As part of the DfE rebuild programme we were lucky enough to visit our neighbouring new build on Tuesday and must say thank you to them for showing us around!

Seeing the final finish, understanding ventilation systems and observing furnishings and fixtures in situ was a really valuable experience. 

We now need to check our current plans give us what we need - are the plugs in the right place, what kind of classroom recycling solutions do we need, how many notice boards do we need to install and many other questions that need to be answered carefully before we move in. 

On site, the brick work continues to rise from the ground, we have had a very large crane on site moving materials from the front of school to the back and the maths classrooms are getting their first licks of paint! 

We were delighted to see full coverage of our marvellous STEM Kart in the press this week with a brilliant interview from Alfie who describes the immense sense of achievement the project has provided the students. 

The article can be read here.

We also want to say a massive thank you to Durham County Council, Cllr Matt Burnard, and Cllr Sean Healy for their incredibly generous donations to our Go-Kart project! 

Because of their amazing support and funding, our team has secured the vital backing we need to take our project all the way to the National Finals!  This contribution makes a monumental difference, allowing us to represent our community on the big stage and giving our team a brilliant hands-on opportunity to compete at the highest level.  

We are incredibly grateful to have such supportive local councillors and a council that invests in our community's young people and projects.

Another massive thank you must go to Cummins Inc. for their incredibly generous support in helping us kickstart our Greenpower Go-Kart project for the next school year! 

With Cummins on board, our students will get the incredible opportunity to design, build, and race an electric kit car. This partnership bridges the gap between the classroom and real-world engineering, giving our young people hands-on experience with sustainable technology and team collaboration.

As a global leader in power solutions, having Cummins back our green energy racing ambitions is a massive boost for our school and community. We can't wait to get the team into the garage and onto the track when the new term starts! 

Thank you, Cummins, for investing in the next generation of engineers!

The summer rewards week plan has been revealed to students this week so they have enough time to secure STAR student points to entitle them to take part. Please exand the embedded document to see the whole offer.

There are a wide range of reward activities including activities where there is no cost to parents and carers and we have heavily subsidised the cost of other reward activities, reducing the cost to parents and carers as much as possible by sourcing external funding and sponsors. The rising cost of transport however, means we must include a charge for this. 

We are also telling you know so should your child wish to use their achievement points towards an activity with a financial cost, you have over a month to pay for this. 

Students have seen the selection in tutor time and assembly and the activities will go live in Classcharts next week. 

Students have a total number of points and a spendable number of points (the number left over when behaviour points or previous spends are deducated). The tarif for each activity has been set on spendable points currently in the system and the remaining points available for this half term so everyone has the chance to be a STAR student and receive the reward. 

Students were told last week that if they have joined us late or have used points to buy equipment, they will be considered on a case by case basis to ensure they are given a fair reward for getting it right. If they been, or are on behaviour planner, their total will be looked at on a case by case basis by their Head of Year as they may not have demonstrated being confident, ambitious or respectful enough to go on an external visit. 

Once they have qualified for a reward the following must happen before they have a guaranteed place:

• Classcharts reward shop to order by 29th June

• Letter handed back into reception by Monday 7th July (including consent/waiver/educational visits form)

• The required payment will then be placed on your School Comms account

• Payments must be made by Monday 14th July

As you can imagine, organising hundreds of students to visit a range of reward activities requires much thought and invoices must be paid before the day of the activity for your child to take part. This can be done in weekly installments or in one payment. As we do not handle cash on the school site, you need to be able to access your School Comms account to make a payment. Please contact reception asap if you have any difficulties with this so they can support. 

Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. 

If your child qualified for free school meals, a packed lunch will be provided. 

Some trips will involve a return after the school day and if your child selects one of these they must be able to make their own way home from school or be collected. 

We are now down to a small number of days for Work Experiece final prepartion. Please ensure your child has completed all the set tasks and Mr Talbot has all the required details. 

This week's assembly focused on the risks of addiction associated with TikTok. 

If your child is permanently attached to their phone look at their screen time and number of pick-ups. Phone addiction is damaging to their mental health and wellbeing and can have long term impacts on their relationships and self esteem. 

Your child's phone belongs to you, not them and so as the person who pays the bills, you have the right and responsibility to remove it from them. 

Children who are addicted to using apps such as Tik Tok often lack motivation to do anything else. You may have noticed they are less engaged with doing things in real life, see them reach for their phone or open it multiple times in a short space or time or show anxiety at the thought of being separated from it. If you feel you need support with this please call us or call in to our parent/carer drop on Friday mornings from 9.30-10.30am.

We have a zero trolerance towards mobile phone use in school and if your child's phone is seen, it will be confiscated and placed in our safe for you to collect. 

The Children's Commissioner is seeking the views of all young people and we will be promoting this during Tutor Time next week. Please speak to your child about this and ensure they take part. 

Thank you for coming to our parent event on Monday. As part of our work with the Department for Education we have been able to offer a number of sessions for parents of neurodiverse children or those who think their child displays neuro-diverse needs. 

The sessions include some expert advice and access to support services. 

If you were unable to attend but would like to know more please contact Mrs Smith, our SENCO. 

We have high standards in our school and the basis of this is clear expectations that all students are aware of. This includes expectations around uniform and professional presentation to school. 

Please ensure that any changes to hair colour are with the naturally occurring range of colours as any extreme dye will not be accepted in school. The summer holidays is an ideal time to express individuality and can then be rectified by September. We understand that young people want to experiment with style and let's be honest, we have all been there, but in preparation for adulthood and the workplace, their appearance in school must adhere to our school policy. 

This also applies to eyelashes, nail art and nail extensions. There are health and safety reasons linked to science experiments and PE that mean nail extensions are not allowed in school and as with make up, applications should be natural and minimal. 

If you are unsure about this please contact your child's Head of Year who will be able to advise you further. 

Year 8 Parent and Carer Evening is on Thursday 25th of June. Please book your appointments using School Cloud. 

Telephone: 0191 3730336

Email: contact@durhamacademy.org.uk

For the most up to date information about what is going on in our school, please visit our website at:

https://durhamacademy.org.uk