Santa Dash – Friday, 12th December, 2025
On Friday 12th December, 2025 all the pupils at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School will take part in a festive Santa Dash. Joining pupils from surrounding first schools, pupils will be encouraged to do a lap of the entire school field to promote winter fitness. We ask children to come in their PE kit. Children are invited to also wear a Christmas Jumper as well as festive headwear. Please note that the jumper and/or headwear is not statutory – there is no need to make a particular purchase for this occasion.
Dr Thomlinson Christmas Church Service – Tuesday 16th December, 2025
Parents/Carers are invited to join us for our Christmas Church Service at All Saints Church, Rothbury. This will begin at 1:45pm. Children will be dismissed from school at the end of the day at 3:30pm. If parents/carers are attending the service and wish to take their children home at the end of the service then please click HERE to complete the google form before the cut off point of 9am on Tuesday 16 December. These children will be dismissed by Mr Pickup and Mr Murtagh at the end of the service.
Dr Thomlinson Christmas Dinner Day – Wednesday 17th December, 2025
Children will take part in our Christmas Dinner Day with the school serving a Christmas lunch to those pupils who have pre-ordered the meal (please see letter to parents/carers 17th November, 2025). Please note that children who are not taking part are asked to bring a packed lunch. On Christmas Dinner Day all children are allowed to come to school in a Christmas jumper. We ask children who do so make a suggested voluntary contribution of £1 – the money raised going to the Cash for Kids charity. This will be a second opportunity for children to wear a Christmas jumper -the first being 12th December, 2025 – and this is a result of a request by pupil voice.
Dr Thomlinson’s Got Talent – Thursday, 18th December 6:30pm start.
We have over twenty different acts step forward to take part in Dr Thomlinson’s Got Talent following our audition on Thursday December 4th. Our annual Dr Thomlinson Got Talent Final is being held on 18th December at the school and starting at 6:30pm. Parents/Carers and extended family are very welcome and we are looking forward to a great evening. Refreshments will be served. Please note that those children taking part in the competition are asked to arrive at 6pm and go into the dining hall upon arrival.
Christmas term finishes on Friday, December 19th at 3:30pm. Our school reopens on Tuesday, 6th January, 2026.
House Service commemorating the Venerable Bede and St Hilda
Dear Parent / Carer,
Please be aware that tomorrow (Friday 28 November) members of Bede & Hilda House are commemorating the lives of their saints with a church service at All Saints Church, Rothbury. The service will last for thirty minutes. Children will be escorted to and from school by school staff.
The service has been written by our House Captains. They have asked children in Bede/Hilda house to come in either green or purple – colours synonymous with the two Northumberland Saints.
Thank you,
Mr Murtagh – Headteacher
Our House Captains represented the school on Sunday 9 November at Rothbury’s Remembrance Day Service and laid a wreath on behalf of the school at the War Memorial.
On Tuesday 11 November the whole school took part in a Remembrance Day assembly and then held a 2 minute silence.
Our Art Ambassadors, along with Mrs Healy, created the display below.
Students at Dr Thomlinson C of E Middle School have been busy crafting a woodland of their own, through an inspiring community art and environmental project involving hundreds of handmade felt mushrooms.
This creative initiative is part of a wider effort to support the Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s campaign to purchase and restore the Rothbury Estate, including the Simonside Hills area, all near Dr Thomlinson’s site.
Connecting Creativity, Learning and Nature
As part of their Forest School lessons, every student in the school has made two mushrooms each, resulting in a spectacular collection of around 400 felt creations. Led by Jane Austin-Walker, Teaching Assistant and Forest School Leader, the project used a mix of felt and locally sourced wool, encouraging children to explore both craft and sustainability.
During half term, on Tuesday 28th October, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, the felt mushrooms will form a stunning woodland scene on stage at the Jubilee Hall in Rothbury. The event will bring together the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, community groups, and local residents to celebrate the landscape and raise further awareness for this important cause.
The Northumberland Wildlife Trust project to restore the Rothbury area is a £30 million project that has already raised £10 million. The aim is to protect and rewild the area, encouraging biodiversity and replacing non-native pines with native species to create a more resilient, wildlife-friendly environment.
Back at school, a mini display in the entrance hall showcases some of the mushrooms sprouting from logs, creating a delightful Harvest Festival feature. The students received an assembly showing the importance of involving the community and the ecological benefits of the project. In addition, students are shown photographs taken of their work, installed amongst nature at Simonside, providing a powerful symbol of teamwork and creativity.
Jane Austin-Walker, Teaching Assistant and Forest School Leader, said:
“The pupils loved it, they had a great time making their mushrooms. It was a creative thing to do and a collaborative project. What I particularly like is that everyone is working together and all doing our little bit, making something amazing together that we wouldn’t be able to do individually.”
Learning for a Sustainable Future
Through this project, pupils have been learning not just about art, but about ecology, sustainability, and community responsibility. They’ve explored how local actions, from reducing sheep numbers to protect plant diversity, to reintroducing native trees after storms, contribute to a healthier landscape.
This ethos of hands-on learning and environmental mindfulness reflects the Cheviot Learning Trust’s commitment to nurturing curiosity, creativity, and a sense of stewardship among its pupils.
After the Jubilee Hall exhibition, children will be able to take their mushrooms home as a memento, a reminder that small actions, when combined, can create something extraordinary.
It’s great to see students learning about the impact and importance of celebrating what makes the Rothbury community special.
Dear Parents/Carers,
Please be aware of the ways we support children and parents with issues related to the use of social media. As laid out in our behaviour policy we:
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Explicitly teach ways of staying safe using technology in the 21st Century in PHSCE and the wider curriculum;
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Ensure school staff are required to undertake regularly updated safeguarding and child protection training, which includes understanding, preventing and responding to cyberbullying;
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Arrange regular visits to school by external partners such as external safeguarding partner – Clennell Education;
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Plan opportunities when the school can raise awareness through activities such as Safer Internet Day;
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Ask all Parents / Carers to closely monitor their child’s internet activity and information communications technology (e.g. mobile phones, emails etc.) ;
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Provide opportunities for training for Parents & Carers on e-safety
If parents wish for any further information or support in this area, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Take care,
Liam Murtagh – Headteacher
Dear Yr 8 Parents/Carers,
Please find enclosed a letter from King Edward VI High School detailing a set of resources to help you with the admissions process to their school.
Please also find attached to letters we have already sent separately to you. The first is a letter explaining the admissions portal which closes on October 31st, 2025 and the second a letter explaining schools in the region that offer provision at “atypical points of entry.”
Take care,
Liam Murtagh – Headteacher
We are delighted to bring the BAE, RAF & Royal Navy Schools Roadshow event on Monday, 15th September. Our Year 7 & Year 8 children will be taking part in a at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School. This theatre-in-education programme is designed to inspire students about STEM subjects and careers.
It should prove to be an exciting afternoon.
Student Photographs
A photographer from Tempest Photography will be in school on Thursday 18 September to take individual photographs of the students in all year groups.
Sibling photographs for pupils in school will take place at breaktime and photos with younger siblings can be taken between 8.20 am and 8.50 am.
Details of packages available to purchase will follow in due course. Please note, there is no obligation to purchase.
If you would prefer your child NOT to have their photograph taken please notify the school office by emailing [email protected] no later than Tuesday 16 September.
All pupils should attend school in full uniform.
