West Rainton, Houghton-le-Spring DH4 6RN
Our link with North East Ambulance Service enabled us to provide essential first aid training for parents and carers completely free of charge.
It was great to see so many adults feel confident in what to do when faced with an unconscious casualty. By the end of the session, the group were also proficient in giving CPR and would know how to use a defibrillator, if available, to support this.
Well done to our parents and carers!
Our ambulance mini medics enjoyed an afternoon of ‘treating’ each other’s illnesses and injuries as they got to grips with first aid. During the session, led by NEAS, the children learnt how to bandage heads, arms and hands as well as how to apply a sling. They also looked at when it was appropriate to put someone in the recovery position and practised this on each other.
Well done mini medics- this is great knowledge to have!
There is a fine balance between shielding children from the atrocities of war and oppression, whilst also empowering future generations with the understanding they need to ensure horrors of the past are not repeated.
Our Y6 pupils did some beautiful printed artwork at the end of their autumn art unit to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As we worked, we talked about how it must have felt for families to be segregated because of a perceived difference and made to feel like outcasts within their own communities. Particularly important to us, was to remember the millions of Gypsy Roma people who were treated so unfairly at that time. each child designed a print block of an individual candle-flame to signify memory and uniqueness being something to celebrate.
Our artwork was displayed in County Hall, Durham and also formed part of a larger piece installed in Durham Cathedral for the remembrance service on the 75th anniversary.
We are proud to have been part of this.
HMD 2020 thank you letter – art
Our two wonderful cooks, Judith and Charlene, cooked us up a real treat for Christmas lunch. Turkey with all the trimmings was hugely popular with our children from nursery and school.
What a lovely way to end our term by celebrating Christmas together with our friends, staff and community volunteers.
Back by popular demand- another collaborative Nativity play between pupils from across all ages and residents of Springfield Lodge took place in St Mary’s Church just before breaking up for Christmas.
On the back of our community achieving national recognition as ‘dementia friendly community of the year’ at the recent Alzheimer’s Society event in London, this was an appropriately poignant way to end a wonderful year of working together.
Our Y6 pupils were delighted to be asked to sing for holidaymakers in the departure lounge of Newcastle International Airport.
The concert, which was arranged through the SAFC Foundation, whom the airport supports, was a lovely opportunity to sing some carols for people heading off to sunnier climes for Christmas.
Our Y6 pupils enjoyed a well-earned end of autumn term treat by visiting Sunderland’s outdoor ice rink. The trip, entirely funded through sport premium, was a chance for children to experience a more unusual sport and a really fun way to keep active.
We were amazed at how much their skills and confidence progressed over the session with everyone giving it a really good go.
Many pupils are going to return to the rink with their families over the Christmas holidays.
The UK took part in it’s first Christmas election in almost one hundred years recently.
In school, we marked the occasion by holding our own election to give children a flavour of choosing a party manifesto and casting a vote. Choices between reducing the school week, increasing the driving age limit, banning single-use plastic and reducing children’s intake of sugary sweets created many talking points.
In nursery, pupils had to choose between ice cream for everyone, an extra playtime or a new toy to share. Ice cream won!
Our gymnastics club continues to go from strength to strength with our pupils challenging themselves to master new balances and jumps week on week. So much so that our coach recommended we add a tumble track to our vast range of equipment.
The new resource, funded through sports premium, allows children to confidently attempt cartwheels, back flips and summersaults within a safe environment. We could not believe how quickly they took to it!
It was lovely to treat all of our pupils to an end of year trip to the pantomime at Durham’s Gala Theatre.
The children thoroughly enjoyed singing and dancing along to the songs of Aladdin as well as giving evil Abanazar the boos he deserved!
The Gala Theatre staff praised our pupils for their tidiness and super behaviour; they were a real credit to the school and their families.
