Eighteen students at King James, who are all studying either Media or Photography in Year 11, have recently enjoyed a week-long educational visit to Malta, writes Director of Learning for Media, Lisa Davies.
The trip was funded for students thanks to a successful application to the UK Turing Scheme, which is designed to provide equal opportunities for global travel.
An important feature of the trip was to spend time in a secondary school in Malta and for this, the group enjoyed 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.
Students also 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 4pm.
In the 4,000-year-old 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 Carmelite Priory, with its 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 is now a popular tourist attraction.
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.
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 during their adventure of a lifetime.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
