King James I Academy magazine

Issu

e 15

: Jan

uary

201

4

Bringing generations together

Plus: Get Involved Community Leisure Card, Prize evening, Lessons at University and much more.

On our cover: Year 11 Health & Social Care students, Jodie Kitching and Chloe Whitaker with Mrs J Crosby.

Health & Social Care brings generations together

Welcome2014 will be a landmark year for King James and we are already looking forward to the rewards we have all worked hard to achieve.

At December’s Prize Evening we were joined by Rowena Hackwood, the Chief Executive of Auckland Castle Trust, who spoke with conviction about a bright future for Bishop Auckland. I agree with her and, as I suggested at the same event, I think that we all have a part to play in sharing her passion and belief. For me a heart-felt belief in the good things to come is as important as our hard work in helping us to realise our ambitions, and a positive message for the New Year. Believe and it will happen!

Following the sad loss at the end of 2013 of Nelson Mandela, a great world leader, it is also worth considering his view on education: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Again we share this belief and at King James we know our children’s education provides them with an excellent preparation for the opportunities and challenges which the world has to offer.

Our students are an inspiration, as this edition of Vision once again proves. At the start of 2014 I would like to wish them a happy and prosperous New Year and to pass on my best wishes to all of those who will spend time supporting and helping them, including our parents, our teachers and our support staff, through the coming year.

Happy New Year to one and all.

Nick GrievesonHeadteacher

Students in Health and Social Care recently organised a special event

for over 60 senior members of our local community. The event was planned and hosted by students in Years 11 and 12 and supported by a number of organisations including Health Watch, NHS Health Trainer, Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP), Age UK, and Dorothy Macdonald Catering.

Our guests, many of whom were residents of local care homes, joined us for afternoon tea, musical entertainment from our school choir and the Durham Constabulary Brass Band, and a range of activities including card making, bauble painting, cake decorating and knitting. Pamper sessions were available at a nail bar and massage station, provided free of charge by Essential Kneads Therapy Durham, and guests also enjoyed games, a tombola and a raffle.

Miss Buchanan, who organised the event with students explains the purpose, “As part of their BTEC studies students have been exploring the importance of creative and therapeutic activities in Health and Social Care settings. Students are required to organise a range of activities for a client group and, following discussions in class, they decided that they would like to give back to our local community and organise an event for senior citizens. They wanted the older generation to know that they are respected and valued.”

Some of the care home residents who attended the party used to be King James pupils so the event was an excellent opportunity for them to reflect on the fond memories they have. It was also interesting for our students to hear and compare stories about school life.

Our senior citizens have so much to offer our young people in terms of life experience and local knowledge. We hope that everyone enjoyed the afternoon and that this is the first of many intergenerational events at King James. Funds raised on the day will be donated to Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice.

Get InvolvedKING JAMES I ACADEMY

The King James Community Get Involved campaign offers our students and the wider community the opportunity to participate in a broad range of

activities, all available at King James. Our community facility has something for all ages and we have now introduced the free ‘Get Involved’ card to help everyone get 2014 off to a flying start!

We offer a host of free lunchtime and after school clubs for our students until 4.30pm each night but we know that many would also like to take part in evening and weekend activities. We are very much at the heart of our community and believe that affordable fitness should be available for everyone too, so register for your Get Involved card and you will be able to enjoy special rates on a variety of activities each month, beginning with discounts on adult exercise classes and cheerleading sessions throughout January. Whether you want to get fit, tone up or simply enjoy some leisure time with friends, this is a great opportunity to make sport and leisure even more affordable for the whole family. Call in to King James today to register and collect your card and you can start using it straight away.

NEW!

The team get ready to welcome guests.

Photography by Leah Dixon.

Year 12 student Alisha Howard and Year 11’s, Caitlin Watson, Chloe Whitaker, Ella Smith and Bethan Smith meet guide dog Sula and her owner.

