News

New Compliance Services Available – Fire Door Inspections

To help schools and academies maintain safe and compliant premises, Durham County Council (DCC) is now offering two new fire door inspection services. Initial Fire Door Inspection and Tagging This service provides a comprehensive inspection of fire doors across your site. Each door will be assessed, tagged, and its condition recorded, with advice provided on […]

New Compliance Services Available – Safety Glazing Inspections

Durham County Council has introduced two new safety glazing inspection services to help schools and academies ensure glazing installations remain safe, compliant, and fit for purpose. Initial Safety Glazing Inspection This inspection assesses the condition and suitability of glazing installed throughout your site. It includes guidance on safety glazing placement requirements and identifies areas where […]

Exciting news: New Fiction Express books launch!

Great news for schools with a full SLA with Durham Learning Resources. New Fiction Express books are now live! This is a fantastic opportunity for children to: dive into a brand-new story from the very first chapter vote on how the plot develops each week experience the thrill of co-creating a story alongside the author […]

Shotton Primary School – Supply & installation of new boilers to the annexe

Great work by the Durham County Council plumbing team, led by installer Stephen Duff, in successfully completing a gas boiler upgrade at a nursery school during term time. Despite the challenges of working in a live school environment, the team ensured there was no disruption to essential services by installing temporary immersion heaters, maintaining a […]

New digital screens launch at Bishop Auckland Bus Station

Located in the heart of Bishop Auckland town centre, our new digital screens at Bishop Auckland Bus Station are now live, offering a cost-effective and impactful way to showcase your brand. The 65-inch full HD screens deliver vibrant, eye-catching content that capture attention and communicate your message clearly. With strong town-centre visibility and high passenger […]

Durham Learning resources competition prizes which was books in a bag

Durham Learning Resources Creative Competition Winners – Hunwick Primary School

Our Durham Learning Resources team are thrilled to have received these fantastic photos of Hunwick Primary School pupils proudly collecting and enjoying their prize books from their most recent creative competition! Children were invited to design an alternative book cover or write a review of a favourite read. Two runner-up schools were also selected and […]

Transfer Point painting of men down the mine by Tom Mc Guiness

A centenary of Tom McGuinness- 30 April 2026

In celebration of the centenary of Tom McGuinness on 30 April 2026, and in line with the National Curriculum, Durham Learning Resources have curated a unique collection designed to inspire children to explore the historical and cultural significance of a celebrated local artist. A miner by trade, Tom McGuinness vividly captured the spirit and resilience […]

Powerful film calls for urgent improvement in school food standards

A powerful film featuring young food campaigners and actor Emma Thompson is calling for urgent action to improve school food in 2026. The Lunch They Deserve seeks to focus the nation on the need for better standards given 4.5 million children in the UK are growing up in poverty and for many of them a […]

Wave goodbye to water waste

Free water audits that will help your school reduce waste and high bills Wave have partnered up with SaveMoneyCutCarbon to offer schools in County Durham free water audits that will help not only save money but cut down on water waste, helping reduce the impact on our environment. Who is Wave? Wave is an award-winning […]

Children smiling on computers in the classroom

Safer Internet Day 2026

Our Digital Safety Service Level Agreement (SLA) helps schools meet all digital safety requirements with confidence. We offer support and advice across a range of topics, including online safety, Data Protection Officer (DPO) guidance, cyberbullying, safe online gaming, and social media. This year’s theme is based all around the theme ‘Smart tech, safe choices – […]

A girl doing a schools energy audit on a clipboard.

Energy Savers Week 2026

It’s Energy Savers Week from 19-25 January, an ideal time to remind everyone to try to be more efficient with their energy use, this week and hopefully every week of the year. Energy costs are a significant part of a school’s budget. At Durham County Council, we support hundreds of our schools through the Energy […]

DFE Funding Application Support Available

DCC’s Construction Consultancy Services are currently providing technical advice to three primary schools and nurseries in their DFE submissions for up to £150k grant funding each to increase their nursery place provision. The services being provided are project management, architectural design and quantity surveying cost advice. The completion of the feasibility work will strengthen the […]

Durham Learning Resources

Durham Learning Resources transcript.pdf We offer schools the loan of a wide range of quality resources to support an enriched curriculum and inspire creative teaching and learning. Bring your lessons to life with stimulating resources carefully selected to support curriculum topics from our collection of over 300,000 items. Our reading collections help to raise attainment […]

Shine a light on your brand this winter

As the nights draw in, it’s the perfect time to make your brand or event stand out with a high-impact Out-of-Home (OOH) campaign. We offer a range of strategic advertising opportunities across County Durham, from advertising shelters and Park and Ride banners to bus rears and bus station displays – all designed to capture […]

Children participating in an outdoor learning forest school class

Outdoor Learning at Hardwick and Warton Park Available

Our parks and countryside service delivers a range of outdoor learning opportunities to schools and groups from County Durham and the surrounding areas. Our experienced and dedicated staff come from a range of backgrounds, including teaching, Forest School and Early Years. School Visits Based at Wharton and Hardwick Park, our team facilitate school visits to over […]

Tree Safety in Schools: Are You Covered?

