Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Thank you for expressing an interest in Durham Johnston Comprehensive School. The school website is an excellent starting point if you wish to know what life is like at Durham Johnston and we would encourage any prospective candidates to consult that resource to help them decide if our school is right for them.

Comprehensive Nature

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School is a truly comprehensive school that genuinely serves a social cross-section. We strongly believe that all students regardless of background or ability should have access to a knowledge rich curriculum and are unique in our commitment to both academic rigour and social inclusivity. We have high ambitions for all our students, and we are determined to ensure that every child, no matter where they grow up, whatever their personal circumstances, whatever life has given or denied them, has the opportunity to fulfil their potential and to be happy. For many colleagues, it is this unique opportunity to teach across the ability and social spectrum that is one of the main draws of the school.

Leadership

Durham Johnston is a local authority school and has no plans to join or form a Multi Academy Trust. This allows the school to have its own unique identity and ensures that leadership decisions are made for the benefit of our students and our community. The school is led in a way that seeks to maximise the autonomy of individual classroom teachers and departments, as we recognise that highly dedicated, educated and trained professionals are the people best placed to determine how to teach their subject to the individuals in their classroom. The leadership of the school look to ensure that departments and classroom teachers are supported in a way that allows them to focus on this as much as possible; we keep good order and let our teachers teach.

At a leadership level we are committed to the values of ethical leadership. As a leadership team we listen and respond to staff concerns and our staff are able to raise problems and tough issues when necessary. In a recent staff survey, an overwhelming majority of our staff said they felt well supported by the school’s senior leadership team.

Staff Wellbeing

The wellbeing of our staff is central to the ethos of Durham Johnston Comprehensive School and this is evidenced in our exceptionally high staff retention. Leaders are very conscious that our staff are what makes Durham Johnston special; we value them and look after them. We have a strong sense of community within our school and our staff work very hard as a team to support one another. We welcome opportunities to come together as a staff and these can range from tea and scones in the staff room, to the highly competitive end of term departmental quizzes. Many staff socialise both inside and outside of school and in school run sessions such as sport and fitness clubs and wellbeing sessions. Our staff like each other and enjoy spending time together.

Living in the North East

Living in the North East is an attractive proposition within itself. Many of our staff live within our catchment area and house prices in the region mean that it is ideal both for those seeking to establish themselves on the property ladder, or for families in need of more space. As well as the historic city of Durham, the surrounding area offers much in the way of natural beauty for people to enjoy, whether walking in the Wear valley, visiting the Borders or North York Moors, or surfing in the North Sea on the Northumberland Coast. Well served by transport links, the school is close to both Durham train station, a key stop on the East Coast Mainline, and the A1 (M), allowing easy access to Newcastle, York and London.