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In the last issue of Vision we introduced our new initiative to boost STEM subjects (Science, Technolgy, Engineering and Maths) and told you about a

number of STEM-related activities planned for our students. The initiative was officially launched last term with an exciting after-school Forensic Science club called CSI Springfield.

Forensic investigators

Year 10 Textiles students have been working on a competition brief in conjunction with Topshop, Bishop

Auckland. The fashion design brief, which will help them prepare for their GCSE coursework was set by the Manageress of the Newgate Street branch, who later selected the winning design.

“Working with practitioners is an excellent learning opportunity for students,” explains Miss Smith, Teacher of Textiles. “The girls have gained so much from the experience, especially as Topshop is their fashion store of choice! The project even included a visit to the shop to look at current trends and gain an understanding of Topshop customers. Everyone has been brilliant throughout the project and we are so grateful to Topshop for their support.”

The winner of the competition was Holly Hare, pictured inset with Topshop Manageress, Sue. She received a £30 Topshop voucher and a goody bag.

Rock band playsat King James forAnti-Bullying WeekReport by Craig Richardson, Year 12

Local band The Silence has recently performed at King James in support of Anti-Bullying week.

The performance, which was organised by Assistant Headteacher, Mrs Jennings, was primarily aimed at Key Stage 3 students as a way of raising awareness of how bullying can take many forms.

The event began with the band performing some of their most popular songs, much to the students’ enjoyment, before taking a break to talk about the pressing issue of bullying. Lead singer, Livvy Griffiths spoke candidly to students about her personal experiences with bullying and cyber bullying, and how she dealt with these problems. She also raised awareness of the various anti-bullying organisations that are available to young people if they find themselves faced with bullying.

The group ended the performance on a high with the audience up and dancing, and the already great atmosphere lifted to new heights. Ending to rapturous applause, the band stayed behind after the show to sign autographs and take pictures with students.The performance was just one of a number of special activities which took place over the course of the week; others included Peer Mentoring training sessions, class debates and e-safety workshops.

“We have a very low rate of bullying incidents at King James,” said Mrs Jennings, “and I am sure that our commitment to raising awareness and our open-door policy are the reason for this. An event like this brings our students together and unites all year groups; this has a positive effect upon the friendly atmosphere around school that we are so proud of. It’s a sad fact that many young children in the UK will be affected by bullying at some point in their lives and this was a great way to get the message across to our students that help is there if they ever need it.”

Photographs by Macauley Aldsworth, Year 12

We would like to congratulate student,

Thomas Watson for receiving the Durham County Council 100% Attendance Award.

Thomas received his award at a prestigious ceremony held at Durham County Cricket Club. In a letter to the Academy, DCC’s Corporate Director of Children and Adults Services described the award winners as ‘examples both to their peers and successors’ and congratulated us on our committment to improving attendance. Well done Thomas and thank you.

Top Textiles!

100% attendance

Aim Higher diary dates

31JAN

6FEB

Our Aim Higher programme, which is organised by Mr Shearer, our Head

of Sixth Form, raises aspirations by giving students the opportunity to visit various universities around the UK.

The 2014 programme begins on January 31st with a visit to the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London for Year 12 Drama and Performing Arts students, followed by a trip to Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh University for Years 10 and 11.

The sessions, which were run by Miss Newton, introduced Year 7 students to the fascinating subject of forensics as they took on the challenge of investigating the death of cartoon character, Homer Simpson.

Each week students worked as a team to conduct experiments and decipher clues in a bid to answer the question, ‘Who killed Homer?’ As the CSI Springfield Group, they learned about a variety of investigation techniques including how analysing

blood spatter patterns helps scientists to establish the type of murder weapon that has been used. As the weeks progressed, they gathered a variety of evidence including DNA molecules and analysed the patterns to work out who the killer was.

The programme culminated in a final presentation of evidence in a court room drama. So who killed Homer? That information is confidential so you will have to ask the CSI team!

Forensics is a popular subject among students in all year groups and this type of scenario-based learning activity is always well received.

