Weekly Bulletin 19th September 2025
Headteacher’s Message
We have enjoyed a busy week in school and term is well under way. This week children in Year 6 delivered presentations for election to this year’s School Council positions of Secretary and Chairperson. This was a great opportunity to discuss one of our core British Values of Democracy and what that means for our society. The School Council representatives are elected by their classmates and comprises of two pupils from every class, from Reception to Year 6. We commend all who stood for election and for their enthusiasm in contributing to school life. This is one of the many ways in which the pupils are able to exercise leadership and responsibility within school. Voting has taken place and the results of chair and secretary are shared below.
We look forward to celebrating Harvest on Thursday 25th September at St Mary’s Church in Shincliffe Village. This harvest we are collecting food items for ‘Durham Foodbank.’ We hope that you and your child/children would like to help support our 2025 Harvest Appeal in liaison with Durham Christian Partnership and I draw your attention to the information below regarding our collection for the Durham Foodbank. If you wish to contribute, please send donations of non-perishable food (see list below) the week beginning Monday 22nd September with your child and this will be collected from their class.
Each week I want to include a ‘snapshot’ of some of the things that the children are doing in school. For example, news from our ECO team, Worship group, V.I.P. (Very International People) and SNAG (School Nutrition Action Group). This week our focus is on the work of our School Council and an update is shared below.
Best wishes
Mr Rumbles
School Council
Our names are Martha and Alma. Martha has been elected to be Chairperson of the School Council and Alma has been elected for our School Council Secretary. To be elected, we had to present a PowerPoint to the whole school and tell them why we would be good for the roles of Chairperson and Secretary. The vote took place earlier in the week and everyone from year 1 to Year 6 had to vote for the Chairperson and Secretary. The other classes have then taken part in a class council vote and two pupils have been chosen from each class and will represent their class in School Council meetings. Hopefully, in our last year at Shincliffe Primary, we will be able to have a sponsored run to get better PE equipment and have a Super Friends group so everyone has someone to play with. We are aiming to make this school an even better place and we really want to help raise more money so we can have more fun activities. We look forward to updating you with news and events over the year.
All the best,
Martha and Alma
Harvest Festival
This harvest we are collecting food items for ‘Durham Foodbank.’ The Foodbank provides short term emergency food to people in crisis locally. Food is given as an intervention strategy which allows professionals to put longer term measures in place. We want to support our local Foodbank in helping those less fortunate, in particular families and children.
A TYPICAL FOOD PARCEL INCLUDES:
Breakfast cereals – Soup – Pasta
Rice – Pasta sauce – Tinned bean
Tinned meat – Tinned vegetables – Tinned fruit
Tea or coffee – Sugar – Biscuits
Snacks
For further information regarding Durham Foodbank you may visit: https://durham.foodbank.org.uk/
Diary Dates
For a full list of school holiday dates please see the school website.
Tuesday 23rd September – Y6 Trip to Eden Camp
Thursday 25th September – Harvest Festival at St Mary’s Church – 10am – all welcome
Thursday 25th September – FOSS AGM at 7pm – all welcome
Friday 26th September – Y6 Modern Foreign Languages Day at Durham High School
Tuesday 30th September – Y5 Trip to Iskcon Temple
Monday 20th October – Wednesday 22nd October – Y1 to Y6 Parents’ Consultation Evening
Monday 20th October to Thursday 23rd October – Reception Parents’ Consultation Evening
Friday 24th October – School closes for Autumn half term holiday
Monday 3rd November – School re-opens after half term holiday
Monday 10th November – Wednesday 13th November – SEND Parents’ Consultation Evening
Tuesday 11th November – Remembrance Service – 9.05am at School – all welcome
Thursday 20th November – Y5 Class Assembly – 9.05am
Friday 28th November – Advent Eucharist – 9.05am – all welcome
Thursday 4th December – Reception Nativity – 9.10am
Wednesday 10th December – KS1 Christmas Performance – 9.05am
Thursday 11th December – Christmas Jumper Day
Monday 15th December – KS2 Christmas Singalong – 2.45pm
Friday 19th December – Christmas Community Worship – 9.05am
Wednesday 7th January 2026 – Friday 9th January 2026 – Y6 Trip to Robinwood
Tuesday 10th March 2026 – Y5 Murton Park Trip
Monday 11th May-Thursday 14th May 2026 – KS2 SATs
Monday 22nd June 2026 – Sports Day – 1.15pm onwards
Friday 3rd – Monday 6th July 2026 – France Residential for Y5/6
Noticeboard
- Packed Lunch– If your child is wishing to change to Packed Lunches please inform the school office with one week’s notice.
- Secondary School Open evenings are taking place this term. Visit each school’s website for more information.
- Free Chorister Experience – On Saturday 11th October children in Year 2-6 have the incredible opportunity to attend a free Chorister Experience at Durham Cathedral from 12:30pm-6:15pm. This includes hearing the current Choristers sing, making music together, having a tour of the Cathedral, doing crafts together and most excitingly playing the organ! Parents /guardians are welcome and children are asked to wear their school uniform. To apply for a place, please contact music@durhamcathedral.co.uk or call 0191 374 4066.
Wild Church
We hope you all had a wonderful summer. Harvest has come early and the apple harvest too. We invite everyone to Apple Day at 4.00 pm on Sat 20th September outside St. Mary’s. We are very pleased that this year we have an apple macerator and an apple press so we are going to make apple juice as one of the activities.
