St John's Chapel Primary - Chapel Tots Update Unfortunately, Chapel Tots will not be running this week. We're sorry for any inconvenience and hope to be back up and running next week. Thank you for your understanding

Hamsterley Primary School Forest School fun this afternoon! Class 2 took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2026, exploring the garden, KS1 and EYFS areas, and the playground to spot which birds are visiting our school grounds. We even built our own hideout den to help us observe quietly. After that, we decorated a pallet with lard and bird seed to leave out in the garden a tasty treat for our feathered friends. And of course, we finished the session by toasting waffles over the fire.

Hamsterley Primary School Well done to our certificate winners this week. Keep up the great work everybody!

Hamsterley Primary School We had a fantastic whole-school art workshop focusing on adders on Friday Led by Anna Harding from the Adders Up Project, supported by North Pennines National Landscape, the children learned lots of fascinating adder facts before creating their own tiles using adder-inspired shapes and patterns. They then used these tiles to practise their printing skills. Anna has taken the tiles away and will be returning with them transformed into lanterns for the children to take home. A brilliant experience and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about these amazing animals!

St John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools This afternoon, we have had fun doing gymnastics with Miss Woods. We did a shark game as a warm up then we did some stretching and balancing by ourselves and in a pair or small group.

Frosterley Primary School Marvellous Mazes! Reception children had great fun building mazes with a partner, chatting and sharing their ideas along the way. They tested their mazes to see if they worked, made changes, and tried again. The best part was exploring each other's mazes, spotting the differences and celebrating everyone's clever and creative ideas. Learning through play at its best!

St John's Chapel & Wearhead Celebrating Our Hay Meadow Project We have been extremely lucky to work with the North Pennines National Landscape over the last five years, and it has been an incredible journey from start to finish. As part of our longterm project, we've focused on improving and caring for our beautiful hay meadow, learning about the plants, wildlife, and landscapes that make it such a special place. Back in summer 2023, the children created stunning artwork inspired by the flowers growing in our meadow. Their creativity and attention to detail were amazing and we're thrilled to share that their artwork has now been transformed into a permanent interpretation panel for everyone to enjoy. We are so proud of the children and grateful for this wonderful partnership, which has helped us connect more deeply with our local environment. #NorthPenninesNationalLandscape #HayMeadowProject #OutdoorLearning #EnvironmentalEducation #ProudMoments

St John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools Rescuing the Dinosaurs from the Ice! Today the children became little palaeontologists as they worked together to free the dinosaurs trapped in blocks of ice. Using tools, and lots of teamwork, they used their problemsolving and finemotor skills while having an amazing time. They chatted about which dinosaurs they found, predicted how long the ice would take to melt, and experimented with different ways to rescue them. So much learning hidden inside a simple, exciting activity. Another brilliant day of handson discovery in EYFS!

Hamsterley Primary School Mini Police Project – Week 1! Today our Year 5 and 6 children kicked off the Mini Police project, which will be running over the next few weeks. We were joined by our PCSOs, who talked about how they support our community and explained the different roles and duties within the police force. The children loved taking part in a fun game of Corners, where they had to decide which police vehicle is used for which job. To finish, everyone received a magic UV light pen to start completing their Crime Commissioner's Challenge booklet. A fantastic first week we can't wait to see what the next sessions bring!

Hamsterley Primary School Cookery club fun! The children worked hard to make their own apple crumble, developing their cooking skills and working together brilliantly.

Happy Christmas from all of us at the Durham Dales Partnership! We hope you have a joyful and peaceful festive season. Take a look at our December Federation Newsletter! It's full of festive highlights, including our Christingle services, Christmas plays, and a sneak peek at some exciting plans for next term.

St John's Chapel & Wearhead Primaries Thank You for Joining Our Christingle Service A huge thank you to everyone who came along to our Christingle this afternoon. It was a truly wonderful service filled with light, joy, and community spirit. The children sang so beautifully, and we were treated to amazing performances from our violinists and recorder players – what a special moment to share together! We're so grateful for your support and hope you enjoyed this festive celebration as much as we did. Wishing you all peace and happiness this Christmas season.

Hamsterley Primary School Yesterday our children enjoyed a fun-filled Christmas party with a very special visit from Santa! Thank you to The Cross Keys for supplying the delicious party food! This afternoon, they took part in a beautiful carol service at Hamsterley Baptist Church. We hope everyone has a lovely Christmas!

Butterknowle Primary Thank you to everyone who came to our Christingle service this morning. A special mention to the Year 6 children who read out their poems - they were excellent with some beautiful Christmas messages.

Wearhead Primary School A Proper Festive Day! On Wednesday the children spent the morning wandering around the village delivering hand made Christmas cardsnothing like seeing all the decorations, bumping into friendly faces, and soaking up that community spirit. Then it was straight to school for Christmas lunch, complete with all the trimmings.