VIDEO

Click here to apply for September 2025

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Academy Life

Discover more about King James I Academy including Ofsted inspection reports, Bus Timetables, Uniform requirements and details surrounding the School Day.

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News

All the latest news and developments from King James I Academy

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Calendar

Find out what's happening at King James I Academy with the school calendar.

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Students

Information for our students, including bus times, uniform, timetable information and Student Support.

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Vision Magazine

Click here to download the latest issue of Vision Magazine.

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Homework Timetable

This year in response to feedback from our teachers and students we will be trialling a homework timetable.

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Careers

Find out about our Careers Programme.

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Sixth Form

Learn all about our Sixth Form here at King James I Academy.

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Community

Discover what's on at our Community Centre.

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Safeguarding

Learn about our academy's safeguarding team, make a referral or read our key policies.

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Gallery

Photographs of life at King James.

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Parents

Information for parents of students attending or thinking about attending our school.

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Contact Us

Contact Details such as Address, Telephone Numbers, Email Addresses and Points of Contact within the Academy.

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Year 6 Transition

This year we can return to our full transition programme to ensure a smooth start to Year 7.

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Our Vision Statement

Welcome to King James I Academy and thank you for taking the time to visit our website where you will find out about the exciting things that are happening within the Academy.  

Throughout the 2023/24 academic year we continued to build upon our many successes and we will continue to do the same in 2024/25 as we look forward to another exciting and inspiring year filled with opportunities to learn and grow.  We are over-subscribed for the sixth year running and hope to be again in September 2025, meaning that we can provide the King James experience to as many young people as possible from the local area.  

At King James, we pride ourselves on the quality and breadth of the curriculum we offer and we employ specialist teaching staff to ensure that all of our children are safe, well cared for, supported, and academically challenged. We are keen to work in close partnership with our parents and we work hard to ensure that our students enjoy and succeed in all aspects of their education.  

We are a fully inclusive school, and recognise the increased pressures for young people in the world today; in order to support students, we employ a large number of highly skilled support staff who are available to help all of our students to prosper, develop reslience, and overcome barriers.  From our Student Support Workers who provide day to day support to students to our Learning Support team we are a caring school.  We also employ a School Counsellor, and a dedicated Attendance Officer as well as having access to external support staff who help students to be prepared and able to learn.  

Our International School Award reflects our belief in learning beyond the classroom and our Vision Magazine celebrates the variety we offer and the many achievements of our students. We were delighted to be able to re-launch international visits with trips to Malta and the Netherlands last year, and have more planned for the future, including Majorca, as well as funded trips to France and back to Malta.

King James I Community works closely in partnership with our local primary schools and the local community to provide a venue for a large range of out of hours, community-led educational and leisure activities including supporting Roots (a local performing arts group), hosting Bishop Auckland Juniors Football Club, Bishop Ladies, Bishop Auckland Reserves, and the Bishop Auckland District Football Teams, as well as working in partnership with Shildon AFC and Shildon Youth teams.

Our children take part in a range of academic, sporting, and other activities beyond the school day and there is a seamless connection between the school and community activities which take place on the Academy site.  Students benefit from an Enrichment period at the end of every day, other than Friday, that provides them with the opportunity to develop new interests and to extend their learning. 

King James offers a wealth of opportunities, which help our students to thrive and achieve excellent outcomes and which help us to provide "learning to inspire". Ultimately, we aim to develop our students into confident, responsible young people with the skills that enable them to thrive in modern society.


Should you require a copy of Vision or any further information then please access information via the website or contact the Main Reception on 01388 603388, or if you are interested in visiting King James then please do not hesitate to make personal contact with me.  
 

Best wishes.

Simon Whitehead
Headteacher

 

 

 

 

Latest News...

Neurodiversity Family Support Information drop-ins

Investing in Children are in the process of arranging pilot neurodiversity family support drop in events, funded by the County Durham Care Partnership.

Build a Better Digital World

In 2020, one in five 10-15 year olds experienced bullying online, and this problem is only likely to grow as more young people get smart devices for Christmas. These tips are designed to help parents support their children and show them how to avoid getting into difficulty online.

FBM Team visit Beamish Museum to explore

Our Future Business Magnates Team has visited Beamish Museum to explore this years competition theme, 'Reimagining the high street'.

Year 9s visit G. Bolams Food Ltd

A group of students in Year 9 have taken part in a trip to G. Bolam Foods Ltd in Sedgefield to learn about the many career options in the food industry.

Teaching Cycle Safety

Figures from Cycling UK tell us that only 2.2% of UK school children currently cycle to school despite the majority owning a bike. Encouraging young people to get into this hobby can be a great way to keep them active and cut down on their screen time, while potentially providing them with a healthy and convenient way of travelling to and from school or getting around in general.

Photography lessons for primary pupils

Pupils from Timothy Hackworth Primary School have begun a six-week long creative Photography course at King James as part of our Outreach Programme.

Planning for the future at the Careers Fair

Students in all year groups from 7-13 have attended our annual Careers Fair with representatives from a wide variety of industries, colleges and universities.

Sociology studies the impact of art and culture

A' Level Sociology students in Year 12 have been exploring The Auckland Project's art galleries from a new angle, considering the differences between the two, and the way each team has tailored the visitor experience to two different intended audiences.