We are very sorry to tell you that John Sinclair died on Saturday 24th July 2010 after a long illness.
John was an old Johnstonian who taught his entire career in Brandon School and Durham Johnston. For many years Head of Year at Whinney Hill John officially retired in 2002 and devoted his post-retirement career to History, Geography and girls' football. He produced county, regional and national championship teams and was recognised by the Northern Echo as a Local Hero and by the Football Association for his contribution to football. He campaigned tirelessly for the best synthetic surface to be included in our rebuilding, and won us a 3G pitch.
Anyone who ever experienced one of his discos or Christmas parties, or danced along to Love Train will remember Mr Sinclair as a fine example of the old school, dedicated to learning and fun.
We will miss him very much and never forget him. We offer our deepest sympathies to Mrs Sinclair, their children and grandchildren.
Mrs C Roberts
Welcome to Durham Johnston. We are a happy, successful and dynamic school at a very exciting time in our history.
Durham Johnston aims to be a school where every child achieves beyond expectations. We want them to leave with the qualifications to open all the doors in the world. We expect Johnstonians to take their place among the best, globally. We work for excellence and equity, and for our young people to have the benefits and advantages that can confer success and prosperity. Johnstonians are recognisable by their determination to succeed, their capacity for hard work, and their love of learning in all its forms.
Great schools give students self-knowledge, so Johnston aims to produce self-reflective, confident and articulate young people at ease in the world. We work to make our community safe and welcoming, happy and supportive. We offer education to meet each student’s needs and give opportunities for leadership and active citizenship. Johnstonians have an ethic of hard work, public service and global citizenship. We want to be central to the life of Durham City.
Our skill at Johnston is in performance and execution based on focused strategic decisions after extensive consultation. Our professional community is made up of skilled colleague experts in their own fields. We move into our third home in 2009, so our immediate central aim is smooth transition with no drop in service. We work to the Nolan Principles for Public Life in partnership with the wider local and educational community. We take our responsibility as public servants very seriously.
Above all of that, we know that most of our young people like it here and do well.
We hope that you find what you’d like to know on our website. Please contact us at any time if you’d like to know more, or if you’d like to come and see us.