On the 13 and 14 June, over 200 pupils from Newminster and Chantry Middle Schools put on a spectacular Summer Showcase.

With some help from the staff, the students created magical evenings full of singing, music, dance and even a spot of drama. Most of the smaller acts had been put through a series of auditions to get a place in the Summer Showcase.

In addition to all of the student performances the sound and lighting was manned by a crew of year 7 and 8 pupils. They were overseen by Mr Hughes and Mr Holmes and did a wonderful job making the showcase look fabulous and run so smoothly.

The set had been created by the Bronze Arts Award students and was designed in the style of murals by Dzine and Beatriz Milhazes. Art work was produced by year 7 and 8 students and used for the tickets and posters.

Some of the acts included dancing in various forms (jazz and modern, street and Irish), piano duets, solos, the joint schools choir and a hilarious drama sketch performed by a group of year 8 boys. The show exuded diversity, inclusivity and variety.

The last number in the showcase was a whole cast rendition of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ which gave the pupils a final chance to shine.

Truly memorable and inspiring performances – well done.

Review written by
Milena Y8, Newminster

Click below for more images from the show.

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Newminster students have been enjoying taking part in Chance to Shine, a cricket programme ran by Northumberland Cricket Board and led by Ben Cuthbertson, a Cricket Development Officer at ACTIVE Northumberland & Northumberland Cricket Board.

See below an embedded video of Newminster students taking part.

About 70 students from Chantry and Newminster Middle Schools in Morpeth, part of The Three Rivers Learning Trust, performed at Wyevale’s Heighley Gate Garden Centre on Saturday 11th June. They were helping the Garden Centre’s fundraising activities in aid of the Henry Dancer Days charity which provides support to children and young people 18 years and under diagnosed with Primary Bone Cancer (http://henrydancerdays.co.uk/).

In total, both groups raised £255.

To read more, including a special email we received from Heighley Gate click ‘continue reading’.

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Twenty six teams from Tyne and Wear and Northumberland took part in this year’s Mini Lit Quiz, which is written and produced ‘in house.’

Our Quiz is modelled on the Kids Lit Quiz (UK) with both individual and team prizes, but has five rounds instead of ten and its own unique style.  Each round of ten questions follows a particular literary theme but, unlike the KLQ, there is also a Pictionary round featuring picture clues and between round elimination competitions for cash prizes.

To read the full article click ‘continue reading’.

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The BBC Micro bits arrived in school recently, and every Year 7 student has been given their own to take home with them!

We have been using the Micro bits in Computing lessons over the last few weeks, prior to the students taking theirs home.  The idea was to familiarise the Year 7’s with the Micro bits before sending them home, in the hope that more of them would be inspired to use them independently. We will continue to work with the Micro bits in class time, during the last half term.  So far we have been learning how to programme them to be interactive badges, pedometers and stop watches!

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update on the position of The Three Rivers Learning Trust, in relation to a number of proposed changes at both a local and a national level.

Attached is a summary of our position, in regards to Northumberland County Council’s proposed investment into education in Morpeth. We have worked very closely with colleagues at NCC to date, although we do not believe that the original proposal to relocate the three schools of the Trust, along with Morpeth First School to the County Hall site will enhance the organisation or delivery of educational provision for students within the Trust. We have responded to this effect through the consultation process, and hope to be able to discuss with NCC an alternative proposal for investment in education and leisure for Morpeth in due course.

The government’s White Paper, “Educational excellence everywhere”, published in March 2016, has wide ranging implications for all schools, which must become academies, or part of a Multi Academy Trust (MAT), by 2022. As an existing MAT, the Three Rivers is not required to change, but we may be approached by other schools that would wish to join our Trust. Our position is to consider any approach constructively and to work with schools to consider the most appropriate and beneficial way forward. Our summary position statement particularly outlines our aspiration to support Morpeth Partnership schools as they review their position in the light of the White Paper.

The schedule of house building projected for Morpeth and other partnership areas will, in time, bring a growth in the school aged population who wish to be educated through Morpeth Partnership schools. The three schools of the Learning Trust are oversubscribed in almost all year groups, and we are working with our feeder schools, NCC and with the Department for Education, with the aim of meeting the anticipate growth in demand.

Please take time to read our summary Position Statement, and be reassured that directors and school leaders of the Three Rivers will continue to work with our local partners to provide strategic leadership in admissions arrangements and in the organisation of education for the Three Rivers and the Morpeth Partnership.

Yours sincerely

Paul Carvin, Chair

Simon Taylor, Executive Headteacher

Please click here to see the summary of our position.

We are hosting an Internet Safety Briefing for parents on the evening of 20 June.

Click here for more information.

Click here to register for the event.