News, STARS, smiles, hello yellow & girls鈥� football – from John & the PHS Team
Welcome to 91首发 School's Whole School Blog!
Hi everyone
First up, this is from Andy from the Wellbeing Team
Hello Yellow 鈥撎齆ext Week – Friday 10th October
We鈥檙e excited to be celebrating听Hello Yellow,听for our听first Resilience Day of the year in support of听World Mental Health Day听and the charity听YoungMinds. The day will be filled with activities including听a听Feelings Doodle Wall听补苍诲听Peer Support Pledges, as well as other creative ways to promote wellbeing and resilience
Students and staff are invited to wear something听YELLOW听and take part in the fun! There will also be a听bake sale听with cakes and biscuits available for听50p each, with all proceeds going to YoungMinds
Let鈥檚 show our support and stand together for young people鈥檚 mental health (and don’t forget to stop by the Wellbeing room for a “Hello Yellow” sticker!)
So good that we have a Wellbeing Team doing things like this!
Hi everyone, do enjoy the blog, and Eileen鈥檚 and the rest of the website this week. There is some lovely stuff on Healthiness, Girls鈥� Football, some great pictures from various classes., and interesting pieces on behaviour & safeguarding 鈥� lots to see. We鈥檙e well underway now into the term, and most of us are used to any new arrangements there might be with classes and staff. Great to see a lot of parent visits happening, and plans being made for the whole year too. All the best and take care. Have a lovely weekend!
John S
馃槉 from John & the PHS Team 馃槉
How the curriculum works & what鈥檚 important to us
- 3 Super-Steering Groups deliver our Key Drivers through our curriculum
- The Key Drivers are Communication, Wellbeing and Independence
- The Groups are Literacy, Physical Development & Personal Development
Literacy
Becky, our Literacy Specialist Lead, leads a team that improve all aspects of literacy, including writing, oracy, reading, phonics, books & the library! Here鈥檚 Becky!
Physical Development
Everything that is in the world of Physical Development, including physio, hydro, MOVE, PE, HI, VI, OT and other key areas for us, including Outdoor Learning, the John Muir Award & many other aspects. Steph oversees this
Personal Development
One of the best things about the school and one of the most important for our pupils, PD covers PSHE, Wellbeing, Careers, Social Moral Spiritual & Cultural, Online Safety, Behaviour & similar areas. Jo pulls it all together
Russell鈥檚 Class!
5RR/Robins are pleased with Drae’s efforts in English and Mathematics. Here’s some of his work …
Well done, Drae! Best Robin of the Week!
Therapy Star of the Week
Goes to the Gardening Therapy Group!
Matthew, Leighton, Faith, Kacey, Brian and James have been working hard in the quad garden area to make it look lovely
They have done all the weeding, tidied the space and washed the wipe boards
They have planted some onions, radish, broccoli and currants
This week, we made a bulb lasagne, planting some daffodils and tulips in a large plant pot
We also learnt how to plant some herb cuttings, including rosemary and sage
Well done guys!
Andy鈥檚 Class!
I just wanted to put this in again because I like it! Go Movers & Shakers!
Movers and Shakers Hit the Market!
We are pupils on the听LSTE Pathway听in 5AH, and we did something exciting! Together, we set up an outdoor market in the Quad Garden 鈥� but instead of food, our market was full of听musical instruments. We looked around the stalls, scanned the barcodes, and used money to buy the instruments we wanted. After our shopping trip, we went back to the classroom with everything we had chosen. This was all in preparation for our new class band,听Movers and Shakers. We鈥檒l be rehearsing with our instruments, so keep watching this space for updates on how our band is getting on!
Go Movers & Shakers!
Behaviour for Learning (BfL)
Aylisha and Corin have developed the BfL Team and are working on supporting our pupils all the time, in all situations. They鈥檝e been joined by Nicola and Nat, Sarah and Andrea this year to make a really important team for the school. Let鈥檚 hear from Corin now
This week the BFL team have been in the process of developing a new template for the pupils鈥櫶齈ERMA profiles. The PERMA model is based on aspects of positive psychology and aims to identify people’s strengths and ability to thrive. The PERMA model听focuses on the five key areas for wellbeing to prioritise strengths rather than difficulties. They include Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA)
P – Positive Emotion
This pillar involves experiencing a range of positive feelings, such as happiness, hope, gratitude, interest, and pride
E – Engagement
This refers to being fully absorbed and immersed in an activity, a state often described as “flow”
R – Relationships
This element highlights the importance of positive connections with others, including family, friends, and community
M – Meaning
Meaning involves finding a sense of purpose and belonging in life, feeling that your life has value
A – Accomplishment
This pillar focuses on setting and achieving goals, experiencing mastery, and having a sense of competence
Each pupil will have their own PERMA profile and this will be used as a regular reflection activity to enable them to recognise when they have engaged in an activity or felt good about achieving something, and then be able to relate this to an aspect of the PERMA profile.
