Dear Parent/Carer

As we come to the end of this school year we want to say a huge thank you to every member of Team Durrington. Having such a brilliant team of staff, students, parents and carers has meant we have been able to meet the necessary changes and challenges posed by the pandemic. Thank you all for your support and encouragement which has enabled us to have a super successful year.

This half term also marks a whole school year of KAPP, which is an incredible addition to school life. Being able to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our students both inside and outside of school is wonderful, and it is such a delight to see so many students proudly wearing their badges in the classroom and around school. To date we have awarded over 2000 badges to over 1000 students, including 52 seahorses! You can watch a short KAPP; one year on celebration video here. We have also appointed our 2021/22 Senior Student Leadership Team who will be invaluable in taking both KAPP and our environmental and sustainability work  forward. We are looking forward to delivering some exciting projects, one of which will be introducing ‘meat free Mondays’ in the canteen. 

Our after school clubs have continued to go from strength to strength. Year 7 students have enjoyed experimenting in science club, from making hovercrafts to exploding hydrogen balloons! Students in debate club explored the justice system, learning about the different roles involved in a court hearing and then carefully considering a verdict as they took part in a mock trial. Sports clubs have also continued to be popular and, although we were unable to host sports day in the usual way, all students have enjoyed taking part during PE lessons. 

Year 11 students have shown such resilience this year and we wish them every success as they move on to post Durrington life in September, we know they will go on to do great things. We also held a virtual transition day for our new year 7 starters, welcoming them to Team Durrington. We are so looking forward to them joining us in September. 

One of our proudest moments this term was showcasing the incredible talents of our GCSE art and design students. We were able to share a virtual version of the school exhibition (which can be viewed here) and were delighted that the Best of the Best exhibition at the Colonnade House in Worthing gave people the chance to see the wonderful and varied pieces in person.

As you know, the DfE has asked schools to undertake Lateral Flow Testing at the start of the Autumn Term. If you have not yet completed the consent form, please do so here. We will be in touch with exact times and dates for your child before term starts, with any further guidance for the DfE. 

We always want the best for our students, and are delighted to share our next, exciting project which is soon to be submitted to planning. A brand new performing arts and conference facility; we will write with further updates in the Autumn term. 

In the meantime we wish you all a well deserved, relaxing and happy summer break. 

Yours sincerely