we would welcome your donation. All money raised goes to the Parents and Friends.
Eco Schools Update
Senior House voted to sponsor a whale shark using money raised during the Eco Schools non-uniform day. The committee have also chosen the locations for our new bird and bat boxes. We look forward to seeing if these increase the biodiversity around school.
Many thanks also to the Woodland Trust for its donation of over 200 trees to the school. The committee have also planted a tree to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. As a final plea, please don’t forget that you have until Friday 1 July to bring in old batteries for our Big Battery Hunt competition. Donation boxes are located around the school, including at Main Reception.
Follow us on social media
There has been so much more going on in school this week, including activities as part of Diversity and Equality Week, Future Business Magnate success for Year 8 and the Year 6 residential (right). Please make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see all the wonderful things that are going on in school.
Summer Holiday Camps
We are delighted that Summer Holiday Camps will be running at Durham High School for 5 weeks throughout July and August. The clubs are open to all children aged 3 to 11 and will be run on the grounds of Durham High School by our partners REEVO Coaching. Their popular holiday camps have been a challenging yet fun environment for children to flourish during school holidays for over 8 years. There will be a mixture of activities to keep children engaged including sport, arts and crafts, team building, dance and much more.
The sessions will run weekdays, starting on Monday 25 July and finishing on Friday 26 August. Sessions will start at 9am and finish at 3pm, and children will need a packed lunch. The cost to attend is £25 per day or £100 per week, with a sibling deal coming in at slightly cheaper. All payments will be made on the day via cash or card. To book a place for your child, follow one of the links below:
Week 1 – Monday 25 – Friday 29 July – Click Here
Week 2 – Monday 1 – Friday 5 August – Click Here
Week 3 – Monday 8 – Friday 12 August – Click Here
Week 4 – Monday 15 – Friday 19 August – Click Here
Week 5 – Monday 22 – Friday 26 August – Click Here
If you have any questions, you can contact REEVO Coaching at [email protected] or call 07814805679. We are delighted to have them working with us at Durham High School, as we look to expand our out of school offering.