All pupils in school will be producing their own PERMA profile during weekly PSHE lessons next half term so that each pupil will have their own version by the end of term.
As always, if you have any queries or would like more information about the support offered by the BFL team in school, feel free to get in touch
If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact the BfL Team
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- 馃摓Call us:0191 216 1811
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Early Years 鈥� The Ducklings!
Well, our Ducklings have entered their second year as a class in the school, and they seem to be going from strength to strength. It鈥檚 great to get these updates and pictures. Let鈥檚 hear from Kerry and the team about their week鈥�..
Ducklings Have Had a Busy Week!
This week, Ducklings have been fully immersed in the beauty of Autumn! We鈥檝e had a wonderful time exploring the season鈥檚 colours, textures and sounds through a variety of fun and engaging activities. In the water trays, we鈥檝e been transferring sticks, leaves, and pine cones from one tray to another鈥攁 fantastic way to work on fine motor skills while connecting with nature. The children have loved feeling the different textures, and it’s been a perfect sensory experience
Our Autumn-themed painting session was another highlight of the week! Using Autumn objects such as leaves, pinecones, and twigs, the children created beautiful, large-scale artwork that was as fun to make as it was to admire.
We鈥檝e also seen some great progress with individual learning goals:
- George has been focusing on spelling, and we鈥檙e thrilled with his effort and progress
- Rowan has been working hard on sorting shapes and colours
- Aimee made her own oaty bars using a symbol board – a great exercise in communication and independence
- Alli has been building her strength
- Hayden has been making excellent use of our new outdoor communication board to request activities
It鈥檚 been another week filled with progress, exploration, and lots of smiles! Well done, Ducklings! We can鈥檛 wait to see what next week brings as we continue our Autumn adventure
Fabulous stuff from all The Ducklings 鈥� we鈥檙e so lucky to have them as part of the school now
Preparation for Adulthood with Hannah
PfA is a key part of the School Improvement Plan. Let鈥檚 hear below what Hannah & the PfA Team have been working on 鈥� PfA is one of our very biggest priorities!
(Stolen from Darlington!)
A PfA date for your diary!
Parent Carer Forum, 22nd听October, 9.30 鈥� 11am
As part of our PfA offer, we would like to invite parents of students from year 7 upwards to attend our first Parent Carer Forum of the year.听 The focus for our first meeting is 鈥楶lanning ahead:听 Post 16 and Post 19 transitions鈥�.听 We will be thinking about听
- Planning for post-PHS
- What is available to our young people?
- How do transitions work?
- Timelines 鈥� what to think about and when?
- Who can help with transitions?听
Transitions can be difficult for our students and it can be really helpful to know what the various options are for them as they move towards adulthood.听 This session will be led by Louise Finlay, our Careers Officer, and it鈥檚 an opportunity for you to meet and share information, discuss ideas and address any concerns in an informal, supportive environment
If you would like to speak to someone about something PfA-related, please feel free to contact
- Hannah Fuller – PfA Lead
- Eileen Robinson – Family Liaison Officer
- Louise Finlay – Careers Lead
We look forward to meeting and planning with you over the coming year
School Lunches
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Please find the menus here:听听School Meals – 91首发 School
Unless your child is in receipt of Free School Meals or Bursary, you should ensure your iPay account is topped up听before meals are taken. Thank you for your understanding & continued support in helping us to provide good quality, safe & nutritious meals for our children
If you have any questions or need support with your iPay account, please don鈥檛 hesitate to contact the school office
Safeguarding 鈥� updates from the digital world in safeguarding
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Aylisha is our Safeguarding Officer, Rebecca is the DSL. Tracy and Corin round out a great DSL Team, with others involved too in many aspects. Let鈥檚 hear from Rebecca about a new and huge aspect of safeguarding that鈥檚 all too real鈥�
This week the safeguarding team have been working with our Governing Board to support them with their understanding of Safeguarding within our school.听 As part of this we have updated them on the updates to ‘Keeping Children Safe In Education 2025’.听 AS part of this we touched on the issues surrounding young people within the online world.
In today鈥檚 digital world, young people are bombarded with information every time they go online – but not all of it is true. Some content is simply inaccurate, some is deliberately misleading, and some is designed to cause harm.