Schools have a legal duty of care to ensure that all trees within their grounds are regularly inspected and maintained. This isn’t just best practice it’s a legal requirement under the Occupiers’ Liability Acts and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Failing to meet these obligations can put pupils, staff, and visitors at […]

A man wearing a blue suit with the torch looking down a drain

Protect Your Premises with Professional Pest Control

Our Pest Control team provides cost-effective, professional, and reliable pest management solutions for businesses, schools, academies, and charities throughout County Durham. Whether you want help proofing your buildings, a fully integrated pest management contract or just a one-off treatment, our experienced team have the solution for you. Rodent control Rats and mice can cause significant […]

A gentleman building some play equipment on a sunny day

We Care and Repair: Outdoor Trail and Rope Repairs Now Available!

We’re committed to keeping your play areas safe, functional, and fun all year round. That’s why we’re excited to announce a new addition to our services: Outdoor Play Area Repairs, available at an additional charge. In addition to our Annual Playground Inspection SLA, which ensures your play areas meet all safety and maintenance standards, our […]

Tidy Ted with his litter picker and bin bag

Tidy Ted available for school assemblies

Tidy Ted is our anti-litter mascot. He visits young people in primary schools and nurseries to help explain the problems of litter to young people. Tidy Ted school assemblies The Tidy Ted school assembly helps to explain what litter is and encourages children to think about the effects of littering on the environment and how they […]

The Payroll team holding their award certificate at the CIPP awards

Celebrating Excellence: Pay Reward and Employment Services Team Highly Commended at Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) Awards 2025

The Commercial Services team are delighted to share some exciting news — our Durham County Council Pay Reward and Employment Services team has been Highly Commended in the Payroll Service Provider of the Year category at the prestigious CIPP Annual Excellence Awards! This national recognition from the CIPP is a proud moment for the team and […]

Two builders looking at construction plans

Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust good news story

Our Corporate Property and Land team is thrilled to announce that following a rigorous competitive tender process, we have been successfully re-awarded the Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust (BCCET) Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) contract. Both BCCET and ourselves are delighted to see the continuation of the strong partnership which has been forged over the past […]

A selection of halloween and horror books on a shelf

Spine-Tingling Tales to Hook Young Readers

During a teacher training session hosted by World of Stories, feedback from teachers indicated that age appropriate horror stories would be a welcome addition to classrooms due to increasing interest from children. With the Autumn term approaching and Halloween traditionally seen as the beginning of the spooky season, it is worth noting that historically, ghost […]

Supporting Social Value and DurhamWorks

Throughout the 2024/25 academic year, we have proudly supported DurhamWorks, working in partnership with Sally Johnson from the Work Related Learning Programme to help prepare young people for the world of work. As part of our ongoing social value commitment, team members have been actively involved in a range of pre-employability and careers initiatives across […]

A picture of the graphic novel books that are available to schools

Graphic Novels Boost Classroom Engagement with New Curriculum Support Boxes

Responding to feedback from teachers across the region, Durham Learning Resources (DLR) has launched a new range of graphic novel curriculum support boxes designed to captivate young readers and boost engagement in the classroom. A recent reading report published by the National Literacy Trust highlighted that boys are reading increasingly less. Upon asking about reading […]

Image of a climbing rope frame in a playground

We Care and Repair – Outdoor Trail and Rope Repairs Now Available!

