We are very sad to announce that Lez Rawe passed away in the early hours of this morning, following a short illness and following the loss of his wife, Betty, a few months earlier. Lez will be sadly missed by the students, staff and governors at King James I Academy.

Best Performing State Sixth Form in the North East!

Inside: Sixth form Life, New Nurture Centre, STEM initiatives, Outward Bound, Year 6 Transition, Football Tour of Holland, Maths Department News, Aim Higher Trips plus much more.

In September, over 180 new Year 7s will join us at King James. To make sure they settle in quickly, our Transition Programme starts early, with a wide variety of events that began for many whilst they were in Year 5.

In July, six of our Year 11 students will be celebrating the end of their exams, and marking the beginning of their Sixth Form studies with a three-week-long trip to America. This is the 8th USA experience to take students to Iowa and Chicago.

A group of Year 9 students have been working hard with English Teacher, Mrs Read to create a literacy-themed garden area at the rear of our school to celebrate our favourite books and to inspire reading for pleasure.

We are constantly looking at ways to improve communication with our students, parents and our community. Technology allows us to keep moving forward by developing new methods, such as our newly-launched Art and Photography Instagram, and our brand new "Parent App', which is coming in September.

A group of 32 students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have recently returned from a football-inspired trip to Holland. Organised by our PE Department, the trip was designed to inspire a passion for sport, health and fitness, whilst giving students the opportunity to experience Dutch culture.

Last month, as part of their GCSE Religious Studies course,15 Year 10 students enjoyed a visit to Teesside Crown Court to learn about the British judicial system.

Three years ago we launched our "Nurture Programme' to provide targeted, small-group learning for students who needed to boost their achievement and confidence levels.

This term we have launched an exciting new extra-curricular club for Year 8 students. 'Warhammer' is a tabletop strategy game which has fascinated devoted fans of all ages for over 30 years.