For educators and parents, understanding the difference and helping children to do the same is an essential part of safeguarding.
What鈥檚 are the current issues?
- Disinformation:False information created on purpose to mislead, often by individuals or groups pushing an agenda.
- Misinformation:听False information that is shared without intent to mislead.
- Fake news:A broad, popular term often used to describe either of the above when dressed up as credible reporting.
- Conspiracy theory:a belief that some influential or controlling organisation or group is听听responsible for a notable event or phenomenon.
Why It Matters
These aren鈥檛 just harmless rumours. Disinformation and misinformation can:
- Spread hatred, intolerance or conspiracy theories.
- Influence vulnerable young people.
- Cause distress or confusion when presented as fact.
- Undermine trust in genuine information sources.
- Extremist groups use false narratives online to try to radicalise or manipulate young audiences.
Risks for Children and Young People
- They may believe false content and repeat it as truth.
- They may encounter extremist or hateful material online.
- They may feel upset or unsafe when exposed to shocking or misleading claims.
- Many do not have the skills or confidence to challenge what they see.
What Schools and Parents Can Do
- Safeguarding in the digital age means building students鈥� media literacy from the earliest age, in the safest way possible, showing ways to use digital technology in a safe way, and building trust to talk about what they are watching, playing or accessing.
- Teach critical thinking such as how to spot bias, fact-check, and question credibility at home and in school.
- Embed into curriculum. Use RSHE, Citizenship, or ICT lessons to address online safety and digital resilience.
- Be aware of resources with programmes like Be Internet Citizens, Be Internet Legends, and NSPCC鈥檚 Trust Me provide practical activities.
- Create safe spaces and encourage children to talk about what they see online and support them if they feel upset or unsure.
Helping children recognise fake news isn鈥檛 about turning them into sceptics. It鈥檚 about equipping them, giving them the tools to be thoughtful, safe, and resilient digital citizens. By tackling misinformation head-on, schools听 and parents can empower children to make sense of the online world and protect them from the risks of harmful narratives.
Our safeguarding team will be completing some open forums and training next half term for parents to come with any worries or anxieties, or support with Christmas gadgets.听 These will be both in person and online to support you to access these.听 We will send out dates after half term
As ever if there is anything that the DSL Team can help with, or if you have any queries or questions at all, then please don鈥檛 hesitate to contact [email protected] or [email protected] for anything like this at all
Online Safety
Online safety is a huge part of the work that we are doing within school, and our Online Safety Blog can support you with issues you may be having at home.听 If you need any support at all please reach out to the safeguarding team who can support or signpost you to help you may need
Please do tell us what you feel would be helpful in the Online Safety blog, and the team will look into it. We know what a priority this is for many of you
We鈥檇 also like to remind families that we are a听no-spray school. This means pupils and staff should not wear perfumes or aerosol body sprays, as these can cause serious allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis) for some members of our community
Roll-on deodorants and water-based sprays are absolutely fine to use
Thank you for your support in keeping our school a safe place for everyone
Attendance!
Thank you for your support with attendance, an area of national scrutiny for everyone. Here鈥檚 Kelly
We are still seeing a lot of requests for family holidays coming through. Please note these will be declined. It is only in exceptional rare circumstances any such requests will be approved. Taking time out of school for holidays detracts from valuable learning time. So far since the start of term 72 hours of learning has been missed. Please ensure your child only takes holidays in authorised holiday time
If any appointments can be planned in advance as much as possible and made for outside of school hours. Understandably some cannot. An absence request form and proof are required to be submitted. Forms can be emailed, posted, or collected from the school office
Just a brief reminder about how to contact the school for reporting an absence. Parents and carers have a crucial responsibility to notify the school if their child is going to be absent. Please note this is daily for each day the child is absent. This may be via
- Note in the school diary if the absence is known in advance (e.g. medical appointment)
- A telephone call to the school office听before 9.30on the first day of absence if the absence was unplanned (e.g. illness)
- Email to class teacher or听[email protected]before 9:30 on the day of the absence鈥�
As always, any queries feel free to reach out – [email protected]
Thanks for your support and partnership in this area
Parent/Carer Code of Conduct
Our Parent/Carer Code of Conduct is on the website here:听Parent and Carers Area 鈥� 91首发 School. Most schools have these now, so please do have a read 鈥� they aren鈥檛 used very often. Thanks for your support with it 鈥� both in general terms and in most times and cases that arise every day
Friends of PHS 鈥� the FoPHS!
