9th October 2026

Welcome to our weekly bulletin,

It has been another busy and exciting week at Durham Academy as we continue to prepare for the next stage of our journey. Our Year 11 students are now firmly focused on preparing for their upcoming mock examinations, with lessons, revision and independent study helping them to build confidence and demonstrate everything they have learned so far. We know this can be an important and sometimes challenging period for students, and we are incredibly proud of the commitment and resilience they are showing.

Behind the scenes, our staff are also preparing for an exciting new chapter. Boxes are being packed, classrooms are being organised and staff are finalising their preparations ready for the move into our new school building. There is a real sense of anticipation across the academy as we get closer to welcoming our students into their new learning environment.

As always, thank you to our parents and carers for your continued support. There is lots happening across the academy, and we look forward to sharing more of these exciting developments with you over the coming weeks.

Key Dates for your Diary

w/c 12th-22nd October

Year 11 Mock Fortnight

Please encourage students to revise and be prepared.

Friday 23rd October 2026

All students working from home. School closed for students.

Are you ready for the new school?

Please remember that Friday 23rd October and Monday 2nd November will be home-learning days. The school will be closed to students on both days, and staff will provide further information about arrangements and what students need to do closer to the time.

In a bid to familiarise our community with our new building, we include an internal map below which outlines the different curriculum areas and their location in our new school. Students will all receive a familiarisation walk with their Tutor on Tuesday 3rd November.

Thank you for your continued support as we prepare for this exciting next step for our school community.

Subject Spotlight - PE

Students across KS3 and KS4 are currently working through their respective invasion game units, including football, netball and basketball, with student engagement excellent across lessons.

Our Year 11 students are approaching the end of their second coursework unit, R186 Sport and the Media, so we would encourage students to maintain high attendance during this important period of the year.

Our Year 10 GCSE Sport students have also made an excellent start to the course and will begin their Leadership unit after half term.

A huge well done to our Sports Leaders this term, who have welcomed almost 600 primary school students to our school to take part in a range of sports festivals.

Looking ahead, we have some exciting opportunities coming up, with Futsal trials taking place over the next two weeks in preparation for two county events, while next term we look forward to competing in the Cross Country Championships.

Please see below for our extracurricular timetable and the opportunities available to students. Please note that the timetable below shows after-school activities only; the Astro is also open every lunchtime.

Autumn 1 Overview - Maths & English.pdf

Online Tutoring for Year 11 Pupils

We are delighted to offer a unique opportunity for Year 11 pupils across our ALP family of schools to access expert online tutoring in English and Maths, completely free of charge. These workshops will be deliveredby our ALP subject specialists and will support pupils to:

• strengthen key knowledge and skills

• build confidence and prepare effectively for their GCSE examinations

To join a session, pupils simply need to follow the relevant Microsoft Teams link and sign in using their school email address. All of your Year 11 pupils are invited to take advantage of this bespoke learning opportunity.

Please note that there are separate Foundation and Higher Options for Mathematics (same meeting link).

Nominations this week were:

Aimee in Year 10 for her resilience in building a GCSE response to A Christmas Carol in English.

Harry in Year 8 for resilience in PE.

Imogen in Year 8 for showing confidence in maths.

Jamie and Alania in Year 9 for amazing art skills.

Work of the Week

Each week, we celebrate the outstanding work and achievements of our students across the school. Students whose work demonstrates exceptional effort, progress, creativity or application are recognised through our weekly rewards. As well as receiving Achievement Points and a certificate, students are invited to enjoy an early lunch as a special recognition of their success. It is fantastic to see students being celebrated for their hard work and commitment to learning.

Year 7 Meet a Storytelling Legend!

Our Year 7 students recently had a fantastic opportunity to visit Belmont School to hear bestselling children’s author Dame Jacqueline Wilson speak about her life, her writing and the stories that have inspired millions of young readers.

Jacqueline Wilson is one of the UK’s most celebrated children’s authors. She wrote her first novel when she was just nine years old and has since written more than 100 books, including The Story of Tracy Beaker, Hetty Feather, The Illustrated Mum and The Suitcase Kid. Her books have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, and she has received numerous awards for her contribution to children’s literature.

During the visit, Jacqueline shared insights into her journey as a writer, where she finds inspiration for her characters and stories, and the importance of reading and imagination. For our students, it was a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from an author whose books have played such an important part in the childhoods of generations of young people.

The visit was a fantastic reminder that great stories can begin with the smallest of ideas. Our students returned full of enthusiasm and ideas of their own, inspired to read, write and perhaps even begin creating stories of their own.

A huge thank you to Belmont School for giving our Year 7 students such a memorable and inspiring experience.

Year 8 Explore Durham Cathedral

Our Year 8 students recently had the opportunity to visit Durham Cathedral, giving them the chance to step beyond the classroom and experience one of the North East’s most significant historic buildings.

Students explored the cathedral and took time to appreciate its impressive architecture, beautiful stonework and remarkable scale. With a history stretching back almost 1,000 years, Durham Cathedral has played an important role in the religious and cultural life of the region.

The visit gave students the opportunity to see first-hand how buildings, places and objects can tell us about the past. They were encouraged to look closely at the cathedral, ask questions and consider why this extraordinary building has remained such an important part of Durham’s identity.

For many students, simply being inside the cathedral was an experience in itself. The huge nave, soaring stone ceiling and striking architecture provided plenty to admire, with the cathedral describing its nave as more than 60 metres long, with a vaulted ceiling rising 22 metres above the floor.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 8 students to learn beyond the classroom, discover more about their local heritage and experience an important part of Durham’s history first-hand.

Career Information

Creating the Future

We are delighted to share an exciting October half-term opportunity for Year 10 & 11 students who are interested in a career in Media, Marketing and e-Sports – Creating the Future.

Young people will receive an introduction into the opportunities available within Media, Marketing and e-Sports through both college and employer visits, with lunch and a fun activity provided.

Support for Parents and Students

If you require any support or have a concern that you would like to discuss, please contact our Pastoral Team at pastoral@durhamacademy.org.uk. The team will be happy to offer advice and support or help direct you to the appropriate member of staff. Please continue to use our usual communication channels for reporting student absences and any urgent issues so that these can be dealt with promptly.