Durham High School End of Week Newsletter
Issue 31 – 08 June 2025
Dear Parents
I hope you all enjoyed a restful half term and were able to make some special memories, despite the rather wet weather! Thank you to all those who sent in photographs and updates sharing your daughters’ celebrations and achievements over the break. It has been such a pleasure to read about them, and we’ve featured many of these wonderful stories in the newsletter below. Please do continue to send them to headmistress@dhsfg.org.uk, our girls are incredibly busy with a range of extracurricular activities outside school, and we take great pride in celebrating these successes just as much as those within the classroom.
It was lovely to welcome everyone back on Monday. There was great excitement among our Year 7 and 8 girls as they prepared to head off to Paris for their three-night residential on Wednesday. Understandably, our Year 11 and Upper Sixth girls were perhaps not quite as enthusiastic, facing another week of GCSEs and A Levels. That said, they have shown excellent dedication and composure, and we continue to send them into their exams with all our very best wishes.
I was especially proud of 7D, who created and delivered our welcome back assembly. Their focus was on embracing the differences in our cultural backgrounds, both at school and at home. They challenged the Senior Department to ask each other positive questions about what makes us unique, drawing on historical examples where diversity has driven positive change. The whole class contributed to a thoughtprovoking and uplifting presentation which beautifully showcased how our differences can strengthen our community.
This week, I also had the pleasure of spending two break times with our Lower Sixth History A Level students to celebrate their Excellence Book Awards. Mrs Almond had set the girls the challenge of delivering a five-minute end-of-unit presentation on South African History, and both she and Mrs Middleton were thoroughly impressed. The standard of effort, academic research, and presentation skill was truly outstanding. It was enlightening to hear why each student had chosen their particular topic, and fascinating that every presentation was so unique. Congratulations to Emily H, Ava, Emily D, Yasmeen, Anna N, Fenella, Anna P, Julia, and Sophie. We are all incredibly proud of your achievements. I am looking forward to meeting more girls next week who have received nominations form other subjects.
Next week is an incredibly busy one for school events, with Year 10 Parents’ Evening, Lower Sixth UCAS Evening, Prep Music Concert and Parent and Daughter Tennis. I look forward to saying hello at these events.
Best wishes
Mrs Michelle Hill Headmistress
Summer Holiday Camps at Durham High
We are hoping to offer a programme of Summer holiday camps during dedicated weeks of the Summer Holiday. We are currently in negotiation with the providers and will give you more information in the coming weeks regarding this. We are hopeful there will be some Dance workshops by Polka Dot Dance School, Language days run by Lingotots, Football sessions and Forest School days. More information will follow in the coming weeks.
Year 10 Geography Field Work Residential
It was the annual Year 10 GCSE Geography field work residential to the Lake District at the start of the week. A successful day was spent collecting data on the impacts of tourism on Grasmere and the students worked hard into the evening to process their results. After a full YHA breakfast, we began our walk up to Easedale Tarn, thankful that it was neither exceedingly hot (two years ago), or raining horizontally, as last year.
What we hadn't anticipated was that our usual path had turned into a small river due to overnight rain. Thankfully, an alternative route was found and the students were able to develop a much better understanding of this amazing glacial landscape. Thank you to Mrs Gardner and Mrs Cowey for taking the girls.
Pre-Prep & Prep Pupils of the Week
This week’s Pupils of the Week in Pre-Prep and Prep were:
Nursery: Hattie B for reaching out socially and enjoying widening her friendship circle.
Reception: Honey for remembering so many information facts and recording them in her written work.
Y1&2: Jessica for sharing super knowledge about the natural environment.
Y3&4: Eden for showing perseverance and resilience during Maths lessons. She can now answer multi-step problems.
Y5: India for incredible work in English. She has shown critical thinking in her balanced argument.
Y6: Laura for a thoughtful, well-written letter containing figurative language, ambitious vocabulary and short sentences to build tension.
Jessica (Reception) was the Lingotot’s Star of the Week and Kira was presented with a certificate for being the House Point winner 5 times this year.
Several of the girls who attend After School Club were presented with Certificates of Creativity for their artwork. This was entered into the Young Writers’ ‘Super Me’ national drawing competition. We are delighted to hear that all their pictures were chosen to be published in a book.
Outside of school:
Lola has won lots of colourful rosettes in a recent horse jumping competition and Wren was a wonderful groom and helped her auntie’s miniature Shetland pony win a championship.
Kira has been successful in her recent ballet exam whilst Matilda has won a trophy in her dancing class.
Jessica ST and Marina have been busy in their swimming lessons and have badges to show for their hard work.
Well done, everyone!
Pupil Celebrations
Isabella – Year 10
A huge congratulations to Isabella who competed in the Irish Dancing World Championships in Dublin over the Easter holidays. Her team achieved an outstanding 6th place in the world in the highly competitive Under 16 Ceili category, securing a prestigious World Medal (Top 8). What an incredible achievement well done to Isabella and her team!
Annabel- Year 7
Well done to Annabel, who has been awarded her second Black Belt of the year. After achieving her Black Belt in Taekwondo in February, she has now earned a second Black Belt -this time in Weapons. A fantastic accomplishment. Congratulations, Annabel!
Faelene – Year 3
Good luck to Faelene, who is competing at the National Gymnastics Association Finals in Rugby this weekend. We have everything crossed for you and will celebrate your achievements next week.
