Ormiston Sudbury Academy is proud to be associated with the Sudbury Silk Stories Project. The initiative has supported our wide and rich creative curriculum including: art, textiles, design technology, engineering and food and further developed links with our immediate and wider community. We have incorporated the knowledge of our local history into schemes of learning which support our wider interests including our work as a lead associate school for the Royal Shakespeare Company. This work has threaded through our outreach programme which involves an increasing number of primary schools engaging with our students from Year 7 to Year 13. In addition to learning new skills and experiencing cutting-edge technologies, the Sudbury Silk Stories Project has enabled students to gain a greater awareness of the importance of Sudbury within a global setting and the interconnectedness that now exists between communities and countries. The Project has further expanded the Academy’s vibrant and aspirational careers and guidance programme, forging ever closer ties with our local business partners and providing students with a real insight into the functioning of both a multi-media company and local manufacturers, who have an international reputation for excellence. Students have investigated how important our silk heritage has been to the development of the town and have explored, through the interviews, the working practices and skills required within the workplace and how these relate to their own curriculum. The project will have a lasting legacy within the Academy as we continue to promote and embed student encounters with employers and outside agencies that are so vital in enabling our students to make informed and aspirational decisions about their future.