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The Lit and Phil Young Writers' Awards writing competition is now open!! The theme of this year's competition is: ‘Other Worlds' - fiction, non-fiction or poetry allowed! Closing date:  Monday 19th January 2026 Anyone who submits an entry will receive a year's free Lit and Phil membership! Mrs Floyd would like to offer THREE students from each year group (7,8,9) to take a trip to the Lit and Phil library in town for a writing workshop, to prepare for the writing competition.

As part of our celebrations for European Day of Languages, the MFL department dressed up as items which are famous for coming from a particular country in Europe. Students were challenged to spot all members of staff around the school and identify each country before the end of the day.   A big congratulations to Aafiya in 7STN who correctly identified each country represented in our fancy dress.   From left to right: Lemons from Sicily (Italy), fans from Spain, pasta from It

During our celebrations for European Day of Languages, students were encouraged to download the MFL cookbook - a tasty collection of recipes from across Europe. The challenge was to recreate a dish from another country and snap a photo before enjoying it with family and friends. The standard was incredibly high but we eventually decided on our winners:   Best croque monsieur - Deyana (7KRN) Best patatas bravas - Nelle F (7SBY) Best spaghetti bolognaise - Olivia W (8SCL)   A m

This week we have been lucky enough to secure two days with John from the Violence Reduction Unit (Northumbria Police) to share is experience and stories with Year 8 with an aim to raise their awareness of online safety. The session, which all Year 8 classes experienced looked at the damage of malicious online content, and how it can impact upon individuals and their families, as well as the legal implications of sending illegal content. Some students were surprised at what s

This term Year 8 experienced an engaging and memorable performance from 'Smashed' whose production was based around alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. With three empathy demanding characters, and several scenarios for students to analyse, along with likely outcomes (including consequences), students had plenty of discussion to do when looking at each scenario from the point of view of each character. As a year group, students were able to make sensible suggestions for a

Dishali Bulathwelage Sophie Story   Sinit Gebretnsae

Aarya George   Lydia Thorley Niamh Archer Elizabeth Adebayo

Ayushi Ganguly Maxine Asetre

For European Day of Languages 2025, pupils embraced the spirit of sisu – a unique Finnish word meaning inner strength, determination, and the refusal to give up, no matter the challenge. The lunchtime session "Challenge Your Sisu" pushed Year 7 and 8 students with a mix of physical, mental, and linguistic tasks. Highlights included holding a plank while counting to sixty in French and enduring the intense taste of salty Salmiakki for three whole minutes. Each activity tested

As part of our European Day of Languages celebrations, Year 7 students took part in a special Spanish-themed workshop exploring el lenguaje secreto del abanico – the “secret language of the fan.” In 18th and 19th century Spain, fans (abanicos) were not only fashion accessories but also a clever way to send messages without words. Students discovered the history behind this tradition and learned how different gestures could signal answers such as sí, no, or even te quiero (“I

To mark the European Day of Languages, students took part in our fun-filled Pasta Masta quiz. They tested their knowledge by identifying different pasta shapes from pictures and matching their Italian names with their meanings, such as farfalle which means butterflies. Although Italian is not a language our students study, their background in Spanish and French may have helped them make connections and spot similarities. The activity gave everyone a light-hearted introduction

As part of our celebration of languages and culture, students took part in a Friendship Bracelet Making session with Miss Wood. This creative activity was inspired by the popular Taylor Swift Eras Tour tradition, where fans exchange beaded bracelets with meaningful messages. Friendship bracelets have a long history, originally popularised in Central and South America, where colourful threads and beads were woven together to symbolise friendship, connection, and good luck. Tra

On Thursday 25th September, 20 intrepid students from all year groups gathered in the MFL department for a change to their usual break-time snack: Norwegian Gjetost or Brunost. Brunost is a traditional cheese-type of food from Norway which is made from the whey from either cow’s milk or goat’s milk and sometimes has the addition of cream. The whey is heated over a long period of time until the milk sugars caramelise and thicken, leaving a fudgy substance which is both sweet a

The Perfume Industry in France is one of the most important sectors of the economy, with several university schools and colleges across the country training the next generation of perfumers in the highly-scientific, yet mysterious, arts of fragrance creation. On Thursday 25th September, students from Years 7 and 9 attended a workshop run by Mrs Russell to see if they had the potential to become one of the highly-skilled ‘Noses’: the perfumers responsible for creating perfumes

A group of Year 8 students from SHHS represented the school at conference to celebrate women in STEM on Ada Lovelace day, 14 th  October. They were able to explore some interesting Maths and hear from women about their experiences of working in STEM careers. The speakers on the day included engineers from Nissan, cyber security consultants from TSG, and the STEM coordinator from Beamish Museum. The SHHS students made excellent contributions to conference, asking some brillian

This month, our newly elected Goals Ambassadors  came together for an inspiring introductory session focused on the Sacred Heart Goal of Community . These students, chosen to support and promote our school’s ethos and values, worked within their year teams to reflect on what community means to them personally and how it is lived out across our school. As part of the session, students prepared bidding prayers  which will be featured in our Goals Commissioning Mass in November

Our Year 7 students took part in their very first chapel lesson as part of their Religious Studies curriculum—a special moment in their journey at Sacred Heart. The session was an introduction to the spiritual life of our school, offering students a chance to reflect on what it truly means to welcome someone and how we can begin to build a strong, supportive Year 7 community. Through thoughtful discussion and shared experiences, students explored the values of kindness, frien

Our Year 9 students recently took part in a chapel lesson focused on the theme of human dignity and the image of God —a key part of our Religious Studies journey at Sacred Heart. During the session, students reflected on the profound truth that each person is created out of love by God  and bears His image. Through discussion and shared experiences, we explored what it means to recognise and respect the dignity of others  in our school community and daily lives. Students were