King James I Academy
King James I Academy (formally known as King James I Community Arts College) is a medium size academy school and sixth form centre for mixed gender aged 11–18 in the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham in north east England. It traces its history to the early 17th century. History. Opened in 1605, it went through multiple transformations and renaming. It was mainly known as "King James 1st Grammar School" and became the first secondary school in south-west Durham to be upgraded to academy status. In an interview, Elizabeth Varley (Chair Of Governors For  The Academy and former student) described how many years ago, students had to pass a test to be able to attend the academy since at the time it was a Grammar School where boys and girls were educated separately. She also revealed that the current Art block was not part of the original Middle School building, and that it was added at a later date to house a school swimming pool. There are currently over 900 students in the academy and roughly 90 staff, including representatives from Connexions, and the NHS