Useful Information
School Closures
During the winter weather the school has procedures in place in case it is necessary for the school to close. Closing the school is always a last resort but if it is unavoidable, a decision will be made by 8.15am.
We will inform parents of any unexpected closures, as follows:
- A text will be sent to the first mobile phone number on a child’s contact list (please inform us as soon as possible if you change your telephone number)
- A note will be added to the front page of the school website.
- The closure will be added to the Durham County Council School Closures page of their website (https://www.durham.gov.uk/schoolclosures)
The above procedures will apply for all unexpected school closures. If you have any comments or queries with regard to the above information, please contact the school office.
Downloadable forms:
House Teams
All children belong to one of our 4 Houses:
- Achievers
- Believers
- Succeeders
- Inspirers
All children earn reward tokens during their time in school. These can be earned for working hard, doing the right thing, being a good friend and generally living out our school values each day. Each week the reward tokens are counted and contribute to a running total for House Points in school. At the end of every half term, the winning house is announced and receives a special reward!
House meetings are held every half term and are led by both staff and our House Captains.
Following our first House meeting of the year in school, our 4 houses have elected their captains for the year. Thank you to all of our Year 6 who so confidently stood to be House Captains this year, it is not an easy thing to do and they should all be very proud of themselves.
Congratulations to our newly elected captains:
- Achievers – Paige and Felicity
- Believers – George and Jay
- Succeeders – Emily-Jayne and Lyn
- Inspirers – William and Abbie
Nurture
At Brandon Primary School we recognise that for children to progress academically, they need to be emotionally and socially secure. We have various ways of ensuring that we meet the needs of children throughout the school, and for those who need some additional support we have some strategies that we can offer.
Lego Therapy
This is a programme that helps develop children’s social and communication skills. During the sessions children learn to interact with each other through collaborative play.
Therapeutic Storywriting
This programme is a 10 week programme which offers children a creative way to express their feelings and struggles through the metaphor of story. Stories are written by the child and the child in a way that does not overwhelm the child. It is usually used with children that are 7-13 years old.
Story Links
Story Links is a project that brings children, staff and parents together in the co-creation of stories. The stories aim to address behavioural, emotional and social difficulties through the story telling. It is a key feature of this particular programme that children have their parents involved so that all aspects of their difficulties can be addressed.
Relax Kids
Relax Kids is a programme which teaches children to relax through movement, games, stretching and breathing exercises, peer massage, affirmations and visualisation. The course is designed to raise self-esteem and confidence in children and supports the development of healthy behaviour and aims to increase the level of personal achievement for children. Relaxation skills are essential at all times of life but are incredibly helpful for children who struggle with emotional difficulties.
