Academic excellence is our first priority.  We work so that all our young people have the best education we can provide.  We want Johnstonians to be confident and articulate, self-motivated and determined to succeed.  We want them to enjoy and value learning for itself, not just as the means to an end.

Taking our responsibility as public servants very seriously, we seek to offer the benefits and advantages that confer success and prosperity by imparting knowledge and habits of mind to last a lifetime.   We do not close doors to any child, but enable them all to have access to powerful knowledge and deep subject learning and useful skills. We educate our young people with excellence and equity so that they may feel at ease in the world, ready for hard work and global citizenship. 

A commitment to social justice characterises this comprehensive school.  We work so that background is irrelevant to achievement and that aspiration is not limited by circumstance of birth. We want Johnstonians to be reflective, inquiring, tolerant, positive and respectful of the needs of others.  We give opportunities for leadership and active citizenship.

We expect Johnstonians to have the highest standards of behaviour and we aim for our school to be a just and happy community so that our students understand how each person may be of service to society.  Adults and young people alike share an ethic of hard work and public service. We want to be central to the life of Durham City and an educational force in the life of the communities we serve.

The global future we seek for our young people is one where their curriculum and learning equips them with the knowledge and skills to compete globally.  We want Johnstonians to take their place among the best. 

We are committed to a curriculum built on the concepts and knowledge which will open all the doors in the world to our young people. The learning of languages enables global community cohesion, international understanding and equality of opportunity: it is central to our purpose.

Durham Johnston is proud to be a local authority community school.

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.