Earlier in the year, we established a working partnership with The Auckland Project, which gives us access to many of the venues, attractions and parkland the project offers, and an opportunity to deliver exciting learning opportunities outside of the classroom.

To launch the partnership, all Year 7 students attended a full-day, carousel-style visit where they were able to tour a number of the attractions including The Mining Gallery, Spanish Gallery, Auckland Castle and No 42 Gallery. Those with a head for heights also had access to Auckland Tower and a birds eye view across the Market Place and town centre.

The Art and Photography Department has made excellent use of the partnership; Year 8 students visited the Mining Gallery to take part in creative workshops in mixed media, and to Auckland Castle where they enjoyed lessons in glass painting. Year 9s took part in an art workshop at the Spanish Gallery with work inspired by the stunning Salvador Dali exhibition which attracted thousands of visitors to the town.

Year 11 Photography students took some outstanding photographs for their coursework, with a focus on the dramatic architectural angles of Auckland Tower; and they also gathered some amazing aerial shots from the top. Key Stage 3 students also took part in an Alice in Wonderland themed competition with the best entries put on public display at the No42 Gallery in the Market Place.

The former Champagne Bar in the Market Place has been repurposed and renamed Mrs M’s Cafe, and our teachers can now book the space for an afternoon to inspire learners by delivering a lesson in a completely new environment. Our Academy Librarian delivered three special sessions to 50 students in Key Stage 3, all of whom had been chosen by their reading teachers to receive a reward for hard work and progress.

At each session, students read from the book, The Light in Everything by Katya Balen. This fantastic story, which is set on the coast, is about blended families and a timid young boy who uses the Japanese art of origami to cope with his anxiety. In the sessions, students wrote poetry about the sea on origami paper, and then tried origami for themselves by folding their poem into a flower design.

Students in our Modern Foreign Languages Department enjoyed a tour of the Spanish Art Gallery followed by a meal at El Castillo tapas restaurant. This gave them the opportunity to learn about Spanish history through art, and absorb a little Spanish culture on our doorstop whilst practising their Spanish speaking skills.

Our Sixth Form students have also gained valuable work experience thanks to the partnership. Hannah Stewart explored her passion for art and history by working in The Spanish Gallery as a Visitor Guide, and Year 12 student, Kiera Watson also worked as a guide inside Auckland Castle, greeting tourists and answering their questions as they made their way from room to room.