Durham High School End of Week Newsletter
Issue 29 – 18 May 2025
Dear Parents
This week simply must go down as one of my all-time favourites in my 28 years of teaching, and what a week it has been! I still can’t quite believe that on Wednesday I had the honour of meeting His Majesty the King at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party, where I even had the privilege of shaking his hand, not once, but twice and wishing him a good afternoon!
I was incredibly proud to have been nominated to attend by His Majesty’s LordLieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowdon, in recognition of my services to Education and Training. I do hope you don’t mind me sharing a little of my special day with you.
Accompanied by my husband, we made the most of the occasion. Our day began with the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace which was a spectacular sight, and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the King himself as he entered the Palace gates. After a lovely stroll through St James’s Park, we returned to prepare for the main event: the Garden Party.
Following stringent security checks, we found ourselves waiting just outside the Palace gates before walking through into the famous courtyard, a moment I’ll never forget. With the Beefeaters in the background, I managed to capture a few treasured photographs before we entered the magnificent Palace Gardens. The grounds were as splendid as you might imagine – peaceful, elegant, and utterly beautiful.
As we made our way to the Afternoon Tea tent, we noticed crowds beginning to form in anticipation of the Royal arrival. Abandoning the tea queue was certainly the right decision, as we were able to take our place in the line to greet their Majesties. The band played a wonderful medley before striking up the National Anthem as the King and Queen entered the gardens. Though I longed to sing along, it quickly became clear this wasn’t the done thing!
We were briefed by the King’s aides on the Royal protocol, including some rather firm rules about photography! When asked where we had travelled from, I proudly shared that I was the Headmistress of Durham High School, which was received with great interest. The aide I was speaking to, studied in Durham and knew of our wonderful school.
Much to my joy, we were in the line to meet the King. He took his time speaking with guests, showing great warmth and generosity. I was utterly delighted when he reached our section and, to my amazement, he shook my hand not once but twice, pausing to share a few kind words. He remarked that he had never been at an event with so many wonderful teachers, which was such a special thing to hear.
Afterwards, we enjoyed the delicious refreshments and took time to explore the gardens. The lake and Rose Garden were particular highlights. It was hard to believe we were in the heart of London; it felt so serene.
As the clock struck six, our extraordinary visit came to an end. As we made our way out to catch our train back to the North East, we were given one final wave as the King departed the Palace in his car The perfect conclusion to an unforgettable day. Though my feet may have been sore, the smile on my face said it all. These are memories I will treasure forever.
Thank you to Mrs Middleton and Mrs Hopper for holding the fort, enabling me to enjoy this special moment.
Best wishes
Mrs Michelle Hill Headmistress
As mentioned in our Co-education Parent meetings and as part of our commitment to listening to parents, we will be launching a new forum entitled ‘Parent Voice,’ where we will be seeking your feedback on several areas of school life. The forums will be run by a third party and held every term for approximately one hour. For those interested in taking part, please get in touch at headmistress@dhsfg.org.uk We will take a cross section of parents representing all pupils from 3-18.
Please note that this group will be a separate group to the established ‘Parent Advocates’ group which meets before Parents and Friends Meetings. Members of this group are in addition, welcome to join the ‘Parent Voice’ group, should they wish to.
Uniform – Important updates
School Bags - At Senior Department School Council, the girls raised the possibility of going back to having a Durham High school bag as part of the Senior Department uniform requirement. We thought this was a great idea and are currently working with a supplier to provide a few different styles (Rucksack and shopper style) for the girls to be able to select from. These will be plain black with the school logo and have the girls initials on them, and will fit their laptops, so no need for an additional laptop bag.
From September, these will be compulsory for girls in Year 7 –10. Year 11 may continue to bring their own bag, providing it is plain black, non-designer and has no logos. If Year 11 would like to purchase a school bag, they may if they wish too.
Coats – Girls do not need to bring coats to school in the Summer Term. If you are getting ready to buy new coats for the Autumn Term, please ensure they are plain black with no logos at all. They must not be designer or branded, unless it is one of the DHS coats which can be purchased from the school shop.
School Skirts Y6 - Y11– Many of our girls have had a growth spurt recently. Please ensure that if your daughter’s school skirt is not sitting on her knee, that she has a new skirt for September. These can be ordered from the school shop.
Water Bottles – As stated in previous correspondence, all water bottles should be transparent and not hold more than 1 litre of water. Girls should only be bringing water to school and can top them up from the water coolers throughout the day.
All girls need to come to school with a water bottle, especially in the summer term with the weather being so hot.
Thank you for your continued support in maintaining our high standards.
Mental Health Awareness Week 12-18 May
This week was Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year’s theme focused on the importance of ‘Community’ in supporting mental health.
At Durham High School, we understand just how vital a strong, supportive community is not only for the success of our school, but for the mental wellbeing of every individual within it. We have worked hard to create a nurturing, family orientated environment where every pupil feels seen, heard and is valued. It is from within our community that we find strength, connection, and joy.
