Dear Parent / Carer,

Our summer assessment weeks are taking place from the 27th June for Ks3 and from the 5th July for Year 10. Please see the timetables below which show exactly when each assessment for each year group will take place.
As with the tests sat previously in January, each will be taken in one of our examination halls and will be sat under full test conditions. Students have been provided with a knowledge organiser for each subject in which they will be sitting a test and these contain all of the course content that will be covered. Students are expected to use these knowledge organisers to help them to revise and prepare for each of their tests. Revision can be a daunting thing to do and to support all of our students there is a link on our website for a guide on how to effectively revise for tests and exams (https://dukes.ncea.org.uk/student-hub/revision-tips-and-ideas/). Although some of these are aimed at Y11, they still contain lots of ideas and tips to ensure that students of all ages develop their skills and effectiveness in this area. There is also some advice on how, as parents, you can support your child with revision.
The main idea behind these assessments is to ensure that students experience as much practice as possible in the sitting of controlled tests so that by the time they come to sit their final exams at the end of Year 11 they are familiar and confident in the examination and revision process and are in a position to perform to their potential. The results of these assessments will also help to inform the school of the progress of the students in key subjects and will help us to ensure that they are receiving the correct provision and support. Results of the tests will be reported to parents after each of the assessment periods. Outcomes may result in some students moving classes to ensure that they are receiving the correct levels of support.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Line
Deputy Principal

A free online safety guide on Twitch.

Twitch is a livestreaming service which tends to focus on gaming. Users can publicly broadcast their gameplay and commentary online for other users to watch. It’s a community-driven platform where viewers can support their favourite streamers’ channels through PayPal donations, “Bits” and more. Each streamer or group creates their own community for fans to interact with each other. Twitch has more than 15 million daily active users and includes non-gaming topics such as music, cooking and art. Anyone can create a channel to livestream or watch videos.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as inappropriate content, private chat rooms and strangers.

Local schools join us in UK engineering challenge
Students from Duke’s Secondary School were joined by other local schools to compete in
the IET Faraday Challenge Day (FCD), supported brilliantly by Keira Sewell from the IET.
Students became real-life engineers for a day when they researched, designed and built
solutions to real engineering problems as part of the Institution of Engineering and
Technology’s (IET) Faraday Challenge Day on Wednesday 8 th June 2022.
This year’s challenge is in association with the Institute of Healthcare Engineering and
Estate Management (IHEEM) and was based on healthcare engineering. Six teams of year 8
students raced against the clock to solve a real-life engineering problem, putting their
engineering and technology knowledge and skills to the test. The teachers got involved too
and submitted their entry against other teacher teams across the nation.
The winning team included Christopher, Tom, Jessie, Amy and Kyle from Duke’s received a
£10 shopping voucher and a trophy, with 71 points out of 100.

The teacher’s team were ranked first in national teacher’s competition, and included staff
from Duke’s, Ashington Academy, Blyth Academy and Whytrig Middle School.

Mrs McCready, Science teacher at Duke’s, said “We all had a fantastic day. It was exciting
and challenging, and great to see such brilliant team work and creativity from the students.”
Natalie Moat, IET Faraday Education Manager, said: “Students who take part in the Faraday
Challenge Days this year will experience working as an engineer through hands-on and
practical engagement with real-life challenges relating to the Institute of Healthcare
Engineering and Estate Management (IHEEM).
“There is a huge demand for new engineers and technicians and we are confident that this
will challenge young people’s perception of engineers and inspire the next generation by
giving them an insight into the life of a real engineer and showing them just how exciting and
creative engineering really is.”
The events aim to encourage more young people to study and consider exciting and
rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) by using creativity,
innovation and problem-solving skills.

I am SO proud to announce that many of our students have made it through to Inter Counties athletics next Saturday at Gateshead. They were an absolute credit to our school, their performances were exceptional and the support they showed each other made me even more proud.

All of our track athletes made their finals will the following going through to the next round:

James 3rd 100m
Amy 1st 100m
Harry 1st 100m and 3rd 200m

The following field athletes will also progress to the next round:

Bethany 1st discus
Saveena 2nd shot
Kaitlyn 1st hammer and 1st shot
Georgia 3rd hammer and 3rd discus (reserve for next weekend)
Tyler 3rd high jump (reserve for next weekend)

Please congratulate all athletes when you see them in school.

Ms North

Head of PE

Duke’s Secondary School

Callum represented at Grantham this weekend. He was selected to go there having achieved three gold medals at the regional competition in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m sprinting events.

At the weekend the cadet forces from all regions of the country, Scotland and Wales went to Grantham to compete. Callum managed to achieve a silver medal in the 100m, bronze in the 200m and the team came 4th for the relay. Overall, NACF as a whole came 2nd out of all counties. Callum has also been awarded an athletics badge to wear on his uniform.

Very well done indeed Callum Caldwell!

Cancer is happening right now, which is why our school is holding a Race for Life to raise money and save lives. 1 in 2 of us will get cancer. All of us can support the research that will beat it. Cancer Research UK’s determination to beat cancer hasn’t faltered and they’re more focused than ever on our ambition of seeing 3 in 4 people survive their cancer by 2034, so please sponsor us now and help fund life-saving research.

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/dukes-secondary-school-1

Dear Parent or Carer,

It´s great to get children enjoying the benefits of physical activity outdoors, but it is also important that they are protected from the harmful effects of the sun, especially sunburn.

Further to this, we are proud to announce that we are now Sun Protection Accredited, and will be following guidelines from the Outdoor Kids Sun Safety Code.

Please see attached for our sun policy with the actions we pledge to implement this summer. Please ensure that your children arrive prepared for our sessions. If you need to discuss individual requirements or medical issues, please contact us via the usual channels.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Visit www.melanoma-fund.co.uk for more information on how to enjoy a SAFE, healthy, active life outdoors.

Duke’s Summer Fair poster