To help our Year 12 students with the transition into Sixth Form and the step up to Key Stage 5 level study, a special day was organised by Aston University to help students begin their next steps with confidence. Students visited Aston Universty campus and enjoyed a combination of interactive workshops, practical study skills development, and team-building activities to boost confidence and independence. Students had the opportunity to explore a range of future options, including higher education, apprenticeships, and career pathways, helping them make informed decisions about their next steps. Student ambassadors also gave an insight into their personal experience of studying at Aston.

Students said the trip helped to improve their communication, team work and problem solving skills the most, with opportunities for self-reflection also being useful when looking at their future career and study choices. Many said the tour of the campus helped to give them a better feel for what studying at university would be like, with others saying the workshops touched on key ideas and skills they need for the future, such as understanding ethical principles or inspiring their creativity with an enterprise project.

As the school year draws to a close, our Year 12 students have been working harder than ever, impressing employers on their work experience placements. This year our students have been grateful to secure experiences that have either broadened their insight into new careers, or helped them to decide if their aspiration is the right fit.

Our employers gave us some excellent feedback. Just a few examples are included below:

• Jia was described as “a credit to the school”.  She was given various tasks, including some anonymised, but real, cases. These ranged from corporate due diligence to gaming law; “Given these were university level tasks, her work was impressive”. 

• Saverah impressed at her pharmacy placement by putting her Punjabi language skills to use in engaging with patients and impressing the owners with her positive attitude: “She was outstanding, with excellent communication skills and a very good work ethic.”

• In Lacey’s placement at a care home, she was: “very good at engaging with the residents. Lacey was a pleasure to have and has taken a keen interest in the activities, providing new ideas”.

• Layla received very positive feedback from the Lighthouse Young People’s Centre, where she has been keen to work on projects supporting young girls, and has been trusted to manage her own budget when planning her own project.

• At Select Windows, Nathan was described as “exceptional. Every task I gave him he completed accurately. He was punctual very day, polite and happy to take on any task. I couldn’t ask for more. He was a real credit to your school”.

• Rory worked at a construction consultants, where his communication skills really stood out to his employer: “Rory was attentive and engaged with all the tasks put to him. The work experience involved working with colleagues in the office and also clients and contractors on development sites. He interacted well with all parties.”

Our students also spoke very highly of their experiences:

• Millie had an exciting insight into the police force, helping to train puppies, work with dispatches and even work closely with 101 and 999 call handlers.

• With his ambition to pursue a career as a criminal investigator, Ryan chose to observe varying criminal cases at the Crown Court, saying: “It has genuinely been really good. I'll probably end up doing this more often.”

• Many of our students have used this week as a chance to see if their chosen career is really for them. Aveneet’s experience at an Accountancy firm “has made me realise I definitely want a career in finance, I am just unsure which area”. Similarly, Parvesh explained that his placement at a civil engineering firm has allowed him to “explore the different types of engineering, as I am not sure which one is best for me yet”.

• Our students have also recognised the value of gaining transferable skills. Scarlett is aspiring to pursue a career as a paramedic, but placements within a healthcare setting are hard to secure; nonetheless her work placement in a customer service environment has helped her gain the skills to remain calm under pressure when dealing with difficult customers.

With the competition to secure work experience places ever increasing, but the value of these opportunities being as important as ever, we are very grateful to all of the employers who supported our students this year. 

Arun’s placement with WSP, in the Mailbox, has confirmed his aspiration to pursue quantity surveying.

Millie was able to visit Tally Ho on her placement, learning how their horses are used within the police force.  

Jonathan’s employers at Allsee Technologies put him to work testing their content management systems.

Keira loved her placement at Oakwood School.

Isabel greatly enhanced her management and organisation skills, balancing the many responsibilities of the Commercial Facilities Service for Birmingham City University.

Joseph took his love of sports to Blue Coat Academy where he inspired the younger generation.

Reece disassembles an old DT project at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School.  

Our successful students from this Spring’s Regional Midlands heats, attended the Summer National Competition at Northumbria University this week. This four day event was a real test of endurance for our students, with a packed timetable of committee work and intellectual debate. Delegates were first eased into the competition with some team building activities. The theme this year was ‘Innovate’, with students debating topics ranging from defence spending, to deep seabed mining, nuclear power, female representation in Parliament and media pluralism.  

Our students joined separate teams this time, mixed in with delegates from many other schools from across the country, which helped them to make new lasting friendships and greatly assisted their ability to work with new team dynamics in future. In fact, the whole event gave them ample opportunity to develop a multitude of skills that will be helpful in the future. For example, students experienced the true meaning of leadership by encouraging team members who were struggling, tested their resilience and commitment by staying motivated through a busy schedule, and further developed their public speaking abilities.

It wasn’t all work, students were able to enjoy some free time in Newcastle, as well as attend a variety of evening entertainment, including a quiz night and karaoke. Our students led a sing-along to Wonderwall and were swiftly joined by many of their new friends (England went on to beat France 6-4 in that evening’s match).

The main aim of this event was to foster inclusion, bringing students from a wide range of backgrounds together to debate the issues of our time. Our students not only made new friends, but were encouraged to be themselves without fear and to step outside their comfort zones, growing their confidence and inspiring and empowering them for the future. Not only this, but students also gained a real taste of university life, living in student accommodation and working on campus.

Our students are keen to encourage our newest cohort of Year 12 students to take part in the competition again next year.

We would like to extend our thanks to everyone at the European Youth Parliament who volunteered their time to organise and support such an enriching opportunity for our students. We further wish to thank the students and staff from all of the other school’s involved, who made our team feel so welcome.