Dunston News – 21.05.26

May 21, 2026Dunston News

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all”

Aristotle

Message From Mr Sutherland

We have had an incredibly busy first half of the summer term and I am very conscious that this will only continue after the half term break.  I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together!

As I write I have just wished our Year 2 cohort safe travels as they head to Hartlepool and the National Museum of the Royal Navy which is linked with their current history work about ships and pirates.  As part of this visit they will step aboard the HMS Trincomalee – how exciting.  They had a wonderful day out, I believe.

At the same time our fabulous Year 6 children have just completed the final paper in their week of SATS tests – finishing with Maths!  We have started every day with a SATS Breakfast together in the Hall where the children had time to relax a little, chat to friends and have some food to start their day.  Then, they have focused their efforts on different papers every day.  And before you know it – we are done!  I am so proud of the way they have approached these SATS – they have attended every day, shown resilience, good humour and real dedication and whatever the outcome, they have done their best which is all that really matters.  SATS are a whole-school effort and I am grateful to all staff who have supported these children academically and pastorally through the years, but particularly all staff involved in this week’s activities, not to mention Linda our wonderful cook who made sure we were all well fed before commencing our hard work.  Thank you to all our parents and carers who have supported at home and engaged with school throughout their journey.

I was a very proud Headteacher when Mrs Cox and I took our School Council members to the Daft As A Brush Headquarters in Gosforth yesterday afternoon.  The children  are now official Ambassadors for that wonderful charity which does so much to support cancer patients across the north east and are the very first children to take up that ambassadorial role, as well as the first children to visit their Head Office.  We spent time with their Marketing Executive and CEO who were extremely complementary about our children.  We talked through our ideas and how we might support other schools across Gateshead initially, helping to spread the word about a charity that does so much good work for others.  We are proud to have an associaciation with Daft As A Brush and are keen to find different and innovative ways to help in the future.

We have lots of things to look forward to next half term so I would urge you to make sure you read through any letters sent home and check this newsletter and our Facebook page and website calendar for up-to-the-minute details.  Sadly, my understanding is that the Dunston Festival has been cancelled this year, but here at school we will have lots of activities to look forward to including the Fun Run, athletics at Gateshead Stadium, Sports Week on the school field and loads more.  Can I also say well done to our various football teams who have done so well this year and shone as regards their skills and ability but also their sportsmanship.

We are beginning to put together and confirm staffing for next year and I will communicate with you again on this as soon as I can.  We will also be writing the end of year reports for your children, a time when we can really celebrate individuality, and we can’t wait to share all that wonderful feedback with you in your child’s report.

Have a fantastic half term when it arrives and we look forward to seeing you again on Monday June 1st, 2026 at the usual times.

Whole School Information

Daft As A Brush visit

Daft As A Brush is a local cancer organisation that operates across the North East. They provide a vital service, transporting cancer patients free of charge in their brightly coloured ambulances, to and from their homes. You may have spotted these personalised ambulances around the community.
Our School Council were lucky enough to visit Draft As A Brush at their Gosforth site. During the visit, they learnt all about this wonderful organisation and the incredible work it does in our local community – they even received a lovely goodie bag!
As ever, our School Council were fantastic representatives of Dunston Hill throughout the visit, demonstrating our values of Ready, Respect and Kind at all times. We are so proud of them!

 

Family Learning

We’re excited to offer a fantastic 6-week, fully funded Family Learning course for parents and carers every Friday morning, 9:00am-10:30am.
Come along to get creative, meet other families and design a special craft project inspired by your family, hobbies or passions.
As part of the course, your child will join you each week so you can enjoy crafting together – building confidence, communication skills and stronger family connections in a fun and relaxed way. 

Family Forest

We’re delighted to let you know that Family Forest will continue on Tuesdays at 2.00pm next half-term.
Please make sure to book a place using Arbor. We look forward to seeing you there!

Toddlers

Join our Toddlers Group every Wednesday morning, 8.50am-9.45am in the School Hall. We would love to see you there.

 

Forest School and PE Days

Information will be emailed to parents/carers on Friday 22 May 2026.

 

Swimming from Monday 1 June

Year 6 will swim on Mondays.

 

Events to look forward to…

Week commencing Monday 8 June – Year 1 Phonic Screening Check.

Wednesday 17 June or Thursday 18 June – Nursery Stay and Explore session for parents/carers. 

Thursday 18 June – Year 1 Educational Visit to Newcastle Castle.

Friday 19 June – Reception Stay and Explore session for parents/carers. 

Week commencing Monday 22 June – Diversity Week.

Thursday 25 June – Nursery Educational Visit to Hall Hill Farm.

Friday 26 June – Diversity Day (optional wear rainbow colours).

Thursday 2 July – Reception Education Visit to South Shields.

Friday 10 July – End of year reports.

