A group of 12 students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have been working on an exciting community project designed to raise awareness of climate change through the production of innovative pavement art installations.

The King James I Academy Panathlon Team has returned victorious from the recent "Durham County Panathlon' event at Freeman's Quay Leisure Centre in Durham.

A group of 45 students were recently given the unique opportunity to take part in a training session at St George's Park, the home of the England Football Team. Students were nominated for a place as a reward for their hard work and dedication to the Academy.

As part of our committment to nurturing ambitions and preparing our students for a successful career, a group of seven students in Year 10 have been attending Bishop Auckland College to build skills in both construction and mechanics.

Year 9 Music students have enjoyed a day trip to The Hub in Barnard Castle to take part in a music masterclass.

Once again, as part of our longstanding working partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), we have hosted the annual Primary Shakespeare Festival. The event saw hundreds of local primary school pupils perform "The Tempest' alongside our Year 8 English Literature students.

Nine of our Year 7 students are about to have their creative writing work published in a book entitled "Welcome to Wonderland, Another World', following their success in the national "Young Writers Competition'.

In terms of fundraising, our students, parents and staff have always shown great enthusiasm for supporting a wide variety of charities. However this year our Red Nose Day activities far exceeded expectations by raising over £1,700!

We are proud to be celebrating the success of one of our talented athletes, Year 10 student, Leon D, who recently represented King James I Academy at the National Schools Trampoline Finals. Leon achieved joint 5th place in the prestigious competition, which was held at Gateshead Leisure Centre.

Students in our Year 7 Nurture Group have raised £120 thanks to a creative fundraising project, which saw them decorate and plant up a total of 60 made-to-order terracotta pots for Mother's Day!