We’re committed to keeping your play areas safe, functional, and fun all year round. That’s why we’re excited to let you know we are now able to provide outdoor trail and rope repairs (at an additional charge)—perfect for maintaining the quality and safety of your playground equipment. In addition to our Annual Playground Inspection Service […]

Durham Youth Council Awards 2025

Celebrating the Achievements of Young People Across County Durham The Durham Youth Council is thrilled to host the Young Person’s Awards for a fourth year—a special initiative aimed at recognising and celebrating the incredible achievements of young people, as well as the advocates who support them, across County Durham. This initiative highlights the exceptional contributions […]

Count Your Carbon Programme News

Through the ECO2 Smart Schools Programme, we are keen to encourage schools and settings to engage with the Count Your Carbon programme from Eco-Schools. This free tool adds value to Durham Energy Manager Live as it allows schools and settings to track wider (Scope 3) emissions. This supports the DFE expectation that all schools will […]

An image of the Durham Leadership centre from outside

Top-Class Training and Conference Facilities Available for Hire at the Durham Leadership Centre

Are you looking for a professional space to host your next meeting, training session, or event? Education Durham offers a range of modern, fully-equipped facilities at the Education Development Centre in Spennymoor — all available to hire. The centre features five dedicated training rooms, two meeting rooms, and a spacious conference hall, ideal for organisations, […]

Stay in the loop with everything Commercial Services

We are making it easier for schools and academies to stay informed about essential updates, service enhancements, and new offerings. By subscribing to our newsletter, schools and academies will gain early access to important announcements and tailored service updates designed to support your operational needs. From catering and cleaning services to facility management and procurement […]

Office 365 Backup Service – Now Available!

We are excited to announce the launch of our new Office 365 Backup service, designed to provide enhanced security, business continuity and compliance. While your data is stored on a highly reliable and secure platform that ensures availability and resilience, it remains susceptible to accidental deletion and cyber threats such as ransomware, phishing, and malware […]

New Schools Portal will ‘go live’ week commencing 2 October 2023!

The new Schools Portal will go live the week beginning 2 October 2023! Over the summer we have been trialling the new Schools Portal with a number of schools. This system will replace the existing Extranet. We are pleased to let you know that we are now able to make the system live for all […]

Large warehouse full of books and artefacts

Open Day at Durham Learning Resources

Durham Learning Resources Transcript.pdf We are inviting you to tour our warehouse and explore our resources for free on Thursday 12 October 2023 at Sevenhills, Spennymoor, DL16 6JB. Find out more about the Open Day. We hope to see you there!

We are finalists in the ASCP UK Safety and Compliance Awards 2023

We are delighted to share the news that we are a finalist in the ASCP UK Safety and Compliance Awards for 2023 for the Safety and Compliance Training and Development Award. A crucial part of managing safety is ensuring that all staff have the knowledge and skills to carry out their role. This award looks to […]

magnifying glass over the word "history"

Education Durham – History Conference

Education Durham are pleased to be delivering a History Conference, hosted by Glenn Carter, on 8 June 2023. Tony Bradman will deliver a keynote speech on Engaging children in history through stories. Tony is an award-winning writer and author of many books including Anglo-Saxon Boy and Viking Boy. There will be a mixture of subject […]

School kids using computers in classroom

Primary Computing Curriculum Showcase 2023 (COM719)

28 June 2023, 12.30-5.00pm Durham Leadership Centre, Spennymoor, DL16 6YP Education Durham’s second annual computing showcase brings together a variety of expertise showcasing useful technologies and pedagogy to promote best practice in the delivery of the primary computing curriculum. Featuring a variety of workshops and presentations, themes of the 2023 showcase include: delivering computing with […]

Close up image of a colourful dandelion on black background

Festival of Creativity

Do you want to help your children and young people discover creativity? Do you want to explore ways to bring creativity to life? Do you want to use creativity to promote wellbeing? A week-long event online from 4 July to 8 July 2022 exploring creativity in education through a variety of multi-media, including presentations from […]

Primary school children in classroom using tablets

What’s new for Apple in Education?

15 June 2022, 9.30am – 11.30am Durham Leadership Centre, Spennymoor, DL16 6YP A leadership briefing for primary school leaders and decision makers about what the latest developments from Apple mean for education. Presentation and hands-on workshop: Explore the impact that the latest developments in Apple technology are having on teaching and learning School story: Hear […]

Early years children reading outdoors, field trip in nature

Learning for a healthy future conference

Save the dates! 28 June 2022 – online 29 June 2022 – Beamish Hall Hotel, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 0YB A range of thought-provoking keynotes, carefully crafted workshops and easily accessible online content will be used to explore the latest research and pedagogical approaches. The conference will enable all schools, settings and institutions to embed […]

ICT Social Value

ICT Social Value video transcript.pdf We believe that social value is an integral part of our contracts and partnerships. This ensures the services we buy and deliver contribute to the long-term health and wellbeing of our local community and the people in it. Along with YPO Procurement, we committed to offering 200 hours of social […]