Throughout the week, we have taken opportunities to come together through assemblies focussing on ‘Community’ and ‘Connectivity’, in both Pre-Prep and Prep and Senior Departments, curriculum time and extracurricular activities that support and celebrate positive mental health and wellbeing.
Mrs Lonsdale, one of our Mental Health Leads, organised a wonderful programme of activities to help both pupils and staff pause and connect. These included mindfulness colouring, calming sound bath sessions, Pilates, wellbeing drop-ins, and a high-energy Just Dance session to end the week on a fun note!
The week began with a thoughtful and powerful assembly led by 8H, who explored how connection and community can protect and strengthen our mental health. Their message set the tone for a meaningful and uplifting week.
Thank you to everyone who took part, you are what makes our community so special.
Sixth Form Prefect Team for 2025–26
We are delighted to introduce the new Sixth Form Prefect Team, for the 2025-2026 academic year
These girls are passionate about Durham High School, and we know they will bring warmth, dedication and a strong sense of purpose to everything they do. We look forward to working with you all and know you will be amazing!
Year 5 Beamish Trip
Year 5 had a successful day at Beamish Museum experiencing a workshop on the history and science of ice cream in the North East. They especially enjoyed eating the ice cream afterwards! Mrs Tipple demonstrated eating a ‘penny lick’ which entertained everyone. Following their work on the Victorian and Edwardian period, the girls explored a range of places in the 1900s town, including the print shop, dentist and sweet shop. The pupils
Tempest House Captain (PP and P): Kate B
Neville House Captain (PP and P): Isla S
Heath House Captain (Senior): Fenella O
School Council Prefect (PP and P): Sukhman K
Pre-Prep and Prep Prefect: Jasmine T
Pre-Prep and Prep Prefect: April O’
School Council Prefect (PP and P): Tess G
Mental Health Ambassador: Sophie T
Head Girl: Yasmeen H
Deputy Head Girl –Catering Committee: Anna N
Deputy Head Girl –Inclusivity and Diversity: Fienna B
Deputy Head Girl –Eco Council: Emily H
Deputy Head Girl –Interact: Ava G
Booth House Captain (Senior): Parita B
Eco Council Prefect: Eme C
Booth House Captain (PP and P): Isla M
Catering Prefect: Grace C
Heath House Captain (PP and P): Imogen H
Neville House Captain (Senior): Rhianne S
Tempest House Captain (Senior): Poppy M
Sports Captain: Emily Doyle
School Council Prefect (Senior): Chloe S
School Council Prefect (Senior): Grace L
immersed themselves in the Victorian school experience and embraced the historical setting with enthusiasm and curiosity.
Pupil Celebrations
Poppy – Year 9
Poppy took part in the North East Region Long Course Championships recently, with events held during last weekend and a fortnight ago.
She qualified for four events: the 50m Backstroke, 100m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly and 100m Butterfly. She swam each race well, and in the 50m Backstroke heat, she placed 8th overall with a time of 33.80 seconds, earning her a place in the final.
You can watch the final here – Poppy is in lane 8, second in from the far side. Her race starts at 1:12:30 in the video and lasts around two minutes including introductions.
In the final, Poppy swam a strong race and achieved a new personal best of 32.75 seconds – more than a second faster than her heat. This secured her second place and earned her a silver medal – her first ever at the NER Championships.
She is rightly proud of this achievement as we are of her. Amazing performance.
Lily -Year 3, Rosie - Year 4 and Khadeeja - Year 7
The girls performed in a fantastic rendition of ‘We Will Rock You’ with their Drama school last week. They were all incredible and looked like they were having so much fun Congratulations girls.
Nursery Stay and Play
On Tuesday, we welcomed families to our muchloved ‘Stay and Play’ session at our Nursery and what a beautiful day it was! With the sun shining, we were able to make full use of all our wonderful spaces, both indoors and outside.
It was a real joy to see the children playing happily together, exploring, creating, and enjoying the weather in our outdoor facilities, while parents, both current and prospective, had the chance to chat and get to know one another in a relaxed, friendly setting.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, it is always a pleasure to open our doors and share a little bit of what makes our Nursery so special. We already can’t wait for next time!
Prep Sport update
Well done to our Year 6 girls who have been superstars in a week filled with cricket fixtures. On Monday, they played at the RGS Festival, on Wednesday at the Mowden Hall Festival, and concluded the week with a successful home fixture against Chorister School. The girls have been improving quickly and enjoying their matches in the sunshine. Well done, everyone!
Senior Sport update
On Tuesday our Junior (Y7&8) and Intermediate (Y9&10) Athletics teams were in action at the English Schools’ Track and Field Cup. This is a team competition where events are scored on a points basis and where each individual event requires two athletes from each school to take part.
