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 School We went for a walk in after school club and enjoyed the lovely views, chocolate chip cookies and crossing the stepping stones!
View this PostWearhead and St. John's Chapel Primary School Class 1 have been practising their mapwork skills this afternoon in forest school. They had to work out a location on their map to find a hidden animal. They cooked dampers (bread twists) on the fire which went down very well.
View this PostHamsterley Primay School Today in Forest School, Class 2 made a beautiful flower flag using the hapa zome method, finally painted our bird box that we made a few weeks ago, and ended the day with yummy chocolate-dipped apples
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Bikeability week 6 This week in Bikeability, we've been building our confidence and control while riding. We practiced different speeds and had fun playing Simon Says, limbo, and sharks. As always, it was a blast!
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools Well done to this week's special certificate winners!
View this PostSt John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools Key Stage 2 had so much fun at our English Café with DurhamLearn getting stuck into activities that helped them practise their reading, writing, and grammar skills in a really enjoyable way! A big thank you to all of our parents/carers who came along.
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Everyone, meet Jim the Gardener! We had so much fun creating and stuffing our very own scarecrow to guard our fruit and veggie patch. Let's see if he can keep those cheeky birds in check!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Today in Cookery Club, the children rolled up their sleeves and got busy in the kitchen making Welsh Rarebit Muffinsa deliciously cheesy twist on a traditional favourite! Everyone worked carefully and confidently, measuring out ingredients, mixing the batter, and spooning it into muffin cases with great care. The recipe combined mature cheddar, mustard, and a hint of Worcestershire sauce to give the muffins that classic Welsh Rarebit flavour, all baked into a golden, savoury treat. The children were full of excitement and pride as the muffins baked, filling the room with a mouth-watering aroma. Even Mr. Todd said he'd love to try onehigh praise indeed! We can't wait to hear what everyone thinks when they take them home. Well done, chefs!
View this PostSt John's Chapel & Wearhead Primary Schools What a brilliant morning at our English Café with DurhamLearn! Key Stage 1 and Reception children, along with their parents, joined in fun, hands-on activities to build their reading, writing, and speaking skills. It was wonderful to see families learning togetherand a big thank you to all the parents and carers who came along and made it extra special!
View this PostCheck out this week's Wake Up Wednesday! This week is all about YouTube Kids.
View this PostCreative hands at work! On Tuesday, the children in Year 5 & 6 from St John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools rolled up their sleeves and got stuck into the art of wet felting! With warm water, soap, and bundles of wool, they crafted beautiful, textured pieces bursting with colour and imagination. Their fantastic creations will become part of a larger felted meadow panel, showcasing their hard work and creativity in a collaborative display. It was a brilliant day of hands-on learning, artistic expression, and teamworkwell done, everyone!
View this PostHamsterley Primary School Class 1 had a great time at Forest School today! We explored the grass area to find wildflowers for our Japanese art flags the 'Hapa Zome' method. Then we tried using flint and steel to make a fire, and the best partmelting chocolate to dip our apples in!
View this PostYear 3 & 4 pupils from St. John's Chapel and Wearhead Primary Schools had a fantastic wet felting session with local artist Claire Priestly. The hands-on art activity linked to last Friday's visit to Bowlees, bringing their experience full circle. So proud of our young artists and their amazing work!
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