Understanding Islam for Primary

What does it mean to be a Muslim in Britain today? Understanding Islam – 27 or 28 June 2022 Imran Kotwal from Muslim Learner Services will deliver a day of training exploring the five pillars of Islam: Shahadah (belief in Allah and Prophet Muhammad), Salah (five daily prayers), Zakah (charity), Sawm (fasting in Ramadan) and […]

Taking head teacher wellbeing seriously

Education Durham has responded to calls from head teachers through other forums to try and support the wellbeing of school leaders at this particularly demanding time. This is a matter of national concern, and one Education Durham takes very seriously. So, after half term there will be a number of things starting: a series of […]

Primary Computing Curriculum Showcase 2022

A series of workshops promoting good practice in primary computing and a chance to see what is currently on offer locally and nationally to help in the delivery of primary computing, including training opportunities and resources. Wednesday 15 June 2022 12.30pm to 5.00pm One free place to schools who have a Primary Computing Curriculum SLA […]

Partnership Working with Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust

Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust is a large multi academy trust in the north east of England. The trust currently contains 21 schools in the South Tyneside, Durham and Sunderland area. Under Roman Catholic Diocesan growth plans, the trust will grow to contain 34 schools by July 2022, making it one of the largest multi […]

School children running in playground, smiling

Spring 2022 Training Programme now available

The Education Durham Spring term professional support and development training programme for schools is now available. To view courses and book places visit our training and events page. You will find courses covering almost all areas of the curriculum and all phases, but in particular we have focussed our offer on key ‘spotlights’ or priorities: […]

Young child's hand and green shoot plant

Early Years Foundation Stage hub – a free information source

The new hub is a free information source, designed to support early years leaders and practitioners working in all types of early years settings to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) from September 2021. The hub contains a range of resources such as presentations and useful signposting to important guidance locally and nationally, and […]

New webinar available for secondary leaders and teachers – Building Independent Learners

Education Durham is proud to be working with Carmel Bones Education this Summer term to bring you a fantastic new webinar. ‘Building independent learners’ will provide teachers with solutions to help learners increasingly to see themselves as their own teachers. Carmel Bones works nationally with schools around teaching and learning to achieve short term gains […]

Department for Education (DfE) Recommended Deal – Schools Leasing Framework

Leasing can be a minefield…. knowing which lease to use, whether it’s a good deal or simply whether to lease or not! Our DfE recommended leasing framework is a trusted, compliant solution, specially designed for schools and academies. You can find out more at the link below or contact us at commercialservices@durham.gov.uk.

Child's hand painting a rainbow on glass window

Above and Beyond

Throughout the pandemic, schools, settings, children and young people have gone ‘Above and Beyond’ with their creativity and innovation. Our Education Durham team are keen to capture some of the creative projects and innovative ways of working that have been demonstrated so well to celebrate and share these county-wide. During World Creativity and Innovation Week […]

Implementing the Early Years reforms a year early – reflections from a headteacher

Joanne Clements, headteacher at Bearpark Primary – an early adopter school ‘There’s never a good time to implement something new, or adopt a change in the way of working, and a global pandemic certainly hasn’t helped us to respond to the reforms in full. However, it has given staff time to think carefully about the […]

Primary pupils around table in library using tablets, digital learning

Quality Mark online launch for Durham schools

Never has there been a more important time to invest in the quality of teaching basic skills and in celebrating your continued and dedicated support of all pupils in your school. Join us on 20 April 2021 online, to find out how you can and why you should be involved in the new and improved […]

New webinar available for primary leaders and teachers – Apps to bring History to Life!

Education Durham is proud to be working with Glenn Carter to bring you a wealth of different apps that can be used to make the teaching of history more engaging, more visual and more exciting, in this fantastic new webinar. Glenn Carter (History Rocks) is a full time teacher and history coordinator in the North […]

Durham Toolkit: Remote learning in early years

Education Durham are pleased to release the ‘Durham Toolkit: Remote learning in early years’. The toolkit aims to provide Durham schools with: free additional guidance to support practice free useful links in an easily accessible format additional SLA contract support packages For further information please contact cpd@durham.gov.uk

Great collaboration with author Adam Bushnell to create fabulous digital resources

Durham Learning Resources (DLR) have joined forces with Adam Bushnell to create a number of videos showcasing the DLR resources and how they can be used in class to inspire creative writing as well as encourage discussion and enquiry. These videos can be used with the children to explore a range of artefacts and suggest activities […]

A sad farewell

After over 15 years working within school services as a member of the Shared Engineer team, we say goodbye to Andrew Moore who has left to take up a new role and new challenges. The speed and scope of development of technology used by schools is quite breath-taking and over his tenure Andrew has witnessed […]

Chromebooks… Yey or Ney?

