OUR CURRICULUM

PARENTS AND CARERS

KEY INFORMATION

WELCOME TO DURHAM TRINITY SCHOOL AND SPORTS COLLEGE

WELCOME TO DURHAM TRINITY SCHOOL AND SPORTS COLLEGE

Welcome to Durham Trinity School and Sports College. We are a generic special school educating pupils 2-19 years of age, who are autistic or have profound, moderate, severe or complex learning difficulties. Some pupils also have additional medical, physical, sensory, linguistic or behavioural challenges. All pupils at Durham Trinity School and Sports College have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).

We are situated on the outskirts of Durham City Centre. Durham Trinity is a relatively new purpose-built school, we are continuously adapting the physical environment to ensure we are meeting the changing needs of the school population. During the summer holidays (2023) we added an additional classroom in our specialist autistic provision, by removing our science lab, because there is no longer a formal pathway at Durham Trinity School. The pupils have access to specialist rooms and facilities such as a sensory room, hydrotherapy pool, food technology, fitness suite, Create and Make room and a newly furbished (May 2024) soft play room.

To enhance the curriculum and allow pupils to thrive in their interests and strengths, whilst encouraging them to take risks, we relaunched our Friday afternoon enrichment activities in November 2023; to include additional clubs such as Bush Craft, Dance and Duke of Edinburgh. Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) was relaunched in January 2024, which led to the appointment of a Play Lead to develop the school grounds, resource provision, support staff development whilst ensuring health and safety is followed. Further developments in 2024/25 will include creating opportunities to extend the school day.

In May 2023 we launched our new Curriculum Toolkit to support the delivery of our 3-curriculum pathways to ensure the needs of the diverse school population are met academically, emotionally and physically; whilst providing challenge and support to ensure they are prepared for the next stage in their development, and preparing them for life. Please click on this link to access more information about our Curriculum; including Reading, Careers, Relationship Sex Education (RSE) and Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC).

We are a Sports College, providing an excellent provision that develops pupils’ physical skills and mental wellbeing, educating them about leading a healthy lifestyle, whilst having fun! Pupils have opportunities to access non-competitive and competitive sporting activities throughout the school year. In 2022-23 we introduced our Gifted and Talented Sports Group who access additional PE lessons, experiencing different sports with a number of specialist coaches and staff. This provision will continue into 2024/25.

We provide a Further Education Unit (FEU- Post 16) on site where the excellent provision continues until they are 19 years of age. The students have access to their own common room with many opportunities to access the community, to prepare them for their next stage in life. However, due to demand for school places we are currently working with Durham County Council to identify and provide an additional site for our Post 16 provision.

Our greatest resource is the staff. They are supportive and highly skilled in SEND, supporting pupils throughout the school day to ensure they achieve their goals and

become as independent as possible. Together with pupils, families and other agencies, we work together to ensure the best outcomes for our pupils.

More information can be found about our SEND report, SEND provision and the teaching, learning and curriculumin the SEND section on the website. Also available in Key Information is specific staff to contact if you require further information or support whilst your young person attends Durham Trinity. Please click on the link to see our Key Information page.

There is a new section on our website to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing, click on the link here to explore this web page which signposts young people, parent and carers to additional information.

For parents/carers considering our school as a future option for their young person, you are encouraged to contact school and make arrangements to visit our school. We would be delighted to meet you and answer any queries you may have, whilst there is further information in Key Information; School Admissions.

For existing parents/carers, we hope the website gives you additional information about the curriculum and supports your young person whilst attending Durham Trinity School and Sports College.

If you require a paper copy of any of the policies or documents that are on our website, please contact Louise Hindmarch at the school office on 0191 386 4612.

Mrs Rachel Grimwood

Headteacher

September 2024

  • New School Meal Menu:Dear Parents and Carers, When we return to school after Half Term on Tuesday 5th November, we will be starting our new Autumn and Winter school meal menu. As always we are following a 3 week rotational menu - which is attached to this notice. Pupils who have Special Diets will have received their menus individually, please send back into school if you have not already done so. Please do download a copy of the menu for future reference. If your child is currently on packed lunch, but would like to change to school meals, please call the school office to arrange this. Many thanks

    October 21st, 2024

    New School Meal Menu:

    Dear Parents and Carers,

    When we return to school after Half Term on Tuesday 5th November, we will be starting our new Autumn and Winter school meal menu.

    As always we are following a 3 week rotational menu - which is attached to this notice.

    Pupils who have Special Diets will have received their menus individually, please send back into school if you have not already done so.

    Please do download a copy of the menu for future reference.

    If your child is currently on packed lunch, but would like to change to school meals, please call the school office to arrange this.

    Many thanks


  • Trinity Harvest Autumn Collection:The Trinity Harvest Autumn Collection has now started.   This year we are collecting for County Durham & Sunderland Foodbank.   We are only accepting dry food e.g. rice, pasta cereals etc and tins e.g. soup, tinned meat etc.   We are hoping to give our nominated charity a great start to stocking up for the winter ahead.   Please help us if you can.   All donations are to be given to class teachers in the first instance.   Thank you so much   Kind Regards   Andrew Heywood SMSC Lead

    October 17th, 2024

    Trinity Harvest Autumn Collection:
    The Trinity Harvest Autumn Collection has now started.
     
