The trip began with travel from their school to Heathrow Airport before flying to Stockholm and getting settled in their rooms before heading to dinner. Pupils enjoyed buffet style dinner and together getting to know each other across the different schools. 

Throughout the week, pupils visited many of Stockholm's famous attractions. They explored the Paradox Museum, took part in an interactive Scavenger Hunt through the historic streets of Gamla Stan (Old Town), visited the Avicii Experience, and discovered fascinating exhibits at the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology. They also enjoyed a visit to Djurgården, where groups explored the Police Museum and Sports Museum. They explored the famous group of ABBA though their museum and also spend the day at Skansen, experiencing Swedish history, culture, and wildlife. 

One of the highlights of the trip was spending time in Stockholm's vibrant city centre. Pupils walked many miles throughout the week, exploring different districts, parks, shopping areas, landmarks and food choices. This gave them a real appreciation of the city while encouraging resilience and independence. A key achievement for many pupils was confidently using Stockholm's excellent public transport network. They quickly became familiar with travelling on the Metro (Tunnelbana), buses and trams learning how to navigate the city safely and efficiently. For many pupils, this was also their first experience travelling on a public boat, with ferry journeys providing a unique way to see Stockholm's beautiful islands and waterfront. 

Alongside the educational visits, pupils enjoyed eating out together, park evenings, shopping, games at the hostel, and time to socialise with new friends made on the trip. They represented Matrix Academy Trust exceptionally well throughout the trip, showing respect, maturity, and enthusiasm at every venue visited, which many commenting on how well behaved and polite our pupils were. 

Pupils returned with wonderful memories, increased confidence, new friendships, and a greater appreciation of another culture. The trip was a fantastic success and provided experiences that many pupils will remember for years to come. 

We are thrilled to announce a landmark moment in our trust’s calendar — the very first Trust-Wide Sports Day, bringing together more than 3,000 pupils from across Matrix schools.

Venue: The iconic Alexander Stadium, Birmingham – home of the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Date: Wednesday, 9th July 2025

This incredible event will be a full day of competition, celebration, and community spirit. As part of our Healthy Competitions Initiative, the day will showcase the power of sport in promoting teamwork, resilience, and ambition. Schools have now completed their in-school heats and successful participants will receive letters to notify them of their involvement as a participant. Additionally, this event provides a unique opportunity for pupils to showcase their talents in front of athletics club scouts, potentially opening doors for future athletic opportunities.

What to Expect:

• 456 student athletes battling it out in a range of exciting track and field events
• Live performances from our talented performing arts pupils to energise the crowd
• A cheering audience of 2,600 spectators from Years 7 and 10, supporting their teams with pride and passion (details will be shared In a letter in the coming weeks)
• A chance to claim the prestigious title of Trust-Wide Sports Champions 2025

Parents and carers of participants are warmly invited to attend and spectate this exciting event! With over 2,000 spectators expected, the day promises an electric atmosphere — and your support will make all the difference to our pupils. A full schedule of events is below so you can plan when to attend to cheer on your child. Spectators will be seated in the East Stand. Tickets are available via Eventbrite at £3 per person. All proceeds will be donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, our Trust charity for the year.

So you can plan when you would like to arrive and watch a particular event - a schedule of events will be confirmed on the trust website HERE closer to the event. Follow us on social media for the latest timings.

Book here: https://bit.ly/matsportsday

This is more than just a sports day — it’s a celebration of talent, teamwork, and trust unity. Whether you’re competing, performing, or cheering from the stands, get ready to be part of something unforgettable.

Let the countdown begin.

The players battled hard in all 3 of their group games but unfortunately didn’t make it through to the semi-finals. All students had a great day out and loved the experience and atmosphere of the event which was run by the Birmingham Rockets.

The students now look ahead and start their preparation for the new basketball season.

After a smooth journey and arriving at our hostel, we made a swift departure to our first activity. Our group of 55 tackled the metro for the first time and walked our way to “Aroma Ostia” where our host school met us for an Italian cooking masterclass. During this class, our Chef taught us how to make pasta from scratch, along with the art of producing “carbonara” sauce, a dish that was born in Italy.