STEMBridge BuildingChallenge

Students in Years 7 and 8 have been challenged to design and build a

bridge during tutor time using only four sheets of paper and 1 metre of sellotape.

The idea behind this was to encourage students to work together to find engineering solutions to produce a strong bridge spanning a 40cm gap.

The winners were Kai Watson and Niall Johnston from Mr Athey’s Tutor group, closely followed by Chloe Pattison and Victoria Hogg, and Josh Robinson and Alicia Langley, two teams from Mrs Humble’s tutor group.

Winners will be invited to take part in a challenge at Tallent Gestamp in Newton Aycliffe where they will have the chance to programme the robots used by the company on their production lines

A Level Law students in court!Report byEmma Wild

“We travelled by train and arrived in London around 10.30am. This gave us time to do some sightseeing and grab lunch before heading to the Supreme Court for a guided tour.”

“Once there, and after a thorough check by security, we headed into Court 1 to talk about law and the law making process. We sat in the seats normally occupied by lawyers and got a feel of how it would be if we ever entered this incredible profession.”

“After looking around in Court 1 we moved into Court 2 where an open case was being delivered; here, we were able to see a real court in action. We witnessed the fascinating case of an asylum seeker, which had every member of the group engrossed. Admittedly, we didn’t fully understand a lot of what was occurring but hopefully, by Year 13 it will make more sense!”

“In Court 3, we were able to look around, ask questions and discuss what we had just

seen, as well as having the chance to take photos before moving on to the Houses of Parliament. Here, we met with our tour guide and headed for the House of Lords to hear speeches being made. Watching the proceedings was amazing but we all commented that it didn’t seem real. After this brief but extremely interesting view of the House of Lords we headed off to the House of Commons where we watched a debate on how we should approach Remembrance Day.”

“After this, we discussed all of the events and debates that we had witnessed in the Houses of Parliament that day and took part in a group task, in which we created our very own Act of Parliament. This helped us to remember the law making process, which will be very useful at exam time.”

“At the end of the session we were fortunate enough to meet our local MP, Helen Goodman which was a great experience and an excellent way to end the day.”

In September, following a number of requests from our students, we

launched A Level Law as a subject option for our Sixth Form. The course, which is led by Miss Grieveson, is proving to be extremely popular and students are embracing the challenge of this fascinating subject.

Last term, Miss Grieveson arranged for our Year 12’s to travel to London for an educational visit to the Houses of Parliament and The Supreme Court, which plays an important role in the development of United Kingdom law and is the highest court in the land.

The visit was arranged for two main reasons; firstly, it gave students the opportunity to witness the law making process in the UK and secondly, it offered an insight into what it would be like to take up Law as a profession. Here, two members of our Year 12 Law class report on the trip.

Report byChelsea Walker

“The trip was both educational and fun. I was pleased that we arrived early as it meant we could take a detour to Buckingham Palace for a picture opportunity; it was beautiful.”

“I really enjoyed witnessing The Supreme Court in session and seeing the court room where decisions are made by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The discussions throughout the day on what we had seen were really thought provoking and gave us the opportunity to comment on what we thought of it.”

“At the Houses of Parliament, the two debates were very interesting and the Parliamentary Law making workshop was really useful; it was so much fun it didn’t feel like learning at all. I particularly enjoyed meeting Helen Goodman MP. She was very nice and genuinely interested in our views and concerns, particularly when we spoke about how, as young adults, we feel that our views are rarely heard.”

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Challenge twofor FBM

Lessons at University

Our Future Business Magnates (FBM) team, working with Business Studies

Teacher, Mrs Lobb has recently completed Challenge Two of this year’s competition. The challenge was carried out in school this time with representatives from Durham County Council and Trevor Forsyth from Inspection Engineering Services, Newton Aycliffe who is the team’s business mentor.

The opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment and to enjoy learning in a university environment is an inspiring experience. For this reason, university

learning sessions increasingly feature in our academic planning, especially for Year 12’s.Taster sessions offer higher level challenges for students, which helps to build confidence in ability, and any reservations that students may have about applying for university are usually replaced with excitement at the prospect.

Maths revision at Durham

A Level Maths students in Years 12 and 13 recently visited Durham University with Mrs

Glen, our Director of Learning for Maths, for a revision session hosted by degree students.

Students worked on improving their exam technique and took advice from degree students about university life and the application process. Year 12 A Level Maths student, Daniel Burton said, “The trip was really useful; we revised topics such as Quadratics, Graphs and Powers, which are all relevant to our current module, and it was great to see the seminar facilities. The campus is really impressive.”

Mathematical music at Teesside

Year 10 students attended an innovative and challenging Maths and Music lecture at Teesside University last term.

The lecture attempted to answer the following questions: Why do some notes sound good together in tunes and others not? What patterns are there in music? What is your brain doing when you listen to music? Students attempted to drum out different patterns for given ratios, learned about the importance of ratios and used them to calculate the frequencies of notes in the C major scale. The lecture concluded with students learning about the application of Mathematics to a variety of areas such as sport, climate science, video games and films, medicine, and internet security.

Biology under the microscope

Year 12 A Level Biology students attended a fascinating taster session at Durham University Science Campus with Miss Nixon last term.

During the session on Microscopy, students visited the state-of-the-art laboratories before being introduced to two truly awe-inspiring microscopes worth a staggering £400,000 and £1 million! With the ability to view samples at 600,000 x zoom, students were able to study samples taken from the head of a fly.

Creative Photography

A Level Photography students have recently enjoyed a tour and workshop at Sunderland University with Mrs Mulryan and Mrs

Ashman.

Students created ‘photograms’, (pictures produced with light-sensitive paper but without a camera) and looked around the extensive darkroom and studio facilities, which are fully equipped with professional quality cameras and lighting. They also returned inspired by the many examples of degree work that they had viewed throughout the day.

We are again celebrating the outstanding achievements of our

Mathematics students at the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Challenge - this time in the Senior category, which is particularly challenging.

Students in Years 12 and 13 answered a number of high level questions which were extremely difficult and four went on to receive certificates. Joshua McKenna-Dent achieved Best in School, Best in Year 12 and the Bronze Certificate; Andrew Langley achieved Best in Year 13 and both Paige Marshall and Lauren Angus received the Bronze Certificate. If you are wondering how difficult the questions are, try this example: The numbers x and y satisfy the equations x (y+2) = 100 and y (x + 2) = 60. What is the value of x - y?

Maths Challenge success

Winning Sixth Form Maths students from left: Joshua, Lauren, Paige and Andrew.

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Artists inspired in London

A talent for BadmintonIn September, we launched the King James Badminton Club for students in all year groups.

Run by Ms Stewart, one of our Student Support Workers, not only has the club proved hugely popular, but it has also revealed some previously undiscovered sporting talent.

Following a one-day Badminton Tournament, which took place during our Summer of Sport initiative, a number of requests were received from students for an after-school club. Ms Stewart, who is a keen player herself volunteered to launch our first Badminton Club.

“Initially, the club took place on one evening each week,” Ms Stewart explains, “but now, due to popular demand and the number of students taking part, it is open on two evenings and two lunchtimes too. Around 50 students attend on a regular basis and numbers continue to grow.

I am delighted that they are enjoying it so much.”

Despite the fact that many participants had little experience of the sport, Ms Stewart quickly spotted some natural talent and, because of this, decided to organise our first in-house Badminton Tournament to build confidence and give students experience of a competition environment. The atmosphere and sportsmanship at the event was fantastic and our winners are pictured above. They received a badminton racket and Tesco voucher for their achievement. Well done to all who took part.

District Badminton SuccessFollowing on from this, two of our boy’s teams went on to compete in the District Badminton Tournament.

