To honour those members of the armed forces who fought for freedom and who lost their lives in conflict across the globe, King James I Academy has this year been involved in three special Remembrance events.

On the evening of Friday 8th, members of the Royal British Legion and the Bishop Auckland Branch Durham Light Infantry Association were invited to join staff, students, cadets and local families to view commemorative artwork featuring hundreds of handmade poppies produced by King James students and pupils from local primary schools. Visitors heard from the King James choir and took part in a moving parade through the Academy led by Kevin York, known locally as The Bishops Piper, who was accompanied by a traditional military-style drummer. As part of the event, young cadets also laid a wreath at the Academy memorial.

On Remembrance Sunday, Miss Ackers, Director of Learning for Art and Academy Events Coordinator, plus four members of the Academy Council, joined hundreds of local residents at the official service in Bishop Auckland Market Place. They laid a wreath at the town centre memorial before attending the Remembrance Service at St Anne’s Church.

The annual Academy Remembrance Service took place in school on Monday 11th with student cadets, staff, Chair of Governors Mrs Elizabeth Varley and veterans gathering at the memorial to reflect on the sacrifices made in wars since WWI. Headteacher, Simon Whitehead read Laurence Binyon’s poem, ‘For the Fallen’ before The Last Post was played by Nathan M in Year 11, Daisy B in Year 7 and Brass Teacher, Fiona Casewell, from the Durham Music Service. In addition to this, students in all classrooms watched a video featuring archive images from WWII to allow them to emotionally connect with the service.