    This year we are collecting for County Durham & Sunderland Foodbank.
     
    We are only accepting dry food e.g. rice, pasta cereals etc and tins e.g. soup, tinned meat etc.
     
    We are hoping to give our nominated charity a great start to stocking up for the winter ahead.
     
    Please help us if you can.
     
    All donations are to be given to class teachers in the first instance.
     
    Thank you so much
     
    Kind Regards
     
    Andrew Heywood
    SMSC Lead

  • Photograph Permission & Student Data Collection:Important Reminder As stated below it is vital that the two forms mentioned previously are completed as soon as possible. Thank you to those who have completed these, however there are still a large amount of forms not completed. For safeguarding purposes we kindly ask that you take 10 minutes this evening to complete the Photo Permission and the Data Collection forms on Weduc. We thank you for your support   Original post below To all Parents/Carers, We have added a new form to the Weduc Forms section - Student Data Collection Form 2024-2025. We need you to complete this data collection form yearly to ensure we have the most up to date information for our Young Persons and their families. We are also asking you to complete the photograph permission form. Can we please ask that you complete these forms as soon as possible. While you are in the 'Forms Section` on Weduc, please also complete any other forms you feel you may have not completed. Many thanks

    October 10th, 2024

    Photograph Permission & Student Data Collection:

    Important Reminder

    As stated below it is vital that the two forms mentioned previously are completed as soon as possible.

    Thank you to those who have completed these, however there are still a large amount of forms not completed.

    For safeguarding purposes we kindly ask that you take 10 minutes this evening to complete the Photo Permission and the Data Collection forms on Weduc.

    We thank you for your support

     

    Original post below

    To all Parents/Carers,

    We have added a new form to the Weduc Forms section - Student Data Collection Form 2024-2025.

    We need you to complete this data collection form yearly to ensure we have the most up to date information for our Young Persons and their families.

    We are also asking you to complete the photograph permission form.

    Can we please ask that you complete these forms as soon as possible.

    While you are in the 'Forms Section` on Weduc, please also complete any other forms you feel you may have not completed.

    Many thanks


  • Letter regarding Toys in School:Please see attached a letter from our headteacher regarding bringing toys into school.

    October 7th, 2024

    Letter regarding Toys in School:

    Please see attached a letter from our headteacher regarding bringing toys into school.


  • Student Data Collection & Photograph Permission:**Reminder** To all Parents/Carers, We have added a new form to the Weduc Forms section - Student Data Collection Form 2024-2025. We need you to complete this data collection form yearly to ensure we have the most up to date information for our Young Persons and their families. We are also asking you to complete the photograph permission form. Can we please ask that you complete these forms as soon as possible. While you are in the 'Forms Section` on Weduc, please also complete any other forms you feel you may have not completed. Many thanks

    September 26th, 2024

    Student Data Collection & Photograph Permission:

    **Reminder**

    To all Parents/Carers,

    We have added a new form to the Weduc Forms section - Student Data Collection Form 2024-2025.

    We need you to complete this data collection form yearly to ensure we have the most up to date information for our Young Persons and their families.

    We are also asking you to complete the photograph permission form.

    Can we please ask that you complete these forms as soon as possible.

    While you are in the 'Forms Section` on Weduc, please also complete any other forms you feel you may have not completed.

    Many thanks


OUR EVENTS

  • Autumn Half Term Holiday

    October 27th, 2024

    Autumn Half Term Holiday


  • Parents Evening

    November 11th, 2024

    Parents Evening Monday 11 November 2024 4:00pm-6:00pm

    Early Years/Primary Semi-formal and Specialist Autism Pathways 


  • Parents Evening

    November 14th, 2024

    Thursday 14 November 2024 between 4:00pm-6:00pm

    Secondary and Post 16 Semi-formal Pathway, and Pre-formal Pathway Parents Evening

     


  • Children in Need Day

    November 15th, 2024

    Children in Need Day - Info will be added on Weduc Notices


  • School Photographer

    November 28th, 2024

    The school photographer will be in school - confirmation of date and further information will be provided nearer the time.


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School Events Update

Good Afternoon,

We are approaching our 10 year anniversary in our current school building on the 4 November, which is an Inset Day. We would like to celebrate this with pupils, families, staff and governors so leaders have decided to keep this celebration event for the summer term when the weather is calmer, and hopefully dry - more information will follow as we get closer to the summer term.

Over the last couple of years we have reviewed our assemblies, school performances and school events in relation to the changing needs of our pupils. Last year Primary Semi-formal Pathway trialled Play & Stay Sessions for families which were very successful. This academic year a rolling programme of Play & Stay and Meet, Greet & Eat Sessions (for classes with older students) will take place to invite families into school to see our curriculum in action whilst also seeing your young person taking part in curricular activities. These sessions will take place on different dates across next half term and letters will be sent home for each individual class.

Next half term is Parent's Evening. We look forward to seeing you, letters will be sent out this week for families to reply to.

Finally, I'm gathering further information from Durham County Council on Wraparound Care for our families. To enable us to know what the demand and need is from our families, I will send out a questionnaire after the half term holidays for you to respond to.

kind regards

Mrs Rachel Grimwood

Headteacher

 

 

 

 

October 21st, 2024 / November 4th, 2024