Dear Parents
On behalf of our Governing Body, I am very pleased to announce that, following interviews yesterday, Miss G. Dodds (our current Deputy Headteacher) has been appointed as our new Headteacher from 1 September 2023.
Kind regards
Mr G. Henderson (Chair of Governors)
The course is fully subsidised for those children eligible for free school meals. Please apply via the link below:
https://forms.gle/YmZRSWFXfS3P9seL7
The course is also available to those children not eligible for free school meals but at the costs shown in the flyer above. Please apply via the following link:
This Friday (17 March) is Red Nose Day. As Friday is PE day for most of our classes, we will not be asking the children to dress up because the large majority will need to be in their PE kits as usual. However, they are welcome to wear any Red Nose Day accessories they may have.
We are aware of the continued strain on household budgets and we will, therefore, not be asking the children to bring a donation into school. Below, please find a link to the Comic Relief donation page where you can make a donation if you wish to do so.
https://donation.comicrelief.com/cart/1YsYOwm2pHZgBUhWr8ZL13
Dear Parents,
On Thursday 2 March it is World Book Day and we cannot wait to celebrate as a school and share our love of reading. The children will take part in fun activities throughout the day that celebrate the magic of books.
Children are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character or wearing an accessory to show their love of reading. We encourage creativity and do not expect anyone to purchase a new costume for World Book Day. We would love to see what you can create with items that you already own at home.
Please can your child bring their favourite book to school with their name clearly shown. During the day each child will have the opportunity to visit our reading café where they will share their book with another child in school and enjoy some refreshments. 
We are so excited to see everyone’s costumes and appreciate the effort taken to make this day special.
Kind regards,
Mrs Bradwell (English Subject Leader)
Please see the message below from Durham County Council:
February half term is just around the corner and we are super excited about all of the wonderful Fun and Food activities with healthy food that are on offer across County Durham. Activities are now being loaded onto our Fun and Food landing page at www.durham.gov.uk/funandfood and we will be uploading more activities daily so keep visiting to see what’s new.
Durham County Council leisure centres are offering free swimming and fun sessions for children and young people during the half-term holidays. Families can find out more by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/freeswimming.
Please see the message below from Durham County Council:
Dear Parent or Carer,
With the continual challenges we are facing in terms of inflation and energy and to ensure a sustainable and nutritious meal is provided to the children, it has been necessary to agree a price increase in relation to the primary school meal.
From Monday 27th February (following the half-term break) a school meal will cost £2.41 per day. From September 2023 meals will increase to £2.50 per day with this rate fixed until April 2024.
The meals are freshly produced on site by a catering supplier Chartwell’s and offer a 3-choice menu per day. Each meal is developed to ensure the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, fruit, and vegetables is available while avoiding confectionery and artificially sweetened drinks, with limits on the fat, salt, and sugar content in each meal.
The good news is if your child or children attend an infant school or infant class from Reception to Year 2 (KS1) then school meals will be free to them under the government Universal Infant Free School Meal Scheme.
Don’t forget that if your child has a medical dietary requirement (supported by a Medical Practitioner) then this can be provided for.
This is an unprecedented period of financial challenge across a range of industry sectors and services, the education team has worked hard with the current provider to agree a pricing mechanism to ensure a high quality and sustainable meal service is provided for children within Durham schools.
Thank you for your support.
Dear Parents,
You may already be aware that Northern Powergrid will be carrying out an upgrade on their high voltage electricity network which will involve interrupting the power supply to Byers Green and Binchester on Thursday 2 February from 9.30am for a period of 4.5 hours.
Northern Powergrid are intending to supply our school with a generator for the day and, therefore, the plan is that our school will be open as normal next Thursday. Should there be any changes to this, I will let you know at the earliest possible opportunity.
Kind regards
Mr Kirtley
Headteacher