With eleven schools from across the County participating, the competition was tough.
Our girls delivered some superb individual performances, however, most importantly every athlete played their part working to the best of their ability to score valuable points for their team. We are still awaiting the overall results. Congratulations to all our athletes.
Pre-Prep and Prep Pupils of the week - May 9
On Monday in our Celebration Assembly we caught up with the Pupil of the Week awards a day later than usual due to the Year 6 residential at Ford Castle. We were very proud to celebrate all of our pupils and awarded the following accolades:
➢ Nursery: Amelia for very good listening and following instructions.
➢ Reception: Jessica for resilience and for being brave enough to try new things.
➢ Y1&2: Théa for exciting writing with beautiful presentation and for managing to keep up her homework routines at the same time as becoming a super big sister.
➢ Y3&4: Penny for settling into Durham High School so brilliantly. She has become such a valuable member of the class.
➢ Y5: Scarlett for wonderful creativity in English and for use of complex vocabulary when writing.
➢ Y6: It was impossible to choose just one Pupil of the Week when everyone who went to Ford Castle showed so much resilience as they tackled all the different activities. It was fabulous to see so much support and encouragement for one another too.
Amiya was the Lingotot’s Star of the Week for April 3, but it hasn’t been possible to present her certificate until today.
Last week, Madame Armes was so impressed by the standard of spoken French during the Year 3 and 4 speaking assessments that she awarded Star of the Week to every participant. Meanwhile, Year 5 dazzled with a fabulous French fashion show, again earning the entire class the Star of the Week recognition.
Molly and Neive were presented with swimming awards gained during their lessons outside of school. Faelene and Kira’s success in recent gymnastics competitions was also celebrated.
Pre-Prep and Prep Pupils of the Week- May 16
With the Ford Castle Residential last week, we have a double header of this week’s pupils of the Week in Pre-Prep and Prep that we are again immensely proud to celebrate are as follows:
Nursery: Camille for settling so excellently in her first week of Nursery.
Reception: Layla for making good progress in reading, especially when blending letters to build words.
Y1&2: Neive for a lovely improvement in the presentation and content of her written work.
Y3&4: Annabelle for impressing with her knowledge of fractions and showing huge amounts of resilience.
Y5: Arada for her wonderful positive attitude on our Beamish trip and for asking lots of great questions.
Y6: Olivia T for giving clear instructions to her teammates during a problem-solving activity and for showing perseverance when she wasn’t feeling well.
Olivia S (Y6) was the ‘Lingotot’s Star of the Week’.
Several girls were presented with certificates in recognition of the work they have done with their buddies: Olivia S, Lucy S, Bea, Jessica B, Wren and Rose.
Rosie was presented with a certificate celebrating her performance in a recent production with her drama group.
Mariam in Year 6 recently took part in the Junior Mathematical Challenge run by the UK Maths Trust. This challenge is usually undertaken by pupils in Years 7 and 8, so we were delighted (and impressed!) that she achieved a silver certificate. Very well done, Mariam!
Netball Camps Return to Durham High School This Half Term!
We are pleased to let you know that our popular Netball Camps are returning to Durham High School during the May half-term holidays, open to girls aged 8–12 years. The camp will take place on Tuesday 27 May, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and is open to all girls whether they currently attend Durham High School or not.
Players will enjoy a fun and active day filled with games, group drills, individual skill development, and plenty of match play. To book a place for your daughter, please click here or email NetballCoachingCamps@gmail.com for more information.
Keys Dates for the rest of this half term and start of next Date Event Time (if relevant)
Monday 19 – 23 May Senior Department Exam Week
Wednesday 21st May Y8 Future Business Magnets Challenge
Wednesday 21st May Y7 and 8 Parent Meeting for the Paris Trip 4.15 pm – 4.45 pm
Friday 23 May
Grandparents Day Pre-Prep and Prep 13.30pm – 15.30pm
Friday 23 May Term Ends Normal time
Monday 2 June Summer term begins Normal time
Monday 2 – 3 June Y10 Geography Field Trip to Grasmere
Tuesday 3- 4 June
Connections Drama Festival (Y10 GCSE and L6 A Level
Wednesday 4 – 6 Y7 London Trip
Monday 9 June Interact Y7 Event
Monday 9 June Year 10 Parents’ Evening 4.30- 7pm
Tuesday 10 June L6 UCAS Evening 6.00 – 7.30pm
Wednesday 11 June
UCAS Day Lower Sixth
Wednesday 11 June Prep Concert 6.30pm – 8pm
Thursday 12 June Parent and Daughter Tennis 6.00pm – 8.30pm
Friday 13 June
Friday 13 June
Y8 HPV Vaccinations During the day
UCAS Discovery Day at Utilita Arena Newcastle
Saturday 14 June Y5 Outreach Rehearsals All day
Saturday 14 – 15 June Bronze DofE Assessed