Our Year 8 team, consisting of Niall Johnston, Brendan Hoar, Tyler Wills and Steven Dawson played brilliantly at Bishop Barrington School against teams from Parkside, Sedgefield, Greenfield, St. John’s, Sunnydale and Wolsingham.

The boys came top of their group, however as only one team from our district can move forward into the County Finals, they were forced into a play-

off where they were narrowly beaten by Wolsingham.

Likewise, our Year 11 team consisting of Jacob Ham, Callum Hodgson, Ryan Hunter and Daniel Priestly suffered the same bad luck when, despite coming top of their group at the Under 16’s Tournament held at Greenfield School, they too were beaten in a forced play-off against Wolsingham.

With such little experience, our players are very much to be congratulated. We are extremely proud of their achievement and look forward to celebrating their future successes.

Boccia Team off to a flying start

Want to join the Badminton Club?Everyone is welcome, taking part is FREE and all equipment is provided. See Ms Stewart in Student Support for more information.

Our Boccia Team are celebrating winning the first game of the Boccia season following a tough game against Villa Real in

Consett.

The King James team took an early lead and went on to claim victory despite a valiant effort from the opposing side. Everyone played extremely well but our very own Joseph Willey had extra cause for celebration when he was named ‘Man of the Match’. Mrs Barlow, our Boccia Co-ordinator said, “Getting points on the board so early in the season is a great boost for our players, especially against such a good side. Hopefully we can keep up this high level of performance and ensure that the trophy stays at King James.”

Creative Homework

Every half term, Year 7 students complete a creative homework task, which allows them a longer period of time to make,

design and explore their current theme-based scheme of work within Art.

“Last term, students looked at colour theory and under water creatures,” said Miss Welch, our Director of Learning for Art, “and in the process, they have produced some exciting and inspiring homework.” Pictured above with their artwork are, Faye Hindmarch, Phoebe Mason, Alexander Philpott, Chloe Jeffereson, Chelsea Lamb and Samantha Stevens.

Winners of the first King James Badminton Tournament.

Ms Stewart

Sixth Form Art and Photography students have enjoyed a day trip to London with Miss Welch and Mrs Ashman to gain

inspiration for their sketchbooks and their final piece designs.

The group had a fantastic day exploring the city and visiting the Tate Modern and Saatchi Galleries and even had time to visit Covent Garden to see and photograph the street performers. For many of our students this was their first visit to London and they very much enjoyed the opportunity to see and photograph so much. A return visit will be taking place very soon to help students prepare for their exams in February.

Artists of the Half TermCongratulations to the following students who have been recognised for their outstanding achievement in Art last Half Term: Samantha Stevens, Keegan Lund, Evie Welstood, Kieron Weston, Courtney Jefferson, Talitha Cumi Prinsloo and Shaun Hawley.

Asda helps students with smoothie creations!

On the last day of term, students took part in a fun enterprise competition organised by Mrs Dent in conjunction with

Asda, Bishop Auckland.

In teams, students were challenged to devise a a healthy fruit drink, and design packaging and a marketing campaign for their product, before pitching their concept to a panel of judges, which included representatives from Asda. All juices and ingredients to make samples were provided by the store. “The event was a huge success.” said Mrs Dent, “and particularly valuable at Christmas when young people can often find themselves surrounded by alcohol at parties. We hope the event proved that non-alcoholic cocktails are the best choice.” Our sincere thanks go to Asda for their support.

Nine of our teachers have raised almost £700 by growing moustaches as part of

the Movember campaign.

The fundraising volunteers, pictured above on staff training day, were encouraged to take part by PE teacher, Mr Bushby. He said: “Statistically, young men are far less likely than young women, to visit the doctor if they have any health worries; Movember is working hard to change that. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to raise awareness of men’s health at King James.”

Growing a ‘Mo’

End of an Era

At the end of last term we bid a sad farewell to Pam Norman, former

Manager of the You Can Centre, pictured here (centre) with her colleagues. Pam has been a much respected and loved figure who, over the course of her career has changed many lives. She will be greatly missed by both students and staff at King James and all of the surrounding schools with which she worked so closely. We wish her the very best of luck.

