With your Year 6 students moving onto secondary school in September, parents, carers, and guardians will currently be considering how their child is going to travel to their new school, with bus travel potentially being one of those options they are considering.

The cost of travel will be particularly important to them, especially with the cost of living increasing

With this in mind, and to ensure that parents, carers, and guardians have the correct ticket information to hand, on the most cost-effective ticket we provide, could I ask you to distribute the attached document, so that they have the information prior to the Summer break.

Parent, Carers and Guardians can contact our dedicated student mailbox studentsne@arriva.co.uk with any questions they may have.

The Department for Education have asked us to share the attached information regarding the Great British Summer Savings. Read more via this link.

Click the link below for details of Durham County Council’s Fun and Food events.

Fun and Food summer 2026

The programme is free for children receiving Free School Meals and is open to ages 5–16.

Booking link: www.geniustuition.co.uk/belmont

Dates & times are as follows:
Monday 3rd – Thursday 27th August
Monday to Thursday | 10am–2pm

Location: Belmont Community Centre, Sunderland Road, Durham DH1 2LL

Everything You Need to Know About Applying to University
Free Webinar for Students & Parents

We know that university applications can feel overwhelming for both students and parents.
Our latest free webinar on Wednesday 10th June will guide students and families through the university application process, including:

 Choosing the right fit: Support with choosing the right university and course using our University Survival Kit

 How to apply: Explore the different application processes for the UK, USA, Australia and Canada, including key dates for the diary

 Standing out: Our top tips for impressing admissions teams and maximising your chances of success

This webinar is ideal for students in Years 11 and 12 who are starting to explore their university options.

We’d love for as many of you as possible to join live, but a recording will be shared with everyone who registers.

Webinar registration via this link.

Dear Parent/Carer, 

We want to share an important update about support during school holidays. 

From 1 April 2026, the government stopped the Household Support Fund. This means that holiday food vouchers are no longer available. 

We understand that many families used these vouchers, so we want to make sure you know what help is still available. 

Support available 

• Fun and Food activities
  Eligible children can attend the council’s Fun and Food programme offering holiday sessions with fun activities, chances to make friends, and a meal or snack included. Visit www.durham.gov.uk/funandfood for more details 

• Help and advice
  For support with food costs, energy bills, benefits, and more, visit:
  👉 www.durham.gov.uk/helpwithyourmoney  

• Government cost of living support
  👉 www.gov.uk/cost-of-living 

If you need urgent help in a financial crisis 

You can apply to the Crisis and Resilience Fund: 

• Online: www.durham.gov.uk/crf 

• Phone: 03000 267 900 

This fund offers support in emergencies and helps families build long-term stability. 

Please find the latest edition of The Best of Belmont here

As part of mental health week we are sharing some tips on how to help supervise your child on social media platforms such as TikTok. Please follow the link to watch the 1 minute video. https://parentzone.org.uk/article/how-set-tiktok-family-pairing