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A huge thank you to all of the FoPHS for their time, commitment & support, with projects, ideas and all sorts. Great to have you guys on board, you鈥檙e such an important part of the school. Here鈥檚 Eileen to set it all out
FoPHS is into its 12th year since we launched as a PTA in 2013. All parents, carers and staff are members by default. The change to a Friends of was to enable us to involve extended family members and those in the community to support us
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I am your Family Liaison Officer. I have worked here since 2011, am a former nurse and proud parent to a former student. I can support with non-class related matters and am here to provide a listening ear, share information and signpost you. I like to think my own journey means I see things from a parental perspective. I can support by email, telephone, TEAMS and face to face
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Your FoPHS committee is
Chair听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Ollie Teasdale (parent)
Vice Chair听听听听听听听听听听 Hannah Fuller (staff)
Secretary听听听听听听听听听听 Tracy Smithson (staff)
Treasurer听听听听听听听听听听 Ros Holden (parent)
School link听听听听听听听听 Eileen Robinson (staff) – school-specific appointment
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We also benefit in that our two parents are also Parent Governors for the school
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We are members of Parentkind, which provides guidance and structure to ensure we operate correctly. Benefits include insurance for events, links with their partners and training for parents, carers and staff
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We meet half termly; dates of this year鈥檚 meetings will be shared once confirmed but we would like to invite you to join us on Wednesday 17th September between 9.30-11.00 for our first meeting, which is also a social coffee morning
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Ways in which you can help
- Join the 100 club
- Attend meetings, share suggestions
- Volunteer at events
- Donate items which may be requested throughout the year
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Here is a link to some details of what we do:
/news/support-friends-of-percy-hedley-school-at-the-great-north-run/
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If you would like to discuss anything related to FoPHS please get in contact with me on
[email protected] or phone 0191 2161811 ext. 3260
The Friends of 91首发 (FoPHS) would like to thank the school community for all of your support last year. Your support has meant that we have been able to contribute to lots of exciting, enriching opportunities in school.听All the money we raise goes directly to the students, and every single child and young person benefits from it.听We welcome you to join us this year to help us in continuing to support our students.听Until then, follow the link to find out more about the work we do.听Thanks!
Support Friends of 91首发 School at the Great North Run – 91首发 Foundation
Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) 鈥� with Tracy and the Team!
Please get in touch with Tracy via the email below and she will be happy to respond to any queries, suggestions about the LPPA and other issues for parents
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From Tracy and the LPPA team. Contact [email protected]
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Stars of the Week!
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That reflect our School Values!
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ENGAGEMENT
EMMA!
Resilience!
We are delighted to celebrate Emma as our LSTE Star of the Pathway! Emma joined our Post-16 Learning Skills Through Engagement class in September, and she has already made fantastic progress
She has settled in really well, showing enthusiasm and resilience in her learning and engaging positively with both staff and peers. We are so proud of the way Emma is growing in confidence and making the most of every opportunity听
Well done, Emma 鈥� keep up the amazing work! STAR!!!
APPROPRIATE ACCREDITATION
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Resilience
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Shay M for trying hard in Science!
STAR!!!
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Teamwork
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Shaye W, Sadie H, Zakaria M 鈥� for good teamwork during community visit!
STARS!!!
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Respect
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Zakaria M 鈥� for supporting a friend to be more respectful听
STAR!!!
POST-16!
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Resilience
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All of 6LWC engaged so well in Maths and produced some fantastic work.听Impressive!! STAR!!!
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Riley has been very positive this week and used his voice a lot.听Fantastic!!! STAR!!!
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James has been very brave and coped very well with being back in school.听Amazing!!! STAR!!!
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Andrew helped out in Laurie`s DT lesson.听He demonstrated how to use a foot pump and and electric pump.听He explained the differences between the two and was very professional.听Well done!!! STAR!!!
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Respect and Teamwork
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Dom very thoughtfully asked Richard if he could play outside the sports hall as Ella can`t tolerate the lights.听Both Dom and Ella played happily in the corridor.听So kind!! STAR DOM!!!
Makaton Signs of the Week with Julie!
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Every Sunday Julie prepares a message for the whole school on Makaton signs that are current and relevant to the time of year. I reproduce that here so that you can do the same thing at home if that suits you 鈥� or just for you to learn a few signs each week. Hope it works for you!
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Thursday 2nd听October is National Poetry Day
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Here are some key signs to support the activities in school this week
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Here is Julie鈥檚 video:
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Here are the signs:
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Here is a short, signed poem about love from Nikki and Lucinda:
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Have a lovely week sharing poems 馃檪
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Keep signing!
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Julie
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鈥�..from John & the Team here at PHS