We commissioned researchers from Children North East (a local charity) to work in school recently with the aim of uncovering institutional and cultural practices which may stigmatise pupils who live live in poverty. As well as being in school and talking to all the pupils via focus group sessions, the researchers invited all parents, staff and directors to respond to questionnaires, enabling them to hear from the whole school community. We are looking forward to receiving the report and action plan which will help us move forward in poverty proofing our school.
On Thursday 10th November the choir commemorated all those who fought for us in the 1st and 2nd World Wars, as well as those soldiers still fighting in Afghanistan and Syria, by singing in assembly. The choir sung a beautiful arrangement of Josh Grobanās āBraveā a song about not giving up and being brave in difficult situations. The choir sung in 2 part harmony creating a haunting and memorable performance.
Well done to all who sang! Choir rehearsals are Monday 3:30-4:30pm in the school hall for anyone who would like to join us after Christmas.
On 16th November we were fortunate enough to welcome Rich Cottell to Chantry who is an upcoming singer. He delivered a session to KS2 aboutĀ Online Safety & Cyber Bullying and a session on Discrimination & Radicalisation for KS3.
On the 11th November the whole of KS2 had the opportunity to go to VUE cinema at Cramlington to watch Finding Dory in 3D. The event was completely free for the pupils thanks to āInto Filmā which is a free online resource for schools. Every year the company offer hundreds of free cinema screenings for various age groups with the aim being to āput film at the heart of children and young peopleās educationā.
The event was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all, including the staff! Thank you to the staff of VUE cinema for their support during the screening and of course to āInto Filmā for making such opportunities possible.
Arthur, in Year 7, set himself a challenge to wear shorts for a year from December 2015-2016 to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support.
Well, December is nearly with us and he will have achieved this, despite having cold knees at times! We would like to give the cause a final push to raise funds and of course, acknowledge Arthur’s great achievement too!
Arthur said “I am wearing shorts for a year to raise money forĀ Macmillan Cancer SupportĀ because they have helped lots of people in my family.”
If anyone would like to make a donation here is the link to Arthur’s fundraising page.
Year 6 pupils at Chantry Middle School in Morpeth have recently been carrying out fundraising in support of The Costa Foundation. The pupils, aged 10-11, have been learning about the charity on Friday afternoons and they have become inspired by the good work carried out. As a result the pupils came up with some fantastic innovative and creative ideas as they were keen to play their part in raising funds.
In order for the project to be successful a community link with Costa Coffee on Bridge Street, Morpeth, was established. The pupilsā success was unprecedented and due to their unrivaled enthusiasm they raised over Ā£250!
Click ‘continue reading’ to read more.
Thank you to the Year 5 parents who took time to complete the survey. Here is the analysis of the results:
On Friday, Kids Bee Happy Sand Art ran a workshop with Year 5 students.
They are completing a sand art marathon across the North East to raise money for Children in Need.
It was a fantastic activity where children made full pictures out of sand! They thoroughly enjoyed it; many finding it therapeutic.

Freshly picked from Flanders field
Many years ago
Like the soldiers picked from their families
Sent off to a dreadful war
Picked for their bravery and loyalty
For King and country
Living in trenches
Knee deep in mud
Guarding the world like a solitary sentry
The symbol of a brave soldier
Whose candle they called life was snuffed
Remember
While sobbing in eternal sorrowā¦
Remember
Because they mapped our future
Our tomorrow.
Written by a Year 6 student for Remembrance Day
Children have visited Barratt Homes North Eastās South Fields development recently to bury a time capsule filled with items that they feel epitomise their local area. The capsule included various images and stories about the local area, which pupils have been working on as part of a history project.
Our pupils have spent the last few weeks drawing pictures and collecting photographs of the local area, as well as writing about what Morpeth is like in 2016 to give a little piece of history to whoever finds it in the future. Pupils were then invited to South Fields on Tenth Avenue to help bury the capsule.
Paul Race, Sales Manager at South Fields, commented:
āIt was great to engage with the local community and get the children from Chantry Middle School involved. We had a lot of fun burying the capsule at our South Fields development, itās an exciting prospect knowing that future generations will discover the capsule and gain an insight into both the past and present life in Morpeth. At Barratt Homes, we are eager to nurture the communities in which we build our developments. Morpeth has a wealth of local history and we want to encourage our residents and the wider community to contribute to the continuing story of the area.ā
Steven Johnson, Head of School at Chantry Middle School, said:
āThe children felt very privileged to be asked to contribute to the time capsule buried at South Fields. They really enjoyed collecting the items, photographs and stories about Morpeth over the last few weeks. It was a fun and exciting project for the children, and helped them learn more about the town and its history.ā