The Christmas spirit was in full swing on Friday 7th December as our Year 6 students visited St Bartholomew’s Church for a day of festive fun. We sang carols and read prayers joined by parents in a full church, who joined in lighting the advent candle whilst our Head Boy’s cornet added a magical touch to the singing. What a beautiful turnout! Our students loved it and had so much fun. Here are some photographs from the day.
We were thrilled to welcome local author Chris Elliott to school to share his first book from his New Beginning Wood series, Henny the Hedgehog with us. Chris, who lives in Newbiggin has written a series of children’s books where animals are the main characters. Each book has a moral, Henny’s moral was all about not judging people based on their appearance. Chris delivered workshops about animals to the children before sharing his lovely story. The children were engrossed and they cannot wait for his next book about Snowy the White Rabbit. Every child was given a free bookmark and poster to take home and some children, who were Chris’ special assistants also received a Henny notebook. We are looking forward to welcoming Chris back to school in the new year.
When talking about his day spent with our pupils, Chris said:
‘I was honoured to be allowed to give my first-ever reading of Henny Hedgehog at Grace Darling. All the children I met were friendly and enthusiastic, curious and kind. They are a testament to a village I now call home and the teachers in the school. If you are a parent of a Reception, Year One or Year Two child that I met, you should be proud of not only how they behaved but also the sheer joy they brought to my day. I hope to see them all again soon.’
If you child missed out on a pre-order of the book, they can be found here. https://newbeginningwood.com/
Our school community worked tirelessly to raise money for local charity Brighter Storey For All and thanks to our pupils, parents, staff and wider-community, we managed to raise £352. Brighter Storey For All is dedicated to raising awareness of mental health and neurodiversity, facilitating opportunities for people to connect, engage in fun local activities and improve overall mental health and wellbeing. Both our school and the charity share the same passion and aim to provide a lasting impact for all individuals in our local community facing mental health and neurodiversity challenges.
“The wellbeing of our children and staff is always a priority for us and we are delighted to link with Brighter Storey For All so that, together, we can also support people in the community” – Mrs. S. Cole
If you would like to support Brighter Storey For All by providing a donation, just click on Just Giving where it will redirect you to the official donation page. Want to learn how you can support Brighter Storey For All and get involved with the events they offer? You can keep up with them on their website and social media.
You can read all about our charity fundraising on the Northumberland Gazette’s website via this link
Grace Darling Primary School, part of the Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, is celebrating the outcome of their recent OFSTED inspection, which judged the school to be ‘Good’ in all aspects.
In the inspection carried out on the 2nd and 3rd of July 2024, Inspectors noted pupils behave well and know to be ready, respectful and safe. Pupils look after one another and classrooms are calm and orderly. Bullying is extremely rare and pupils trust adults to sort out any problems. Pupils say they enjoy school and “beamed with pride and self-belief”. This is reflected through “the outcomes in national assessments in reading, writing and mathematics [which] demonstrate the good progress that pupils make over time in these subjects.”
“There are numerous opportunities for pupils to experience learning outside the classroom, such as ‘Beach School’, which features water safety lessons and care for the environment. Every child is encouraged to take part in numerous school clubs.”
Leaders are ambitious and have created “a curriculum that will ensure that pupils have the knowledge and aspirations to lead a ‘life without limits’”, the curriculum is inclusive of everybody which is demonstrated throughout the school, including through the use of the SEND provision, described by Ofsted as “holistic and highly effective”. The curriculum “meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special education needs/disabilities” with staff making appropriate adaptations to the curriculum so that individuals are supported to be successful in accessing the entire curriculum.
“The curriculum is precisely sequenced and the most important knowledge for pupils to learn is clearly identified. As a result, pupils can remember what they have been taught over time”.
