Eighteen students in Year 11, who are all studying either Media or Photography, have returned from a week-long educational trip to Malta. The trip was funded for students thanks to a successful application that we made to the UK Turing Scheme last year.

Students stayed in the beautiful AX ODCY Hotel in Qawra, and from there they visited different resorts and towns on the island to experience all aspects of Malta, from the traditional capital city of Valletta and the ancient walled city of Mdina, to the modern tourist resort of Sliema. In Valletta, the group enjoyed a walking tour to take in the Baroque and Mannerist architecture, before heading to the bastions of Valletta for a spectacular view over the Grand Harbour and to watch the Saluting Battery ceremony, where canons are fired out to sea at noon and at 4.00pm. They also visited the Triton Fountain and Malta 5D, an educational audio-visual show which explores the history of Malta in a technology rich theatre environment.

In the 4,000-year-old walled city of Mdina, the group discovered why, thanks to strict restrictions on vehicle access, it is also known as the ‘Silent City’. They visited the stunning Carmelite Priory, with its unassuming frontage that reveals a breath taking and elaborate interior, and also Mdina Dungeons, which tells the story of corporal punishment through a series of exhibits in cells and passageways below the city’s medieval palace. The stone gate to Mdina was a popular place for photographs, as fans recognised it instantly as the film location used as the entrance to King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. The group also visited the film set of the 1980 film Popeye, which starred Robin Williams. Now a popular tourist attraction in the north of the island, the purpose-built film set consists of a collection of colourful, ramshackle wooden buildings for tourists to explore.

To learn more about Malta’s WWII history, the group visited the town of Mosta to explore the famous Rotunda which survived a direct hit in 1942 during an air raid. Astonishingly, over 300 worshippers were spared when a German bomb came through the domed roof, landing at the altar and failing to explode; the diffused bomb is still on display within the church as a reminder of what locals consider to be a miracle. They also visited the WWII shelter which lies below the church; this was dug by hand in 1940 by local tradesmen and now contains an exhibition of authentic tools, implements and clothing.

In the modern resort of Sliema, the group visited the Independence Gardens, which is home to a large number of stray cats that are well cared for by local people, and they also enjoyed a harbour cruise to view Valletta, the Grand Harbour, the Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua, and Gzira's Marsamxett Harbour from a different perspective; this was an excellent opportunity for photographs of the skyline.

An important feature of the trip was to visit a secondary school in Malta and for this, the group spent three days with students in San Andrea Secondary School in Mgarr, an international school which was founded in 1992. Alongside Maltese students, the cohort at this school is made up of pupils from China, Germany, France, England, Italy, Sicily and more. King James students joined a variety of lessons from Political Science, Financial Literacy, Chemistry and Physics to Geography, ICT, English Literature and PE.

The trip itinerary also included a visit to the National Aquarium, the resort of Bugibba, and a number of local restaurants each evening for a meal. You can see photographs from the trip on our website and our Instagram pages @kingjames1academy and @kj1media.