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A very busy Academy CouncilOur Academy Council have been extremely

busy organising fundraising events for avariety of worthy causes. From supportingWear It Pink Day for the national Breast CancerCampaign to organising activities for Childrenin Need, our students regularly demonstratetheir caring attitude.

December saw the team collecting items for Operation Christmas Child and the Durham Foodbank (pictured below) with 22 shoeboxes sent to needy children in other countries and four large boxes of food, including chocolates and selection boxes taken to our local foodbank to benefit local families. On the last day of term, a fundraising Non-Uniform Day, raised money which will be sent to the Philippines Disaster Fund.This means that last term alone, our Academy Council raised in excess of £700 with the support of students and staff!

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Prize Evening

Year 7 ‘New Stars’ Awards Samantha Stevens Logan LaddAnne Barkas Ben MortonAlexander Philpott Mia HallJordan Catterson Molly BrannanBobbi Hodgson Callum CloghFaye Hindmarch

Year 7 prizes for attainment and effortEuan Elliot Alice HindmarchHannah Bell Timothy DaviesMeagan Wood Steven DawsonTaylor Willis Shamra ProudJack Booth Josh Robinson

Year 8 prizes for attainment and effortBethany Davies Reece PriestleyAbbie Stephenson Linton HollingsCharlie Anne Davies Aidan NorthgreavesTessa Hope Connor LaskeyJessica Bell Alex Hayton

Year 9 prizes for attainment and effortEmelia Elliot Chloe StampSophie Bland Lauren ColledgeEmma Box Leon MetcalfeThomas Mclean Isha ShakirLeona Jones Zoe Bennett

Year 10 prizes for attainment and effortBailey Hymas Marcella TaylorAimee-Louise Hillary Conner RichardsonAarron Swainston Jessica TaylorMeghan Heslop Jasmin BarkasGemma Sanderson Calumn Hodgson

Sport AwardsCasey Stone Steven DawsonJessica Bell William DunnAlly Lonsdale Carl RobinsonDaniel Hawkes Isabelle Hewitt

Awards for BTEC AchievementBusiness studies: Jacob LambICT: Adam BougheyMedia: Macauley AldsworthHealth & Social Care: Josh McKenna DentMusic: Beth Hodgson

Special AwardsBest in Year 7: Euan ElliotBest in Year 8: Emily HopeExceptional artist: Isabelle HewittFBM Team: Evie Wellstood, Bethany Davies, Georgia Scorer Bell, Georgia Brannan, Tessa Hope, Meghan Griffiths, Charlie Ann Davies and Ellie Tighe.Outstanding performance on Sports Day: Laura BainbridgeFor excellent work in our library:Curtis Murray and Charlotte Bennett.Jamaica Award: Liam Gill and Tyler ThompsonUSA Award: Jodie Box, Kara Munro, Sophie Willis, Amy Connell, George Benson and Jack Lowes

King James 1 Prize: Paige MarshallDoug Reed Memorial Trophy: Ben MurphyBob Raymond Trophy: Daniel WinterburnRobert Niven Prize: Natasha CooperAndrew Morrison Prize: Megan BakerSidney Biggs Memorial Prize: Faye JohnsMike Simpson Prize: Laura Newton Mike Howard Prize: Daniel Hawkes and Daniel and Shane WinterburnLaurel Award: Robyn Simpson The Specialist Arts College Award:Clyde BellThe Gordon Cup: Jack Scott and Kate Dixon

