Durham High School
End of Week Newsletter
Issue 15 – January 10 2025
Welcome back! Happy New Year to you all. I hope you have all enjoyed your family time together over the Christmas holidays. I’m sure the snow brought much excitement during the last few days of the holiday for the girls. Our fabulous site staff have done an incredible job keeping the car parks and pathways safe for our staff and girls, for which we are incredibly grateful.
We have welcomed a number of new girls and families into our Durham High community this January, and we wish them all a happy and successful time with us.
Thank you to Mrs Wheeler and Mrs Lonsdale for taking our Sixth Form girls to Paris for their Christmas trip, and to Mrs Jenkinson, Miss Cartwright, Mrs Middleton, Miss Bingham, Miss Middleton and Mrs Steel for accompanying the ski trip at the end of term to Italy. A huge thanks must also go to Mrs Slane for all her hard work that went into organising the fabulous ski trip. She was bitterly disappointed not to be able to travel, and we are so pleased that she is finally on the mend. We hope you all enjoyed following the activities on our social media channels. We look forward to the Spain trip at Easter, the Year 6 Ford Castle residential, the Year 7 and 8 Paris trip in the Summer Term, and our annual Year 9 Lakeside trip in June. Our Year 10, 11 and Sixth Form students are looking forward to their Projects Abroad trip in the summer holidays to Sri Lanka, and our Duke of Edinburgh girls have their expeditions for Bronze, Silver and Gold to conquer. Pre-Prep and Prep have lots of exciting days out planned for the Spring and Summer terms too. We are already planning our trips calendar for next year, so watch this space.
I would like to congratulate our wonderful Upper Sixth and Year 11 students on their exemplary attitudes towards their mock exams this week. We ensure that the process mirrors the procedures in place for their public examinations in the summer, so there are no surprises when sitting their GCSEs and A-Levels.
In addition to being awarded Independent School of the Year North East in December, I am delighted to share that Durham High School has been recognised by the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), awarding us with the ‘I Belong’ certificate for our efforts to inspire more girls to pursue Computer Science. This award celebrates our commitment to continue empowering the next generation of female leaders in technology, breaking barriers in STEM through initiatives such as Robo Queens, She Can Code Society, and InnovateHer Leaders, as well as workplace visits, inspiring talks, and events like the CyberFirst Girls Competition. Thank you to Miss Turner, our Head of Computing and Digital Strategy, for all her hard work to enable us to achieve this accolade. At Durham High School, we know how important it is that the girls know they have a space in the world of tech and STEM. Miss Turner is actively challenging the perception that computer science isn’t for girls, and this certificate is part of that.
Thank you for your support regarding the changes to mobile phone usage during the school day in the Senior Department. The girls have all been great at handing in their phones. We fully appreciate that some of our girls travel on buses to and from school and absolutely need their phones from a safety perspective. However, if your daughter is dropped off and picked up after school, please could we ask you to consider whether your daughter needs to bring her phone to school at all, as it will just be locked away for the day? If you need to get a message to your daughter during the school day, please ring Reception, and they will ensure messages are passed on.
It is always a treat when we hear of the successes of our girls outside of school. Please do continue to send in your photos and information so we can congratulate them in school and share their successes in the School Newsletter and on our social media channels.
Next week, our Excellence Book awards will resume, and I can’t wait to meet with the girls to discuss their nominations
With best wishes
The Ski Trip 2024 was a truly special experience for everyone involved. The girls made impressive progress on the slopes in Folgarida, enjoying perfect skiing conditions and plenty of sunny weather. Off the slopes, the group celebrated a 13th birthday with karaoke and laughter-filled evenings. The final day was capped with dancing in the snow and a
Sixth Form Paris Trip: A Magical Experience
Our Sixth Form students had an incredible time on their recent trip to Paris! Highlights included exploring iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, cruising along the Seine, and shopping on the Champs-Élysées.
The magic continued with a visit to Disneyland Paris, where the group enjoyed rides, a spectacular light show, and fireworks. The adventure concluded with a morning at the Lille Christmas markets, complete with delicious treats and a ride on the Ferris wheel. The girls returned home with unforgettable memories and plenty of laughter along the way! As always, congratulations to the girls on your impeccable behaviour throughout.
Pupils of the Week in Pre-Prep and Prep:
Nursery: Phoebe, for coping well with full days now. Lovely to see her ‘Big girl attitude’.
Reception: Honey, for super effort and progress made in all her written tasks.
Year 1 & 2: Precious for settling in quickly and having a super attitude to her work.
Year 3 & 4: Safaa for returning to school brilliantly and showing respect, kindness and enthusiasm.
Year 5: Mia for a fantastic start to the term, showing great participation and insightful predictions in English.
