St. Andrew's Academy and Nursery

If your child is starting in our Reception class in September you might want to go along and meet other children and parents who are also new to the school at this event.
Please note we have no affiliation with this event, we are simply sharing the information.

Thank you so much to Year 4 St. Andrew's Academy and Nursery who donated new Underwear and Socks to the Bishop Auckland Parish Uniform bank as part of their community week. You are much appreciated.
The Uniform Bank is on 7th and 8th of August and is free to use and a great way of getting uniform for next year and saving the planet by reusing good second hand uniform rather than it being thrown away. Keep an eye on Facebook for how you can help and for opening times for the Uniform Bank

Attention dads and male carers!

Dads Camp Out is fully booked, but all is not lost - we've added a waiting list :)

If you didn't manage to get booked on, add yourself to our waiting list and we'll let you know if a space becomes available :)

Add yourself to the list at : https://events.durham.gov.uk/10/Home/List/?search=camp&area&cat=0&date=0&venue=0&provider&sf&dm&cost&items=10&page=1&fbclid=IwY2xjawSrUUFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBrUktIM2VrNnZCOHh1YTZVc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqnh9gXlrXUenP3_KKyGd72yewSQ8CI9eKaONnFo11ZqwUYXcvPJ1wYGfwn9_aem_5BmxgF7kyPsLqWYqfZz3tQ

Children under 18 swim for free over the summer holidays.

FREE Swimming for Under 18s – World Drowning Prevention Day 🏊

This World Drowning Prevention Day (25 July), we're helping young people build confidence in the water and stay safe by offering FREE swimming for County Durham residents aged 18 and under on Saturday 25 July 2026.

✅ Included sessions:
- General Swim
- Fun Sessions (rafts, floats & inflatables)
- Splashability Sessions

📍 Available at: Chester-le-Street, Consett, Freeman's Quay, The Louisa Centre, Newton Aycliffe, Peterlee, Teesdale, Wolsingham and Woodhouse Close Leisure Centres.

All under 18s must have a thrive card to access free swimming. To save time on the day, apply online by visiting https://thriveleisure.co.uk/index.php/memberships/ and collect your card before your visit.

There's a Lego Club in Bishop Auckland Library over the Summer Holidays if you're looking for a free activity.

Calling all master builders!

We have so many Lego Clubs appearing in our libraries. Have you joined your local group yet? Why not see what you can build for us!

If your child plays Roblox please read this so that you are able to keep them safe.

Police reports show a 75% rise in incidents linked to Roblox, with children as young as five allegedly subjected to sexual communications.

As parents, headlines like this are frightening. But it’s important to understand that Roblox is often just the starting point.

In many cases, someone builds trust through the game before encouraging a child to move the conversation to another app such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, Discord or Telegram, where there is often less moderation and far less visibility for parents.

The requests can seem completely innocent:
💬 “It’s easier to chat there.”
💬 “I’ll show you something.”
💬 “Let’s keep talking after the game.”

Once the conversation moves away from the game, grooming can become much harder to spot.
That’s why we need to teach our children that moving conversations off a gaming platform is a red flag, especially if someone asks them to keep it secret.

A simple family rule could make all the difference:

“If someone you meet in a game asks you to move to another app, tell me first.”

This isn’t about creating fear or banning every game of your child already uses Roblox. It’s about understanding how offenders operate so we can have better conversations, set sensible boundaries and help our children stay safe online.

❤️ Sometimes, one conversation is all it takes to prevent another headline like this.

Supporting the emotional wellbeing of autistic children - an upcoming webinar with the North East Autism Society.

There are 4 dates;

✔️6 July 2026, 12.30-2.30pm
✔️4 August 2026, 12.30-2.30pm
✔️8 September 2026, 12.30-2.30pm
✔️14 October 2026, 12.30-2.30pm

This webinar is suitable for the parents/carers of children aged 7 and over, who are experiencing low level emotional wellbeing difficulties.

Places are limited and must be pre-booked. Parents/carers only.

For more information, or to book a place, contact our Family Development Manager, Kerrie Highcock at [email protected].

This is not a Best Start Family Hubs event so we cannot answer any questions about the session. Please direct any queries to Kerrie on the e-mail above.

https://www.ne-as.org.uk/family-development/our-services/zoom-webinars/