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.
Rookhope, St John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary We had lots of special certificates to hand out this week! We also said a big 'well done' to our Year 6 children who tried so hard with their SATs tests - all of the staff are very proud of you!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Next week, Helen Kirby and I will be running Groundworks again! Last year, we managed to plant lots of fruit and vegetables in the garden; paint fences and the outdoor playground hut; and make a mud kitchen for the Forest School area. This is an opportunity for parents of the school to come together as a community to help to improve the school grounds. For further information, please take a look at the poster below. You can also contact me on Weduc or Helen via email. Thank you Miss Mawson
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Rookhope Primary Class 1 have been learning how to write clear and precise algorithms in computing this week. We were tasked with designing an algorithm that would solve a problem. In groups, we built a simple maze, before writing an algorithm to navigate through the maze. Then, we tested our algorithm to make sure it worked. We talked about how we could add a loop to our algorithm to make it more efficient.
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Rookhope In Class 1, our Early Years children have had a very busy morning! We've made patterns with the peg boards, played with sea creatures in the water tray and practised cutting playdough .
View this PostWearhead Primary School Today, Class 2 have been looking at the different climate zones around the world.
View this PostWearhead Primary School Class 2 have been creating their own piece of artwork inspired by Rembrandt using an ink wash and experimenting with various types of pens, pencils and charcoal. They used these to add tone, shade, perspective and detail.
View this PostWearhead Primary School Class 1 have been working with primary colours in their art lesson to create secondary colours. We also experimented with paper marbling.
View this PostExciting news at St John's Chapel Primary Our new outdoor classroom for Class 1 has been built today! We can't wait to start using it and making the most of our outdoor area!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School This afternoon in Forest School Class 2 have had a great time cutting and painting signs to put up around our Forest School area. We have also enjoyed preparing and eating veggie kebabs in the sunshine
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Rookhope Primary Class 1 made the most of the warm weather during our Forest School session today. We used clay to make the life cycle of a frog, before toasting some marshmallows on the fire. We spent the rest of the session exploring and creating some minibeast land art.
View this PostHamsterley Primary School In computing this week, the Year 5 & 6s studied the history of some computers that changed our world and presented it to the whole class. They produced very informative and well structured presentations!
View this PostWearhead, SJC and Rookhope Schools Congratulations to our special certificate winners!
View this PostAre you looking for a fun and stimulating environment for your toddler? Do you know that we offer a range of childcare provision for 2 to 4 year olds in our governor-led pre-school? Contact us now to find out more. 01388 537 332 stjohnschapel@durhamlearning.net www.durhamdalesfed.co.uk
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Rookhope Primary This afternoon, we were learning all about costal erosion. We demonstrated the physical process of costal erosion, practically, using key vocabulary to talk about what was happening. We talked about the importance of sea defences and how they help protect our coastlines from erosion. We then drew our own labelled diagrams to document our learning.
View this PostChapel Tots is on today at St John's Chapel Primary School from 1.30pm - 3.00pm. It is open for all children aged 0 - 3 years old and is FREE! Refreshments will be available for all. We hope to see you there!
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