“The school’s curriculum and provision for early years, including for two-year-olds, is well planned. Adults focus on developing children’s communication and language. This is effective. The learning environments are stimulating and children enjoy their play. Children make strong progress from their starting points.“
Sharon Cole, Headteacher at Grace Darling, said:
“We are absolutely delighted that our school has been recognised as a Good school by Ofsted. At Grace Darling, our priority is to nurture and support children so that they are safe, happy and successful and our report recognises our efforts. The children here will tell you that we are like a family and we all look after each other. Newbiggin by the Sea is a very special place and we are proud of everyone who is a part of our school community.”
Alan Hardie, Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust’s CEO commented:
“I am delighted that OFSTED recognise the high aspirations that Grace Darling’s staff have for their pupils, the school’s key role in the local community in Newbiggin and the hard work the staff put into delivering this. There is praise for the school environment, which ensures that pupils feel safe, happy and can learn effectively in the nurturing atmosphere. This is a great report that the whole school community can feel very proud of”.
Photo caption: Pupils from Grace Darling celebrate their latest Ofsted result with Headteacher Sharon Cole.
Is your child in Year 6? Duke’s Secondary is holding an Open Evening on the 25th September between 4-6pm.This is a great opportunity for you to meet your child’s prospective teachers, allowing you to make an informed decision on your child’s future. Staff at Duke’s will address any queries or concerns you may have regarding the application process and your child transitioning to Year 7.
It’s a beautiful day at Barhaugh Hall, Robinwood. All well fed and looking forward to an action-packed day. First up for Mr Mac’s group? The zippy zipwire!
After a fantastic day of all sorts of activities we are settling down to games night. The children have been amazing & are loving every second – building their skills, resilience & confidence. We are very proud of them! PS: they all say a big night night to everyone at home 🥱
We’re almost at the end of a brilliant day of activities. Every child has risen to – or exceeded – what they thought they could achieve and have done so well. Go TeamGD!
We’ve been making memories that will last a lifetime. Only one more sleep till home. We miss you all but will be home soon! See you tomorrow.
We’re so full of stories about our adventure to Robinwood. Incredible trip – the children have been so happy to have shared this time with their friends (old & new) & can’t wait share memories tomorrow. Souveniers and other items will be given out at school tomorrow.
At Grace Darling this half term we have had a series of events raising much-needed money for national and local charities. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community. In November, we were visited by a real-life Paralympian! Local hero, Stephen Miller, who is a 3-time gold winning Paralympian, visited our school and delivered an assembly for all children. Supported by Mr Norris and Mr Johnson, he then set up a circuit training session for each year group to take part in.
Over £2000 was raised in support of the Paralympian fund and school PE resources! Many of our children received Gold Awards for raising over £35 and were invited to have individual pictures taken with the local superstar. We are incredibly proud of how generous our school community has been this term and thank everyone for their much-needed support.
Grace Darling children also raised a fantastic £275 for Children in Need. The children were so excited when Mr Macfarlane brought a special guest into the classes to meet them. Can you guess who it was? Children enjoyed a range of Children In Need themed activities such as Teddy bear biscuit decorating, PSHE sessions around Positive Relationships, Mindfulness and PE with Joe Wicks. It is on these sorts of days that we remember the difference that we can make to others’ lives and at Grace Darling we are always remembering to “Let all that we do be done in Love.”
his half term we have raised over £275 for Children in Need by holding a non-school uniform day. We were also lucky enough to meet Pudsey Bear! We have also taken part in Sports for Champions and raised over £2000! We received a visit from Paralympian Stephen Miller. The children were able to take part in a sponsored event and listen to an assembly from Stephen. Many of our children received Gold Awards for raising over £35. We are incredibly proud of how generous our school community has been this term.
We are extremely proud of our Year 5 children who had the wonderful opportunity to be invited to the Brass Band in Aspire event at The Glasshouse. Our children proudly took the stage and played in a special concert in Newcastle. The children were expectation in every way!
Our children took part in a range of activities to explore what bullying is and how they can deal with it and deal a range of situations. The children discussed what they could do to help each other and they were able to link this to our school vision. We were very impressed with their mature discussions around these sensitive issues.
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