Year 6: Lucy for having a fabulous positive attitude in lessons and for being very organised.
Last term, several girls entered an art competition whilst they were attending After School Club. We were delighted to hear that their pictures have been selected for publication in a Young Artists Book These girls were presented with Certificates of Creativity.
Georgia and Thora were Lingotot’s Stars of the Week and Wren was presented with a Buddy Award.
Mrs Hopper also presented awards to girls who have been busy over the Christmas holidays:
• Emma, Jessica and Seren – skiing
• Emma and Jessica – running
• Kira – tap dancing, tumbling and gymnastics
• Neive - acroflex
• Rose – acting
Well done, everyone! What a talented bunch of girls you are!
Student Spotlight:
Ava’s Work Experience Success:
Over the school holidays, Ava took a significant step towards her future career aspirations by gaining invaluable experience at Watson Woodhouse Solicitors in Middlesbrough. During her placement, Ava had the opportunity to shadow solicitors, assist with client interviews, and observe legal procedures in action, giving her a firsthand look at the world of law.
“My work experience allowed me to gain a greater insight into legal decision-making and enhance my critical thinking. This experience has deepened my interest in the legal profession.” – Ava
A huge well done to Ava for her dedication and ambition!
Phoebe's Gold Rush:
We’re thrilled to share the fantastic achievements of Phoebe Arnott, who recently won gold at the British Dry Slope Ski Championships and 1st place in the Scottish Championships!
Phoebe’s dedication to skiing is truly inspiring. She trains regularly with Ravens Tigers Ski Racing and Development Club and has been part of Durham High's skiing club, which recently enjoyed a ski trip to Italy. Her hard work paid off when she earned a spot on the 2024 ESSKIA squad, where she had the opportunity to train in Norway and expand her skills. Phoebe is now setting her sights on even bigger goals, including the English Alpine Championships! We couldn’t be prouder of Phoebe and can’t wait to see what’s next for her!
Mathilde’s resolution success:
Mathilde has fulfilled her last year’s resolution, which was to work hard at learning to ring church bells and become good enough to help the Bell Band ring in the new year. So, here she is at midnight, leading the Warmington Village Bell Band in ringing in 2025. She was very nervous but did a brilliant job. Look out for a little video next week on our social media. We are very proud of your determination and skill, Mathilde!
Senior Badminton Tournament
Huge congratulations to the girls who represented the school at the Tyne and Wear Badminton Tournament. This is the first time we have entered teams into this event, and it was a fantastic experience, with all girls performing very well in their doubles matches.
Isabella and Esmée, along with Darcie and Katie, finished 4th, Robyn and Carola-Elin were 3rd, and Chloé and Ananya finished in 2nd place. Chloe and Ananya were our pair of the tournament due to their brilliant rallies and the determination and skill they showed to win some very close games!
Work Experience Opportunities for Years 11 & Lower Sixth
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the career aspirations of our girls, we are seeking work experience opportunities for them. Several girls have expressed an interest in gaining experience in the following fields:
✓ Political Researcher or Think Tanks
✓ Hospitals
✓ Museums
✓ Pharmacy
✓ Music Production or Music Business
✓ Dentistry
✓ Law
✓ Aerospace Engineering or Aircraft Engineering
✓ Fashion Marketing
✓ Astronomy
✓ Nursing (including Mental Health)
✓ Dermatology Clinic
✓ GP or Care Home
✓ Educational Psychology (preferably at a mainstream Primary School)
✓ Nuclear Engineering
If you or anyone you know has contacts in any of these sectors who might be willing to host one of our girls for 1–5 days of work experience, we would be incredibly grateful for your support. Please feel free to share their details with us via enquiries@dhsfg.org.uk
Thank you for helping us provide these valuable opportunities for our girls' future career development!
Message from Parents & Friends Association
Happy New Year!
Parents & Friends hope that everyone has had a wonderful festive period, and we wish everyone all the best for 2025.
Last year's Christmas Fayre was once again a huge success, and we managed to raise an amazing £3,606.05 for the school, bringing the total amount we have raised to date for this academic year to £4,529.17! We are so grateful for your support in helping us achieve this wonderful fundraising milestone.
We would love to hear what parents, teachers, and pupils would like us to spend the money you help us raise on, so please keep an eye out for our new P&F Suggestion Box in School Reception
January key dates for your diary.
Just a reminder that the school calendar is available on the website and is updated with any changes as they arise.
Date Event Times
January 13 - 17 Year 11 and Upper Sixth Mock Exams
January 22 Parent & Friends Nearly New Uniform Sale Main Hall 3pm –4.30pm
January 24 11+ Entrance test Day
January 30 Lower Sixth Parents’ Evening 4.30pm