Sixth Form Subject AwardsApplied Science: Jamie MaughanArt: Megan BakerBiology: Victoria LeeBusiness Studies: Kara MunroChildcare: Emma McGuinessCreative Writing: Anthony Young Drama: Tyler ThompsonEnglish: Jane CarrickFrench: Faye JohnsGeography: Megan BakerHistory: Dalglish DixonICT: Andrew LangleyLaw: Chelsea WalkerMathematics : Daniel BurtonFurther Mathematics: Paige MarshallMGFA: Kieron FishPerforming Arts: Kara MunroPhysics: Paige Marshall Psychology: Chloe FoddenReligious Studies: Zak HutchinsonSociology: Kristen ClarkBTEC Business: Charlotte LowesBTEC HSC: Shelby LundBTEC Media: Charlotte StephensonBTEC Travel: Ben Connell BTEC Music: Daniel ScottBTEC Hospitality: Samantha StockillBTEC Textiles: Katie Graham

Each year our Academy Prize Evening celebrates the achievements of our most talented and dedicated students. Awards were presented this year by special guest,

Rowena Hackwood, Chief Executive of The Auckland Castle Trust with an opening address by Mrs Elizabeth Varley, our Chair of Governors.

We would like to congratulate all of our prize

winners and thank them for their hard work and

dedication.

Thanks to Bishop Auckland Theatre Hooligans (BATH), over 1500 people from our local community were entertained by our talented young people at Christmas.

The BATH Christmas Show 2013 was yet another resounding success, performed over two days and four evenings. Matinee shows were enjoyed by around 300 local primary school children, who joined us from Cockton Hill, St. Andrew’s, St. Helen’s, Copeland Road, Victoria Lane, Willington, Walworth, Crook, The Oaks and Evergreen primary schools, followed by 1,200 community visitors who attended the sell-out evening shows.

The money raised from BATH performances supports the many and varied projects in which the young people of BATH take part. The team would like to thank all the individuals, groups and local businesses who supported the Christmas Show; donating time, proceeds from sale of goods during the shows, raffle prizes and resources, which helped them to put on another incredible show.

BATH - What a show!

Diary DatesYear 11 Parents’ Evening

Parents’ Forum 6.30pm

Aim Higher trip to London Central

School of Speech and Dance

Aim Higher trip to Edinburgh

University

School Photographer

BATH Ireland trip

Howtown trip

Alcohol Awareness workshop

Year 8 Parents’ EveningYear 9 Options Evening

This magazine is available in large print on request. Call 01388 603 388 for your copy.Designed and produced by King James I Academy, South Church Road, Bishop Auckland, County Durham DL14 7JZ.

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King James IAcademy

Exclaimermagazine

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NEW!Beginning 2014 with a new-look LibraryLast term, we consulted our students to find out what they would like from our school

library. They told us that they wanted a warm, cosy and inviting place to read; a quiet, grown-up area to study; and a more diverse selection of books, both fiction and non-fiction. We have taken all of this on board and are now ready to open the doors of our stylish new library.

We hope that our students approve of the new, modern furniture and comfortable seating areas that we have created for quiet reading. Dividing the room into smaller reading zones will allow students to relax and become absorbed in a book, whilst a separate study area with computer facilities will make note taking from larger reference books a much easier task.

We have already purchased a large number of top fictional titles for all age groups and are currently in the process of building up our stock of subject-specific books. We have made a considerable initial investment in new books and developed a business plan to ensure our library remains up-to-date.

New ‘scanning’ technology has also been installed which means that, once registered with the library, students can sign in with their fingerprint and simply scan a book to borrow. This facility will make the lending process quick, easy and very efficient.

Although our new building is on the horizon, this investment in furniture and books will not be wasted, as all will be transferred into the new library in due course. Meanwhile, our students will have a more stimulating and inviting library facility that fully supports the diverse range of courses we offer and encourages reading. We will tell you more in our next issue of Vision.

New school updateWork is underway on the

ground works for our new development and we can look forward to seeing our new building take shape over the coming year.

Final plans are now in place and include an improved main entrance, which incorporates a striking sandstone surround. This will provide an imposing and high impact architectural feature that will further marry together the old and the new buildings.

NEW!

The main entrance will now include an impressive sandstone architectural surround which will offer greater visual impact.