4.00 p.m. Saturday 20th Sept WILD CHURCH APPLE DAY. Meet outside St. Mary’s. Activities: Refreshments with apples, Apple bobbing, apple pressing, fruit prints, apple identification table, apple quilling, apple harvest prayers and a short service. All welcome it’s a community event.
WET WEATHER plan
In case of wet weather we will still do Apple Day meeting in the Church Hall.
Sunday 21st Sept 9.30 a.m. Harvest Thanksgiving Eucharist at St. Mary’s
4.00 p.m. Saturday 18th October ANIMAL WELFARE DAY: Wild Church Meet outside church – service 4.15 prompt today. Introduce your favourite animal-by bringing a picture, wobble animal craft. Dogs welcome ON LEADS only. Hamsters, Guinea Pigs in cages etc. (Cats get v. distressed around dogs- so sorry but please, no lovely cats today, not even in a cage.)
10.00 pm Sat 1st November ST. MARY’S CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAYRE: Church Hall
5.00 pm – 7.00 FRI 28th Nov. CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL:
Sat 20th Dec 5.30 pm CAROLS AROUND THE TREE with NATIVITY: Shincliffe Green
(In church if the weather is poor) Afterwards: Mince pies in the Church Hall
Starting School – Will your child turn 5 between 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2027?
Applications open 1 September 2025 and close midnight 15 January 2026.
If so, you need to complete an application online to tell us which school you would like your child to attend from September 2026.
Visit www.durham.gov.uk/primaryschoolplaces where you can access a useful guide to help with your application. The easiest way to apply is online, if you are unable to apply online, paper application forms are available on request.
You still need to apply even if your child attends the nursery unit attached to the school, or already has a sibling at the school. You will also need to apply for a place in Year 3 in a junior school for an older child.
For more information please contact School Places and Admissions Team www.durham.gov.uk/schooladmissions
Tel: 03000 265896
YEAR 6 PARENTS – Application for a Secondary School Place – September 2026
As you will be aware, your child is due to transfer to secondary school in September next year. The application process will open on 1 September 2025. You will need to read the School Admissions online guidance for parents which is located on the School Admissions web page. This contains essential information that will help you in making your child’s application. The guidance is available on our website www.durham.gov.uk/schooladmissions You must only complete one application and this must be to the Local Authority to which you pay your council tax (i.e. Home Local Authority).
If you live in County Durham, you need to complete an application to tell us which school you want your child to attend. You should list up to 3 school preferences and applying for just 1 school Does Not improve your chances of gaining a place at that school. You can apply for any school/academy in County Durham or in another Local Authority area.
Please apply on-line at www.durham.gov.uk/schooladmissions When you apply on-line you will receive an acknowledgement and you will receive an email on 2 March 2026 containing a link to obtain your offer of a school place from the Document Download Portal. Please save your log-in details.
Please note that school places are allocated according to specific criteria which are different depending upon which school you apply for your child to attend. One criterion is “nearest school”. If you wish to know your nearest school, please contact us.
If your child’s offer of a school place is for an oversubscribed school (i.e. where there are more applications for a school than places available) we will offer your child a school place based on the child’s/parent’s address. We may request information on the child’s/parent’s address when we offer a school place and the onus will be on you to prove your address if asked.
If you do not wish to apply on-line, you can contact the School Admissions Team by email or telephone to request a form. Email: schooladmissions@durham.gov.uk or telephone
03000 265 896. Your application must be received by us at the address below by the closing date. We strongly advise you to return the application form to us by “Royal Mail Signed for™” or “Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed”. If you complete a paper application form you will receive a letter to inform you of the school place offered to your child on the 2 March 2026.
Please note for both on-line applications and paper application forms, you will be required to read the disclaimer and sign/tick the box to agree that the information you provide on the application form is complete and correct otherwise the offer of a school place will be withdrawn.
The closing date for receipt for on-line/paper application forms is 31 October 2025.
Yours sincerely,
School Places and Admissions Team.
Christian Values
Our school vision is rooted in Jesus’ promise in John 10 v 10, that he has ‘come that you may have life – life in all its fullness.’ To help us understand and live out this vision we look at certain Christian values which, as a school community, we believe are important.
We are exploring the value of endurance this half term and worship will be led by Mr Rumbles, Fr. Peter, Mrs Matthews, Fr. Bill and our Key Stage Two pupils.
Further information on the value of endurance:
Endurance – is recognition that life is sometimes difficult and painful, and that it is important not to give up in the face of adversity.
Jesus endured rejection, abuse and the cross, and his followers are warned that they may well have to share that pain as persecution took hold. Discipleship is depicted as ‘taking up the cross daily’ and following in Jesus’ footsteps (Luke 9:23).
We would like our children to continue their reflection and experience at home.
Some things to think about:
- How do we give pupils a better appreciation of the difficult situations that many people in the world have to endure and of the courage and resilience they show in the face of them?
- How do you help pupils understand that some things are worth working for even though they do not bring immediate results? How do we develop patience?
- What encourages and inspires you to persevere through difficult times in life?
If you would like to receive a copy of the Weekly Bulletin by e-mail please e-mail the school. Shincliffece@durhamlearning.net The Weekly Bulletins from previous weeks can be found in the parents’ section of the website.