Throughout the week our mornings consisted of a rotation between groups, some taking themselves back to ancient Rome by visiting the Colosseum, some visited Castel Sant’Angelo which was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum, and some visiting our Italian partner school learning about various aspects of their culture including music, literature, fashion and food. One group even took part in an inclusion workshop raising awareness of disabilities.

After lunch, our pupils came back together and started their week by being trained as true gladiators at the gladiator school. This included a fitness assault course, practicing and testing a variety of fighting techniques before our Empress (Ms Callanan) would decide their fate. Pupils also opened their mind into the “museum of dreamers” experiencing an adult-size ball pit, various illusions and not to mention beating their fears (literally). Our afternoon of imagination delved deeper into Vigamus where pupils were led on journey of time on the evolution of video games. Our sightseeing continued when strolling down the Spanish Steps to the renowned Trevi Fountain before dining in a local restaurant.

Our final few days were spent zipping through the trees of Rome at Eurpark High Ropes. It was incredible to see the number of pupils who overcame their fears and pushed through their limits to reach new heights before we caught the train to the shores of Ostia, where some pupils even dipped their toes in the sea! Mount Vesuvius was our next destination, with a 20 minute hike up to the viewpoint at the top of the volcano and a further 5 minutes to the crater. Pupils were in awe of the beauty of the bay of Naples, before seeing the steam being produced out of the dormant volcano. Having learnt about the history of Vesuvius, our next stop was the Herculaneum, a UNESCO heritage site which was covered in volcanic ash and rediscovered during excavations in the mid 18^th century.

We couldn’t have left Rome before visiting the Stadio Olimpico, home to football clubs Roma and Lazio, and currently hosting the six nations! Following this, we took a trip abroad whilst abroad by visiting the Vatican City, the world’s smallest country! This tour included a visit to the Sistine Chapel, famous for papal ceremonies and used by the sacred college of cardinals.

Our week in Italy was spent experiencing various aspects of culture, encountering many new experiences and bringing more of our students together to create stronger connections.

Our pupils share their thoughts:

“The trip to italy was really great. I am very happy to have had the chance to go on a trip like this for free and have made so many friends in the process. I liked the rooms at the hostel, and how stress-free you guys made everything by everything being so organised and how there was a diverse range of things to do. The metro and bus rides were good, and got less busy due to good planning. Some things that we did that I thought I wouldn’t enjoy I turned out liking such as the school visit. The children there were lovely and despite the struggle communicating with some words, it was fun talking to them about what their life is like and comparing ours together. The museum of dreamers was my favourite because it was unlike anything I have ever done before. It was a unique experience which helped me with insight and keeping an open mind. I liked seeing the sights such as the colosseum, the Herculaneum and museums like the Vatican, gaming and the dream one. I liked the Vatican and the castle a lot because it was nice to see religious artefacts and art that I have always wanted to see. Thank you for the opportunity and choosing a great city like Rome.” – Alfie

“This trip to Italy was amazing, I’m so thankful I’ve had the opportunity to go to such a great place and it being free! Thanks to Ms Callanan, Mr Kendall, Mr Aspinall, Ms Thomson, and Ms Thompson. This week has been really fun and I haven’t felt this happy in ages! 10/10″ – Dylan

They also completed the Rainforest challenge where students had the opportunity to learn more about two of the layers of the rainforest (the forest floor and under canopy) and what plants grow there. In groups of 5 or 6 they had a rucksack full of cryptic clues that took them around the tropic and sub-tropic greenhouses to learn the names of specific plants and how some can be used for medicine, flood and clothing as well as how they have evolved and adapted to the environment they live in.

In their free time students were able to explore the grounds, chatting to the very vocal birds and learn more about the botanical gardens as a whole completing a booklet of maths challenges. As well as some time to go on the timber play equipment.

It was a fantastic day out that incorporated a bit of maths and problem solving in real life as well as lots of links to other subjects like biology and geography.