HISTORY students from a Teesside school have been absorbing the wonders of a world heritage site to help inspire them for their GCSE course.

Year 10 history students from The King’s Academy in Coulby Newham spent the day at Rievaulx Abbey, near Helmsley, on the North Yorkshire Moors National Park as part of their controlled assessment, where 25 per cent of their GCSE marks were up for grabs.

The Cistercian monastery that the students visited has buildings that date as far back as the 1130s and is one of the most complete and atmospheric of England’s abbey ruins.

History teacher Lucy Dear said: “The scale and beauty of Rievaulx never fails to move the students and inspire them in their studies. They fully appreciate that what they are experiencing is more than 900 years old and has literally stood the test of time.

“Students not only work well on the day but they carry back to the classroom the memories of their field trip which shows the relevancy of studying history.”

Student Rebecca Donnison, 15, said it had been a memorable day out.

“Rievaulx is absolutely beautiful and for me the trip certainly helped bring history alive” she added.