Can’t wait for Y7 to have their first face to face parent/carer evening.
See you soon.
Additionally, here is an example of a piece of creative writing from one of our y8s- Ellie Tumilty
War Child
This morning, I was awoken by the deafening whistle soaring past the remains of my home. There was a booming crash followed by a violent earthquake. My neighbours shrieked as my family ushered me outside.
As my brain adjusted to what I was seeing, I watched in horror as the neighbouring apartments crumbled and crashed to the floor. Fragments of glass and cement spat like fire as my mother covered me with her body.
The next time I opened my eyes, everything was gone. My eyes darted around in shock. My home was now engulfed in an endless abyss of smoke and my lungs became polluted with the gritty ash that arose from the rubble. I wheezed and coughed from the unknown chemicals that entered my lungs.
Two years ago today, my family was once whole. The memories flood back of me and my sister grazing the fields and playing football together. Those were the better times. We didnât know how lucky we were back then. Her laughter echoes through my head. âDinner is ready!â My motherâs loving voice rang out through the sweet, spring air. We glared at each other, before the loud roar of our laughter exploded as we ran through the fields, seeing who could return home to receive their share of dinner first.
My sister was 4 years older than me, her name was Gia. We had always been incredibly close, because of the war it only brought us closer together because we were no longer able to attend school. It was too much of a risk now, I haven’t seen any of my friends in months, but that didnât matter, my sister was my best friend.
I was abruptly flashed back to the present by the sounds of my mother wailing. I looked around at the sudden realisation that my sister wasnât here. She wasnât anywhere. She was gone. I watched my father sprint back to the immense heap of what used to be my home. My eyes seamlessly followed him until his silhouette disappeared into the everlasting cloud of dust.
I couldnât help but think back to the time when me and my family took a trip to the beach. It had been a long time since the weather was so nice. It was a treat to us, we had only been to the beach a couple of times. The radiant sun shone high in the early morning sky. I could feel the warmth of the sun on the surface of my skin. Gia and I sprinted to the water and began to have a water fight while the waves crashed around us, swaying me from side to side. My mother had packed us a picnic, knowing we would be here all day. After we ate, Gia had the bright idea to bury me in the sand, it took a while but it made my family laugh.
It felt like an eternity before my father reemerged from the clouds of smoke, he had a solemn look on his face. I instinctively looked up at my mother who had a look of devastation that overcame her. Gia wasnât there. My sister was gone. She was my best friend.
My father finally reached us, tears streaming down his seemingly emotionless face. My mother rested her head on his shoulder and began to sob. She lent down and squeezed me so hard I could hardly breathe. I felt completely numb, I didnât want to accept the truth that my sister was gone. I didnât notice the waterfall of tears that were streaming down my face until my mother wiped my tears with her sleeve, she bent over me again and began to hug me. âIâm so sorry.â She whispered into my ear, her voice raw and cracking.
As I looked over my mothers shoulder, I could barely see because of the tears, I glanced around at the devastating wreckage that used to be my neighbourhood. My brain started recalling the memories of where I used to play with my sister and my friends, I felt the tears swelling up in my eyes again, I blinked them away.
My eyes rested on our favourite place where we used to play, the field. There was a single patch of grass, the only remains of what used to be the beautiful field. It had been so long since I saw any colour, the feeling was indescribable. A single poppy was blooming, it was near impossible that it survived. The beautiful poppy shone a beautiful scarlet in the sunlight, it was the only place where the clouds had parted. I instantly thought of Gia, her laugh began to echo in my head, she had sent a message from wherever she had gone to.
I felt so numb, my trembling legs began to step closer and closer. When I reached the beautiful flower, I fell onto my knees, not knowing what to feel. I just sat there, staring at this poppy. It was so small, so beautiful, most people wouldnât pay attention to such a small detail, but it made the happy memories flood back, it was so much easier then.
After a couple of minutes of staring at this poppy, I heard my mother cry out something I couldnât make out. I glanced up to see what was happening at the sight of an intimidating man standing on the other side of the poppy – he looked like a giant from my perspective, I noticed the colour of his uniform. He was from the enemy troops.
The man slowly crouched down to get onto my level, I was petrified, I couldnât move. I heard my mother scream as the soldier placed a hand on my shoulder. It was then I saw his face, he gave me a sympathetic look as the rest of his troops came out, he reached in his pocket, my mother screamed again as he slowly pulled out a white flag and waved it in the air.
Inspired by last yearâs United Nations Climate Change Conference, NCEAT CEO, Alan Hardie, set pupils across the Trust challenge in the form of a competition to come up with an idea for an âeco projectâ which their school could complete independently to supplement the work already being done by the Trust to operate more sustainably.
The winning concept submitted by Duke’s Secondary School came from the Year 9 class, ‘Oswald 2’, who suggested the creation of a wildflower garden to help encourage bees and other wildlife into the school grounds.
In recognition of their achievement, earlier this week, Year 9 were treated to a special assembly hosted by visitors from Northumberland National Park Authority who talked to pupils about the important role of National Parks across the UK and why we all need to do our bit to protect the natural environment.
During the assembly, pupils from Oswald 2 were presented with a special ‘CEO’s Leadership Award’ by Principal, Mr Atkinson, before heading off to take part in a workshop with the representatives from the National Park where they took a closer look at exactly what would be involved in creating the wildflower garden and what kind of wildlife they could expect to see benefit from it.
