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.
St John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools Class 1 had a lovely afternoon taking part in pattern making activities in their forest school session this week. They used natural materials to create patterns and made leaf prints on material using the hammers. The toffee apple slices, baked over the fire, went down very well!
View this PostSt. John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools The EYFS children have been listening to stories about animals and enjoyed decorating biscuits to look like ladybirds this afternoon.
View this PostHamsterley Primary School The EYFS children had a fantastic morning outdoors, bringing positional language to life through storytelling! After listening to We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, we set off on our own exciting bear hunt adventure.
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Class 2 had a fantastic afternoon! We practiced knot tying to make a stick photo frame and Father's Day cards, then ended the day with a delicious cup of hot chocolate
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Bikeability - Week 4 This afternoon was all about strength, control, and agility! We kicked things off with a core challengemoving a bean bag using only our feetbefore diving into traffic light drills and obstacle races. Everyone gave it their all! Keep up the great work!
View this PostForest school fun! Sawing wood, climbing trees, camp fire and eating chocolates stuffed bananas.
View this Post*Hamsterley Primary School* English Café with Durham Learn! Following the success of our Maths Café last half term, we were delighted to welcome Durham Learn back into school todaythis time with their English Café! Parents joined us for a fun-filled day of exciting and interactive English activities: KS1 children enjoyed a lively morning session KS2 took part in the afternoon It was wonderful to see so many parents getting involvedsome even stayed the whole day! A huge thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to support their children's learning.
View this PostExploring Nature with Year 5 and 6! This afternoon, our Year 5 and 6 pupils have been getting their hands muddy and their minds buzzing as they learned how to identify different species of plants right here on our school field and in the garden! A huge thank you to Kerryanne, Ruth, and Matty from the North Pennines National Landscape for leading this fantastic outdoor learning sessions. The children loved discovering the names and features of local plants and learning why they're so important to our environment. We're so proud of our budding botanists!
View this Post*Hamsterley Primary School* Ancient Greece Day in KS2! Yesterday, our KS2 children had a fantastic time immersing themselves in the wonders of Ancient Greece! We kicked off the day by baking melomakaronaa traditional Greek honey and spice biscuit. The children loved getting hands-on in the kitchen and, of course, tasting their delicious creations! In the afternoon, we were thrilled to welcome Tanya Benthem, who delivered an engaging and educational history workshop. The children explored Ancient Greek clothing, trade, warfare, and even handled some fascinating artefacts! We wrapped up with a lively Q&A session, where we uncovered amazing facts about Greek animals, furniture, philosophers, and even archaeology. Well done to the children who came dressed for the occasion!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School A huge thank you to Jake and Mrs Newby Higginbottom for sharing their adorable cats with us during Show and Tell! Jake gave a fantastic presentation on how he cares for them, and we loved every cuddle and stroke! Also, well done to Emily for her lovely holiday write-upit was great hearing all about her adventures!
View this PostWearhead and St. John's Chapel Primary Schools Well done to this week's special certificate winners!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School - Cookery Club Last night, we kept the Greek theme going in our cookery session by whipping up a mouth-watering Mediterranean feast! Working in groups, the children crafted three delicious elements: a vibrant Greek salad, cool and creamy tzatziki, and juicy, succulent lamb koftas. We hope they enjoyed every bite of their Greek adventure!
View this PostScience in Action! The brilliant young minds in Year 5 & 6 at St John's Chapel and Wearhead schools have been diving into the fascinating world of blood! Through hands-on learning, they explored the structure and function of blood, discovering the vital roles of red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets. To bring this science to life, they crafted their own representative blood samplesusing everyday household items!
View this PostGreek Adventures in KS2! This morning, the children in KS2 at Wearhead and St John's Chapel had an amazing time diving into the world of Ancient Greece during a fun and interactive Greek workshop! From exploring myths and legends to learning about Greek life and culture, the pupils were fully immersed and absolutely buzzing with excitement! This afternoon, the adventure continued as they got hands-on in the kitchenpreparing and tasting delicious Greek food! The smells were incredible, and the smiles even bigger! A huge thank you to Tanya who helped make today such a memorable experience. What a fantastic way to bring history to life!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Windy but fun! Class 1 had a great time outdoors, building a stick shelter, learning to light a fire with flint and steel, and enjoying tasty hotdogs. Muddy, adventurous, and full of fun!
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