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 A big thank you to everyone who came along to enjoy the children's music performance this afternoon! A special shoutout to Mrs Unwin from the Durham Music Service for all her support throughout the year. You've helped our young musicians shine!
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools EYFS Mealworm Explorers! Our curious EYFS children have had a fantastic time observing the mealworms this morning! They were all incredibly brave and even held the wriggly creatures in their hands. We thought the mealworms were so cute even though they gave us a little tickle!
View this PostBudding scientists on the move! In Science, the Year 5 & 6 children took on the challenge of testing the hypothesis: "Children with a lower resting heart rate can sprint faster than those with higher resting heart rates." After measuring their own heart rates and sprint times, they compiled the results into a class data table and brought the numbers to life by creating their own scatter graphs. Through hands-on investigation, they explored the relationship between fitness and performanceapplying real scientific thinking and analytical skills. Who knew stats could be this exciting?
View this PostHamsterley 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
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