The wildflower garden project will form part of a Trust-wide initiative to help NCEAT reduce its carbon footprint. Other projects already underway at schools across the Trust include a beach cleaning initiative at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea by pupils from Bishop’s Primary School and the expansion and redevelopment of the vegetable garden at NCEA Warkworth C of E Primary School to help supplement the school kitchen.
Alan Hardie, CEO at Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, commented:
âWe were blown away by some of the entries we received to the COP26 competition. The level of thought that the pupils had put into their ideas and their consideration of both the long and short term benefits of their proposed projects was really impressive.
âWeâre delighted with the diversity of the winning projects as a collective and we hope that the children will learn a great deal about the importance of protecting our natural world through their varied experiences.â
Well done to our students who are currently working on their Duke of Edinburgh Award this week creating a school allotment.
Dukeâs English are delighted to announce the winners of the Duke’s World Book Day competitions. The competitions were to design a book cover, including blurb, and to create a book review.
Occurring through messaging apps, on social media and in online games, group chats are among the most popular ways that young people engage with their peers online. Involving, by definition, three or more individuals, these groups allow users to send messages, images and videos to everyone in one place. While they are useful for helping friends, people with shared interests or members of a club to communicate and coordinate activities, they can also leave young people feeling excluded and bullied â as well as providing opportunities for inappropriate content to be shared and viewed.
In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as bullying, inappropriate content and unknown members.
Pupils at a secondary school in Northumberland have been gaining valuable insight into what goes on behind the scenes at some of our regionâs biggest employers as part of an âIndustry Insightâ event.
The Year 11 and 12 students from Dukeâs Secondary School in Ashington visited employers such as AkzoNobel, Bernicia, ORE Catapult, Northumberland Fire and Rescue and the Centre for Life to help them broaden their understanding of the wide range of career paths available to them in the local area.
The event comes just months after the school, which operates as part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, announced its pilot programme with North East house builder, Bellway, which also has its roots in helping pupils to raise their aspirations and explore career opportunities in sectors they might not otherwise have considered.
Danielle Towers, Head of Sixth Form and Careers at Dukeâs Secondary School, explained:
âThe pupils of today are the workforce of tomorrow, so itâs absolutely vital that while children and young people are still at school that they have the opportunity to explore as many different employment opportunities as possible, to help them make informed decisions about their futures.
âAs part of the Industry Insight event, all of our Year 11 pupils had the opportunity to visit an employer which specialises in a subject area which was relevant to their current studies ahead of their exams in the summer.
âWe were incredibly fortunate to gain support from so many fantastic local businesses so a big thank you goes out to everyone who got involved. The pupils all thoroughly enjoyed their experiences and took a lot away from them.â
Amongst the list of employers who took part in hosting visits for the event was not-for-profit organisation, Smart Works Newcastle.
An exclusive service for women, Smart Works Newcastle is a local branch of a national organisation which supports unemployed women aged 16 plus and from all backgrounds to build their confidence and skills to help them secure work.
Offering a range of services for those attending job interviews, including a high quality interview outfit (free and theirs to keep) and interview coaching, the charity also supports with CV writing and general careers advice. Smart Works Newcastle has supported hundreds and hundreds of women across the North East into successful employment.
A cohort of Year 11 and 12 students who had expressed an interest in careers that involved helping others took part in a full dayâs work experience at Smart Worksâ headquarters in Newcastle, supporting staff and volunteers with tasks such as stock taking, styling and dressing mannequins.
As part of the day, the students also got to participate in some career coaching and enjoyed a âworking lunchâ with employees from the charity who shared their own experiences and varying routes into working in the sector.
Helen Boyd, Centre Manager at Smart Works Newcastle, commented:
âIt was a pleasure to welcome the group from Dukeâs Secondary School into Smart Works Newcastle for a Volunteer Experience day.
âThe students helped us with stock sorting, visual merchandising, displays and mock client dressing. Throughout the day the students had a 1:1 next steps planning session with our experienced coaches to offer guidance for their career choices. It was great to hear their plans for the future and we hope they got as much out of the day as we did.â
For more information about Dukeâs Secondary School and Sixth Form, visit www.dukes.ncea.org.uk or to find out more about Smart Works Newcastle, visit https://newcastle.smartworks.org.uk/.
A huge well done to the Year 10 football team at Duke’s Secondary School who defeated Hexham side, QEHS 5-2 this week to progress to the Northumberland County league final. A fantastic achievement!
The final will be held at Newcastle University after Easter.
Wednesday 6th April
World Book Day was celebrated in Dukeâs on Wednesday 6th April. Across all lessons students heard staff reading a âsquashedâ version of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne. Additionally, there were lots of tutor-time activities such as quizzes and staff sharing what they are currently reading. There were also games such as guess the staff âshelfieâ and desert island book pile.
All students have access to a bespoke Dukeâs World Book Day activity sheet through their English Google Classroom – this has links to two competitions, all the resources shared across the day, recommended reads and masterclasses from authors and illustrators.
Finally, Dukeâs English hosted two reading reward tea parties – for students who have demonstrated excellent reading habits this year. Some of these are: reading over a million words on Accelerated Reader, withdrawing the most books in their year group (both from Dukeâs library and eplatform), reading challenging texts, engaging in extra reading every day in the library or at home and sharing. Parents were invited to the KS3 event and both groups spent an hour exploring the library, chatting about books and enjoying an afternoon tea.