Ruien – Year 8
Congratulations to Ruien, who took part in the Royal Naval Parade Inspection on Friday 23 May as ‘Cadet First Class Bell’ with the Chester-le-Street Sea Cadets Unit. The purpose of the Royal Naval Parade is to assess the unit’s progress and showcase its skills and training to senior members of the Royal Navy and the wider public. Despite a busy exam week, Ruien worked hard to ensure her uniform and drills were parade-perfect, and even found time to bake cupcakes to demonstrate the skills of the Catering group within her unit. A fantastic effort. Well done, Ruien!
Molly – Year 2
Molly had an unforgettable day at Wembley Stadium, where she watched Sunderland win the Premier League Play-Offs against Sheffield United. To make the day even more special, she had the chance to meet two all-time greats Jimmy Montgomery and Kevin Phillips. Her beaming smile says it all!
Poppy in Year 9 had a fantastic day at the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont Country Park near Nottingham during half-term, competing in the National Schools Regatta 2025. Poppy raced in a boat for her rowing club, Durham Amateur Rowing Club, with 4 others to complete a Girls Junior 14 Coxed Quad (WJ14 x+).
The team entered a time trial with 43 other teams from around the county to row over 1km from a moving start. Poppy's team came 20th which placed them in the D final for later in the day.
A few hours later the six lane D final started from a standing start over 1km. Poppy's team came first which placed them 19th overall in the competition. Well done to Poppy and her team!
Prep Sports Update
Well done to all our Year 4 pupils who took part in a quick cricket match against Newcastle High School on Tuesday afternoon! The girls demonstrated just how much progress they’ve made with their cricket skills, particularly their batting, which was especially impressive. There were also some excellent catches on display. A fantastic effort all round. Well done, girls!
Well done to our Year 5 pupils who played cricket against Chorister School on Friday afternoon. The girls demonstrated strong skills scoring plenty of 4s and 6s, bowling well, and taking some impressive catches. Both teams showed great teamwork, encouragement, and respect towards each other and their opponents.
Both teams won all their matches, with scores of 250–229 and 253–217, where Zaria was named opposition Player of the Match, and 287–254 and 287–244, with Isla receiving the same recognition.
We are very proud of you, Year 5 - Well done!
Year 7 and 8 Residential Trip to Paris
Our pupils had a fantastic time in France this week. After a magical day at Disneyland, they spent a day exploring the sights of Paris. Highlights included visits to the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral, a river cruise along the Seine, and a trip up the Montparnasse Tower to enjoy panoramic views of the city.
A heartfelt thank you to Madame O’Neill, Mrs Hawkins, Miss Shoulder, Mrs Walker and Mrs Docherty for accompanying the girls and making the trip so memorable. You can follow their journey and see more photos on our social media pages.
Senior Department Art Show
You are warmly invited to our Art Show on Monday 30 June at 4.30pm, celebrating the tremendous work of our Senior Department pupils this year.
Everyone is welcome. Please come to Main Reception, where you will be guided over to the Art Department.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Old Girls Summer Lunch
Our Old Girls network is an important part of the Durham High legacy and a tribute to those who have gone before us who share the unique experience of life at our school. We are celebrating our alumni with a summer lunch on Saturday 21 June. If you know an Old Girl who would like to join us, please do share the invitation within your network. You can book here: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/ERHZ
It promises to be an afternoon of good food and memory-sharing with a like-minded community.
Nearly New Uniform Sale
Bank Detail Change
The Parents and Friends Association will be holding a Nearly New Uniform Sale on Thursday 3 July, from 3.00pm to 4.30pm in the Main Hall.
Please note that this is a cash-only event.
Donations of washed uniform items are very welcome and can be handed in to Main Reception by Friday 20 June 2025.
As mentioned in our letter shared on 4 June, we have updated our bank account details. This is a gentle reminder to refer to that letter and update your payee record before making your next payment to the School.
Our new bank details will also be included on all invoices issued in August.
Key Dates
Date Event Time (if relevant)
Monday 9 June
Monday 9 June
Interact Y7 Event
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 Y8 HPV Vaccinations During the day
Friday 13 June
UCAS Discovery Day at Utilita Arena Newcastle
Saturday 14 June Y5 Outreach Rehearsals All day
Saturday 14 – 15 June Bronze DofE Assessed
Monday 16 – 20 June Tenner Challenge
Tuesday 17 June Y5 Outreach Dress Rehearsal
Wednesday 18 June Y7 Geography Field Trip
Friday 20 June Colour Run 1.30pm-3.30pm
Saturday 21 June Old Girls AGM 11.00am-12.00pm
Saturday 21 June OGA Summer Lunch 12.00pm- 3.00pm
Monday 23 June Y10 & Lower Sixth Flamingo Land
Monday 23-25 June Y9 Lakeside Residential
Tuesday 24 June Upper Sixth Leavers Service 2.30pm-4.00pm
Thursday 26 June Upper Sixth Leavers Dinner 6.30pm-8.30pm
Thursday 26-28 June Silver DofE Assessed
Friday 27 June Y6 Play 7.00pm-9.00pm
Saturday 28 June Whole School Open Morning 9.30am-12.30pm
Saturday 28 June DHS Live! 1.00pm-5.00pm
Monday 30 June Y6 Celebration 2.00pm-3.30pm
Monday 30 June Art Show 4.30pm-6.00pm
Wednesday 2 July Y8 Activities Trip to Barnard Castle
Wednesday 2- 24 July Sri Lanka Projects Abroad and Sports Tour
Friday 4 July Final Day of Term Normal time