Alston Moor Federation

On 16th June, our Year 9 students attended a special STEM Hub event at the University of Cumbria in Carlisle.

The event was organised by SmartSTEMs, with the aim of inspiring young people about STEM careers and the opportunities that await them in the future.

Upon arrival, students listened to two 'My Job, My Journey' presentations including one by Robert Montgomery, Professor of Conservation Science, before taking part in three interactive STEM focused workshops. One of the workshops, led by RAF engineers, involved making and flying model gliders, before building and firing paper rockets. The second was delivered by Sellafield Ltd and focused on radiation and contamination detection within the nuclear sector.

Students also attended an exhibition in the Learning Gateway and interacted with a number of STEM businesses and organisations, asking some excellent questions to further their knowledge of career pathways and opportunities.

SKS assembly on Friday introduced Drowning Prevention Week. An important topic as the summer holidays approach. More information from the RLSS https://www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/drowning-prevention-week-campaign

Back in March 2026, all students across SKS were invited to take part in the national 'Poetry By Heart' competition.
Seven students took up the challenge, and we were able to submit four very strong entries to the competition across both the Classic and Freestyle categories.
Huge congratulations to Fintan in Year 9 who was awarded 'Best in County' for his oration of 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley and 'Decomposition' by Zulfikar Ghose. This was in the Classic category and to achieve this accolade in a prestigious competition is something to be very proud of.
The other three entries were in the Freestyle category:
Aidan in Year 7 was Commended for his performance of 'The End' by Mark Strand
Sofia in Year 9 wrote her own poem 'Queen' and recited this whilst playing her own musical composition on the piano, being Highly Commended for her efforts
Lucy, Esme, Eve and Lily in Year 10 were also Highly Commended for their rendition of 'I Shall Return' by Claude McKay, which also included a self-choreographed dance routine to accompany the poem and music.
What a fantastic achievement from all those involved, and we look forward to taking part in Poetry By Heart again in 2027.

SKS pupils in Year 9 enjoyed their sessions at Eden Rock today. Some excellent teamwork on display, and they supported each other brilliantly. Thanks to the Eden Rock staff for also sharing their career experiences working in this sector.

We currently have a Teaching Assistant Vacancy, for more information or to apply please visit our website.

Job Vacancies | Alston Moor Federation   All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and ...

🌟 Come share in the Disney Magic 🌟
We are delighted to invite parents, students, our community and wonderful sponsors into school on Tuesday 23rd June at 6pm to see our incredible Disneyland Paris dancers perform their final dress rehearsal to our special invited audience💃 Come along to SKS school hall, support the dancers wish them the best of luck and enjoy the beautiful Disney inspired choreography. Their next performance will be the Videopolis Theatre Disneyland Paris!!

All of our Year 7's, alongside a select number of Year 8 and 9 students, competed in the 'Race To The Line 2.0 Bio' challenge earlier in the week.

Over two STEM focused practical workshop sessions, students worked collaboratively in small teams to design, build and then race their very own 'rocket car', powered by small canisters of CO2.

The Race To The Line Challenge was delivered by Mark Robinson from www.thelearningpartnership.com and was made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsor, RED Engineering in Hexham.

During the final test session, our Year 9 students trialled the use of a speed gun to monitor and record speeds. The maximum speed achieved was an impressive 71kph by the Red Engineering 'Baddie Batman' car, which secured a first-place victory for the four-person mixed gender team, who later received an additional award in recognition of their collaboration and teamwork.

It was wonderful to see our students so engaged and invested in the project, with all of them displaying numerous core skills from the Skills Builder framework including creativity, problem solving and adaptability, alongside teamwork.

First day of school exams today. A mix of assessments, revision and PE are taking place over the next few days.