The back of the building is now complete in terms of brick work and the front elevation is not far behind. 

Staff and students have visited our prototype classroom and the painters are now at work on other areas of the building. 

We in the process of discussing signage and wall displays in and around classrooms to ensure that cognitive load is manageable whilst feeling like an exciting learning environment with distinct areas. 

As part of our Special Educational Needs offer we are sharing some summer holiday sessions to support families during the school break. 

If you have any further qustions about this please contact Mrs Smith. 

Not only have Willmott Dixon built our new school but over the last year they have been building future career skills with a range of Durham Academy students. 

Over the year, they have worked with all year groups and provided 46 hours of educational engagement, alongside two in-person work experience placements and two hybrid work experience projects.

Willmott Dixon said, "We have thoroughly enjoyed working with your students and look forward to continuing our partnership as we move into the 2026/27 academic year and Phase 2 of the project."

Our Year 10 & 9 students visited Rainton Meadows as part of their work experience week. The visit provided students with a fantastic opportunity to explore Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve looking at different roles within the reserve and how the area is used for conservation work. 

After receiving a talk about the conservation work, they were put to work, helping to create a hedge from dead branches for small wildlife. This was then followed by pond dipping, looking at the different species in the ponds in the reserve. 

This week, students attended an athletics event at Shildon Athletics Track, where they represented the school with enthusiasm, determination, and excellent sportsmanship across a range of events.

There were some outstanding individual performances, including Olivia W, who won gold in the shot put, Gleb A, who earned a silver medal in the shot put, and Harvey C, who secured bronze in the javelin.

On Wednesday, we also had the pleasure of welcoming Year 5 students for their transition day. Throughout the day, they demonstrated confidence, ambition, and a positive attitude across all of their lessons, including PE, Music, Design & Technology, and Art. It was fantastic to see them engaging so well with staff and students.

Looking Ahead

Next week promises to be another exciting one, with our Year 7/8 Tennis Festival taking place alongside our ALP Sports Celebration Event. We wish all of the students involved the very best of luck and look forward to celebrating their participation and achievements.

Well done to everyone who took part and represented the school so positively.

Our Year 7 students recently enjoyed an exciting visit to Durham University as part of the Next Gen programme. The trip provided students with a fantastic opportunity to explore university life, develop their aspirations, and take part in engaging activities designed to inspire a love of learning and future success.

Throughout the day, students gained valuable insights into higher education and the many opportunities available to them, returning to school feeling motivated, confident, and eager to achieve their goals. We were also incredibly proud of our students, who represented the school brilliantly with their excellent behaviour, enthusiasm, and maturity throughout the visit.   

This week saw Year 7 students participate in Readathon Summer Party 2026. Students joined a zoom with over 13,000 other students in the country and met author Hannah Gold and she shared some of her book inspiration, and met her new kitten!

We then met  A. F. Harrold. Did you know beards are great bookmarks? He spoke about fun facts, dinosaurs and cats… and a bit about poems!

Ramzee shared his love of reading and admitted he didn’t do very well in school but is now doing his dream job as an author and illustrator.

We then learned about some Epic Fibs and Epic Fails from Athena Kugblenu, who is actually smarter than Einstein!

Our sizzling Summer Party finished off with Sarah McIntyre, the brilliant author and illustrator who taught us all how to draw our very own Adventuremouse.

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