Holocaust Memorial Day Workshop and Webinar

5th February 2026Leanne Johnston

On 27 January, as part of our programme of events marking the National Year of Reading, we commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 with a powerful literacy-focused workshop and live webinar delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.

A selected group of Year 9 students gathered in the Library, where Mrs Whitaker from the History department, alongside Mrs Lewis, our Librarian, welcomed students and set the context for the session. Mrs Whitaker provided a sensitive and well-judged introduction to the Holocaust, encouraging students to think beyond dates and facts and to consider the human experiences behind the history. Students were asked to reflect on the fear, uncertainty and loss faced by individuals and families, and to begin thinking about how stories and testimony help us to understand the past more deeply.

Students then joined a live webinar led by award-winning author Tom Palmer, who interviewed Ruth Barnett, a Holocaust survivor who escaped Germany to England on the Kindertransport in 1939. Students listened with real focus as Ruth spoke about leaving her parents at just four years old, the confusion and fear of her journey, and the crucial support she received from her brother. Many students were visibly moved by her story and commented on how powerful it was to hear first-hand testimony.

Throughout the webinar, students paused to record their questions, thoughts and emotional responses. This reflective writing helped them to process what they were hearing and demonstrated the importance of reading, listening and writing in subjects across the curriculum, including History, English and Religious Studies.

The session concluded with a shared reading of Part III of Five Words, describing the journey by train from Germany and arrival in England. Reading together allowed students to connect personal testimony with literature, deepening both understanding and empathy.

We were extremely proud of the maturity, sensitivity and engagement shown by our Year 9 students, and grateful for the opportunity to mark Holocaust Memorial Day through meaningful reading, reflection and discussion.

The King Edward VI School Celebrates Opening of New Sports Hall

13th January 2026Leanne Johnston

The King Edward VI School is proud to announce the official opening of its brand new Sports Hall, marking a major milestone in the school’s sporting history.

Despite producing a number of world-class sportsmen and women over the years, the school has never previously had a dedicated indoor sports facility. 

Following an 18-month construction programme, the new Sports Hall is now complete and open for use, much to the delight of students, staff, and the wider community. The four-court Sports Hall has been designed to host a wide variety of indoor sports and physical activities, from 5-a-side football to netball, badminton to pickleball. It will support the PE curriculum, extracurricular clubs, competitions, and community use, with the facility available to book outside of school hours via the school website.

 

Students and staff, both past and present, attended the official opening on Monday 12 January, where they were given the opportunity to tour the new Sports Hall and view the facilities first-hand.

Headteacher Clare Savage said:

“This is a hugely exciting moment for our school. Sport has always been a strength of King Edward VI School, and the opening of our first ever Sports Hall provides the facilities our students deserve. We are incredibly proud to see this vision become a reality after many years of ambition and 18 months of hard work, and we thank Northumberland County Council and our Foundation Governors for their continued support.”

Head of Physical Education Rachel Shaw added:

“The new Sports Hall will transform opportunities for our students. It allows us to deliver a broader and more inclusive PE curriculum, support performance sport, and host events regardless of the weather. We are thrilled to finally have an indoor space that matches the talent and enthusiasm of our young people.”

The Sports Hall complements the school’s existing high-quality athletics track and grass pitches and forms part of a wider commitment to outstanding sporting provision. The facility will shortly be further enhanced by the addition of a synthetic pitch for football and rugby, delivered in partnership with the Football Foundation. Together, these developments will enable the school to continue providing excellent sports education for which it has long been renowned.

The opening of the Sports Hall represents a significant investment in the health, wellbeing, and sporting excellence of both current and future generations at The King Edward VI School, Morpeth.

Newcastle Red Bulls Academy Vs Australian Raptors

18th December 2025Leanne Johnston

A huge well done to Cameron, Sam and Angus following an outstanding performance for the Newcastle Red Bulls Academy.

The lads were part of a  very dominant 62–7 victory over the touring Australian Raptors side, putting in a massive shift from start to final whistle.  The effort, intensity, and teamwork on display were a real pleasure to watch.

All three boys played exceptionally well with Sam displaying a very dominant first half in attack and defence. Angus contributed to the scoreline with a try and two conversions and Cameron who controlled the set piece throughout the game.