Did you know that ICT School Services can provide and support your school with the buying and set up of Chromebooks? In a world where technology is now part of everyday life, it is important for pupils, and staff, to have access to relevant devices to encourage everybody to be “tech savvy” The following information […]

Are you getting the most from the shared engineer portal?

Call to all school staff – please use our Shared Engineer Portal to log all work requests for your shared engineer – no matter how big or how small. Being web based it offers many advantages. It gives engineers access to work requests before arriving for scheduled visits, provides work request tracking and feedback and […]

Move to remote teaching and learning

Microsoft Teams, gives schools, teachers and parents all the resources you need to move to a remote classroom with confidence. Teams is a digital hub that brings conversations, content, assignments, and apps together in one place, letting teachers create vibrant learning environments. Learning made easy – Students, teachers and staff can seamlessly work together, create […]

Sarah Lee “braves the shave”

I’m sure we can all relate to the horror that comes from a cancer diagnosis, whether it be a friend, family member or yourself, cancer is a terrible disease that we are all very much aware of. As a team, the Macmillan charity is very close to our hearts as some of our close friends, […]

Cloud based MIS solutions

With so many schools choosing to move their MIS solutions to the cloud during Covid-19 we are now offering support for Scholarpack and Arbour, both for which we are fully accredited. The testing times we have recently faced has highlighted the positive impact that a cloud-based MIS can have on the running of your school. […]

New requirement for your website

From January 2021, all maintained schools must show the following information on their school website. How many school employees (if any) have a gross annual salary of £100,000 or more in increments of £10,000 (displayed in a table) A link to the webpage which is dedicated to your school on the schools financial benchmarking service The […]

Pupil accounts for remote teaching and learning

ICT School Services are able to offer a free solution for remote teaching and learning using SIMSID and Microsoft Teams. SIMSID links with SIMS to create pupils accounts in Microsoft 365 for those children who are recorded on SIMS. When new pupils are added to SIMS their account is automatically generated in Microsoft 365. When […]

Changes to the ICT Portal

We have been making some changes to the ICT Self Service Portal to make it a little easier to navigate around and to help us collect what we need to process your enquiry as quickly and efficiently as possible. The ICT Portal is your window into ICT without having to call the Service Desk. Here […]

Coronavirus will not stop us!

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, our Shared Engineer team have successfully provided a continuous service to our schools. On the announcement of the first national lockdown in March, we immediately adopted new ways of working. Rather than our normal scheduled visits, we provided remote IT support – monitoring and maintaining school ICT networks alongside providing on-demand […]

Chartered Institute of Payroll Provider’s (CIPP) Annual Excellence Awards

At the Chartered Institute of Payroll Provider’s (CIPP) Annual Excellence Awards held 15 October 2020, Durham Payroll Services were shortlisted for the Payroll Provider of the Year Category. Despite not winning the award, we were delighted at being part of this prestigious event at our first attempt. To be recognised by our professional body in […]

Using Microsoft Teams for remote teaching and learning

During the school closures, a number of schools have taken up the offer of Class Teams and pupil accounts from ICT School Services. In doing so they’ve been able to stay in contact with their pupils, issue work and deliver online lessons and contact sessions using one platform. As well as the virtual meeting capabilities, […]

Digital Skills for Growth

Are you looking to strengthen your digital skills? Digital skills have been our strength during the pandemic and now more than ever, everyone needs to make sure they have the right skills and knowledge to be able to use them. Digital Skills for Growth, which is run by Teesside University, can help. They deliver short […]

Partnership with County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service Continues

Our Cleaning Section are pleased to announce that following a rigorous tender process, we have been awarded the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, Building Cleaning Contract. The contract will formally commence on 1 September 2020 and runs for an initial period of three years with options to extend by a further 6 […]

Join us on Twitter

We are very pleased and excited to tell you about our new Twitter feed. It is specifically for schools, academies and other public sector bodies. You will find updates, information and news on a whole host of topics including ICT, building maintenance, procurement, Ofsted, training, events and so much more. Follow us on Twitter.

Our new procurement catalogue is now live!

We have listened to feedback on the previous electronic catalogue and have introduced a new, user-friendly format that will benefit all users. What’s changed? Customers now have full access to a comprehensive list of contracts available to schools To make it easier to understand our contracts we have introduced a range of images to provide […]