 

Sports Day Dates – 

Monday 6 July at 2:15pm – Reception

Tuesday 7 July at 2:00pm – Years 1, 2 and 3

Wednesday 8 July at 2:00pm – Years 4, 5 and 6

 

School Lunch

The menu for the week commencing Monday, 1 June 2026 is Week 3.  From 1 June, school lunch costs will be £3.10 per day, payable in advance using the school app Arbor.

As part of our Healthy Schools programme, we ask that children not bring crisps, chocolate or fizzy drinks in their packed lunches.

Due to allergies, please ensure that no peanuts or items containing nuts are brought into school, including in the form of Snickers, chocolate spread or peanut butter sandwiches.  This is especially important to remember for children bringing in packed lunches or snacks.

 

Names in school clothing

Please ensure your child’s name is clearly written in all jumpers, hoodies and coats. This really helps us return lost items quickly – thank you!

 

Early Years News

We have had a fantastic start to Summer Term in Early Years! We welcomed our new Nursery children after the Easter Holidays and they have settled in wonderfully. We have had a focus on planting and growing, linked to stories and seasonal change. All children have enjoyed planting seeds, caring for them and watching them grow. We have also been keeping a close eye on our caterpillars. They have cocooned now, and we are monitoring them very closely to see when they might become beautiful butterflies. We have looked at the life-cycle of butterflies.

 

Key Stage One News

Year 1 have had a very busy half-term! We have loved listening to the story The Secret of Black Rock and used it as a stimulus to describe settings and retell the story in our own words. In Geography, we have been investigating the question: What is it like to live in Shanghai? We have learnt all about physical and human features and can identify these features in both our local area and in China. We have also used an atlas to locate China and learnt that it is part of the continent Asia.

Year 2 have enjoyed a wonderful half-term learning so much about life on ships and the notorious pirate Blackbeard. Their learning was really brought to life when they stepped onboard HMS Trincomalee at Hartlepool Royal Navy Museum. The children asked lots of questions to further their learning and even watched a live cannon display! It was brilliant to see their faces full of wonder and awe. Well done, Year 2!

 

Times Tables

Our children are continuing to impress us with their speed and recall of times table facts. At the beginning of June, our current Year 4 children will complete their Multiplication Table Check: a Government check of 25 questions designed to determine whether children can recall their times tables fluently up to 12 x 12. Being able to do so is crucial for future success in mathematics. As a school, we work hard to ensure our children are fluent in all of these table facts and our Year 4 children have thoroughly enjoyed using their ‘Going for Gold’ flash cards and accessing Times Table Rockstars on a daily basis. All children in Year 4 have a set of flash cards for home too and we would love it if they could continue to use them over the half-term holiday.
In last week’s Celebration Assembly, children in Years 2-6 were invited to take part in another whole school Times Table Rockstars Battle. Please encourage your child to log in in using their own individual login. Games can be set to ask provide questions linked to the times tables your children know. Watch this space to find out which class will take the crown for being the most active TTRS class.

 

Climate Crew

Our Climate Crew were delighted to welcome the return of Alex from Northern Gas Networks to celebrate Earth Day 2026. The theme this year is ‘Our Planet, Our Power’. The children worked hard to share some important messages across school about how even small efforts, can add up to make a significant impact upon our planet. There were a wide range of workshops across school which immersed the children in hands-on, climate-related activities to educate and empower them further. Well done, Climate Crew.

 

Sports News

What a jam-packed half term it has been for sport at Dunston Hill. Our Year 3 children enjoyed taking part in an Orienteering festival at Kingsmeadow, where they demonstrated excellent teamwork and determination. Some of our Years 3 and 4 children also represented the school brilliantly in a mini tennis tournament at Whickham. Last week our Years 4 and 5 girls showcased fantastic football skills at Powerleague. We are incredibly proud of their effort and enthusiasm. Tomorrow, 50 of our children will represent the school in the annual Gateshead Fun Run – one of the biggest and most exciting sporting events of the year.

 

Boys’ Football Update

We are extremely proud of the boys who represented the school in the Blaydon and District League this season. After a fantastic performance, they narrowly missed out on winning the league by just one goal difference – an incredible achievement! A squad of nine boys then went on to compete in the Champions Final, where they continued to demonstrate outstanding teamwork, resilience and determination. We are so proud of the positive attitude they showed, alongside their excellent football skills.

 

SEND/Nurture 

Miss Tuart and Mrs Cox are offering a SEND and Nurture ‘coffee and catch up‘ on Tuesday 30 June 2026, 9-10am in our Dunston Den.

Don’t forget you can reach out to Miss Tuart (SENDCo/Deputy Headteacher) should you wish to discuss your child’s needs and/or provision: sendco@dunstonhillschool.co.uk.

You can also reach out to Mrs Cox (Family Support Worker): fsw@dunstonhillschool.co.uk