Unfortunately, Sam suffered a dislocated elbow during the match. He showed real toughness, and we’re pleased to say he is recovering well. Wishing him a smooth and speedy recovery.

All three represented themselves  with real pride — an excellent performance all round.

Musical Advent 2025

1st December 2025Leanne Johnston

Students Helen and her younger brother Arthur are raising money for the sixth year in a row in support of the RNLI.

The are doing a “musical advent calendar” (posting a video of them playing a Christmas song each day).  The duo have already raised in excess of £13000 over the past few years and aim to raise another £2000 this year.

To support Helen and Arthur you can follow and donate, if you can, across a number of channels:

NCC COP30 Meeting

24th November 2025Leanne Johnston
Ten schools from across Northumberland attended the event on Friday 21 November. Each of them made a brief presentation about a particular country from around the world and the climate change issues that the country faced.  Phoebe and Anya from Year 12 gave a very professional speech about the climate issues affecting Nigeria and what was happening to try and address these. Each country then looked at ways that they could support and learn from each other and the financial costs they would incur to secure the future of their people and their country.
We are the delegation representing Nigeria, a country in West Africa.
Nigeria is one of the emerging nations on this planet, and we are the largest African economy. Climate change has an extremely heavy impact on us, as drought and desertification increases in the north, and major flooding worsens in the south. We
also have prolonged heatwaves, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 degrees. This is of course having a tremendous impact on us, with our agriculture, livestock and quality of lives heavily affected.
Currently, we are determined to reach Net Zero by 2060, and we aim to be 47% below ‘Business As Usual’ by 2030 (provided we have international support). Following 2030, we are committed to shifting towards renewable energy.
Already we have been extending areas of conservation, and in our megacity Lagos, we have a $40 billion dollar railway expansion, reducing carbon emissions and improving public transport. We are also a part of the African Union's ‘Great Green Wall’, where we combat desertification. To do more for our country, and this planet, financial support from other, wealthy countries is critical in our collective fight against climate change.
Although it may seem like we are behind other countries, we are as determined as we could possibly be. We must focus on opportunity, and our potential to make planet Earth a better place.
Thank you.
Chair of NCC Glen Sanderson gave a speech about all the things already happening in Northumberland to alleviate climate issues eg, recycling, transport etc. All schools also discussed things happening in their own schools and plans going forwards too.

Youth Parliament

21st November 2025Jump Marketing

We are very proud of our Year 10 student Emily who continues to be an active member of the UK Youth Parliament representing Northumberland. On 6 November, Emily travelled to London to take her seat in the House of Commons alongside fellow MYPs from across the UK, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Here the MYPs debated issues that matter to them and their communities.

Service of Remembrance 11.11.25

11th November 2025Leanne Johnston

Reverend Canon Simon White led our Remembrance Service on Tuesday 11 November. Year 9 form representatives and cadets were in attendance and our Senior Students laid wreaths on behalf of the school, and our Foundation Governors in remembrance and tribute to all who suffered or died in war.

In World War One, 58 Old Boys and one member of staff paid the supreme sacrifice. Most of them found their last place of rest far from home: in Belgium, in France, in Gallipoli, in Poland, at sea; many of them have no known graves.

In the Second World War, by a strange coincidence, yet another 58 Old Boys perished in War – this time together with two members of staff. Only a few of them are buried in the UK. The remainder lie in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany, in Iceland and Italy, in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, in Burma and in Singapore. Again, many have no known grave but the sea.

In the Korean War of 1953, one Old Boy was killed while fighting for the United Nations in the cause of world peace.

In gratitude for the service and sacrifice of all these young men – their average age was only 24 – Nathan Mercel took the reading and Mr Clark – Deputy Headteacher read The Pride of the Poppy.

The service ended with the Last Post played on trumpet by Will Straughan, Arthur Graham and Luke Miller supported by Ms Waterhouse.

Full Circle Food Project

13th October 2025Leanne Johnston

Our Yesr 10 King’s Trust classes had a great day at the Full circle Food Project as part of their Community Impact module.

The students had a great day and really challenged themselves to try new things and learn new skills.