Our prototype classroom is all painted and ready for furniture this week and our staff and students have really experienced how it will feel to learn in the new environment. 

The colour palet remains grey, orange and a very light lilac which feels calm, professional and inviting. 

We are never quite happy with the weather in the UK are we? On rainy days we long for the Mediterranean climate and then when it arrives, we are all just a bit too hot! 

As in our mid week communication, uniform has been adapted to keep students as cool as possible and free water and juice has been made available to students during breaks and lunchtime in addition to their normal access to water fountains. 

We listened to parent/carer voice about parent's evening and moved our in person event to on-line. Thank you to all parents and carers who attended. 

Monday's weather forecast is considerably cooler than this week and so normal uniform expectations will apply: Shirt, tie, blazer, trousers or kilt with tights and school shoes.  

As a reminder, our school jumper is the optional item and students are strongly advised to avoid wearing this under their blazer in warmer months. 

As always please ensure that your child has a water bottle and suncream to apply before and during the day. This should be atleast SPF 30 but ideally SPF 50. 

Some children have extra sensitivities to changes in temperature and so we are sharing some helpful advice to reduce sensory overload during hot days and holidays. 

Y10 visited New College Durham for their annual Discovery days on Thursday.

This, for many of the students, will be the first time visiting a college and is part of their next step looking at what career path they may want to take. 

This year's event was a change to the normal event due to building work on the college sports-hall, so students received a guided tour around the whole campus experiencing the different subjects in the rooms where lessons will take place. 

Students visited the drama theatre, e-sports (a big hit with many), investigated a crime scene in the CSI suite, visited the car maintenance centre, connected and pressure tested pipe work, fixed roof tiles and many more. 

This is only a small number of courses that the college offers and I would encourage students to start looking at what courses they might want to take and what GCSE grades they will need for the different courses so they are ready to apply from September at NCD or other local colleges. 

Mr Talbot. 

Motto: Driven by Ambition, Fuelled by Confidence, Guided by Respect 

Since October, a dedicated group of Durham Academy students have been on an incredible journey. During their enrichment sessions with Dr. Atwal, these students have been hard at work building their very own go-kart entirely from scratch. Their ultimate goal? To truly put Durham Academy on the map.

On Saturday, June 20th, that ambition became a reality. Durham Academy officially hit the track, racing their custom-built go-kart against 114 schools from all over the world! We are incredibly proud of our students' teamwork, engineering skills, and determination.

A massive thank you to our incredible sponsors who made this journey possible:

• Virgin Money

• Durham County Council

• Willmott Dixon

• Engineering Educates

Dr Atwal, Ms Meale, Ms Burke and Mr Talbot who have all supported students in making this a reality, giving up their time, energy and weekends in order for students to experience the fast lane.

The future of engineering looks bright at Durham Academy! 

If your child has ordered an external reward activity they will soon be given a letter and consent form that must be completed and returned to the school office. 

Your payment will be added to School Comms and payments must be made by Monday 13th of July. 

Please contact reception if you have any queries. 

It has been a busy and successful period for our athletes, who recently represented the school at the District Athletics Championships at Chester Le Street Athletics Club. We competed across the Year 7 Boys, Year 7 Girls, Year 8 Boys and Year 8 Girls competitions, with all students demonstrating excellent commitment, determination and sportsmanship throughout the day.

A number of students produced outstanding performances:

• Lille E was crowned District Discus Champion, producing an exceptional throw to take first place.

• Harvey C became District Javelin Champion, showcasing his strength and technique to secure the title.

• Theodore D achieved an impressive 3rd place in the 1500m, demonstrating fantastic endurance and resilience in a highly competitive field.

Congratulations to all students who represented the school. Their effort, attitude and support for one another made us extremely proud.

Upcoming Fixtures and Events

There are still plenty of exciting sporting opportunities ahead before the end of the academic year:

Monday 30th June

• ALP Athletics Competition – Year 7, 8 and 9

Friday 10th July

• Durham Tennis Festival – Year 7 and 8

Monday 13th July

• Year 7 Football Competition

• Year 7 Netball Competition

• Year 9 Softball Competition

• Year 9 Rounders Competition

Wednesday 15th July

• Durham Academy Games Day

We wish all students the very best in their upcoming events and look forward to celebrating more sporting success in the coming weeks.

Telephone: 0191 3730336

Email: contact@durhamacademy.org.uk

For the most up to date information about what is going on in our school, please visit our website at:

https://durhamacademy.org.uk