The Durham Dales Federation is a federation of small rural primary schools, which was formed in September 2023. Staff from all schools work together to share expertise and to plan and deliver the curriculum. Our subject leaders co-ordinate their subjects across all the schools within our federation, which ensures that we can offer the same high-quality experiences to all pupils in our schools.
The Upper Dales schools of Wearhead and St John’s Chapel work together on a regular basis each week. At the start of the week, each school works in their own building and on Thursdays and Fridays, the schools come together on the St John’s Chapel Primary School site. On Federation days, we take advantage of the opportunities to work in larger groups with other children of the same age, and we often arrange visits and visitors for these days so that everyone can participate.
Hamsterley Primary School – Class 1 at Raby Castle! A brilliant day out linked to our topic, Magnificent Monarchs! Class 1 had an amazing time exploring the treetops in Plotters' Forest , wandering through the grand rooms of Raby Castle , and discovering how people lived many years ago. So much fun, learning, and royal adventure packed into one special day!
View this PostWearhead and St. John's Chapel Primary School Class 1's Day at Raby Castle Class 1 had a brilliant time today as part of their topic, Magnificent Monarchs! They began with an exciting morning in Plotter's Forest adventure playgroundeven the teachers joined the fun! After lunch, they toured Raby Castle, learning about its defences, grand rooms, and how people lived in the past. A fantastic day of fun, learning and royal discoveries!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Today, Year 3 and 4 had the wonderful opportunity to visit St James' Church in Hamsterley. The children explored not just a beautiful building, but also a space filled with meaning, tradition, and community. Thank you to Rita and Jane for answering all of the children's questions and teaching us the amazing history of the church!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School First Aid Training! Yesterday, all the children completed First Aid Training! From practicing CPR on dummies to treating cuts and bruises, the children have all gained life saving skills. Thank you to Laura Newby for coming into school to complete this training with the children. It's never too early to learn how to help others!
View this PostWearhead & St. John's Chapel Primary School – EYFS Creativity in Full Colour! Our EYFS children loved listening to the story of 'The Rainbow Fish', then brought it to life in the tastiest wayby decorating cupcakes with smarties as shimmering scales!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Yesterday, EYFS had a wonderful time in Forest School. We started with the fantastic story 'The Tree Full of Wonder', then went on a leaf hunt to find the ones from the book . We used the leaves to make amazing leaf animals , and finished off with slides and messy muddy food
View this PostSt John's Chapel & Wearhead – Year 6 Leavers' Hoodies! A proud moment for our Year 6 children yesterday as they received their leavers' hoodies! A lovely way to celebrate their final year and all they've achieved.
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools Class 1 had fun this afternoon practising for sports day! We practiced running races, hurdles and jumping. Then we enjoyed practising the egg and spoon race
View this PostSt John's Chapel & Wearhead – Outdoor Fun! Smiles, sunshine, and plenty of laughter! Our EYFS children have been enjoying time outsideplaying with friends and learning together through games, teamwork, and a whole lot of fun.
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Bikeability – Week 7 We're really mastering our sessions now and having so much fun with our games! This afternoon's warm-up was a lively round of Pass the Parcelperfect for building grip and core strength. Then we switched gears with Grandmother's Footsteps and Musical Bikes, fantastic for practising control, stopping, and starting on our bikes.
View this PostSt. John's Chapel & Wearhead – First Aid in Action! Class 2 took part in more first aid training toay with Laura Newby from Bishop Auckland College. They've been learning important life skills and gaining the confidence to help otherswell done, everyone and thank you, Laura!
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools EYFS and nursery had fun in the sun today, playing with the water and making soup
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools Ukulele Vibes from Key Stage 2! Our amazing Key Stage 2 pupils all brought sunshine and smiles to the school today with their fantastic ukulele performance! From catchy tunes to confident strumming, they showed off their musical skills and teamwork in style. A huge well done to all - you rocked it!
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools Musical Magic from Key Stage 2! Today, our talented Key Stage 2 violinists took to the stage and filled the school with beautiful music! From confident solos to harmonious group pieces, they performed with passion, poise, and plenty of pizzazz. It was a joy to see their hard work and dedication come to life in front of their peers. A huge well done to all our young musiciansyou made us proud!
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