‘Women of the Future’

On Friday 1st March 2024, we took a cohort of Year 9 girls on a trip to Wellington Place in Leeds City Centre. The project, ‘Women of the Future’, aimed to raise aspirations and encourage students with an extra level of motivation and education to prepare for the world of work.

The day involved working with women in aspirational roles in companies based in Wellington Place, from female apprenticeships to top CEO’s. The aim was to showcase a range of role models so that every young female student was able relate in some way to a professional at the event.

Students were blown away by the modern office spaces used by different companies based at the site and were inspired by the conversations that they had with different members of staff throughout the tour. They were provided with a real insight into a new way of working in the office, as an alternative to remote work following the COVID pandemic.

The day ended with an inspirational poet who summarised the intent behind the event through motivational words, encouraging students to consider the power that lies within. Our students were rewarded for their enthusiasm and engagement throughout the day with gift bags containing a free GHD hairdryer each! We would like to thank the students who attended the event and the staff at Wellington Place who gave up their time and resources to facilitate such an incredible experience.

Women in Construction

On Tuesday 5th March, 14 students were taken by Mr Hawkins and Miss Woods to Wellington Place to participate in a morning session which focused on ‘Women in Construction’. Students were provided with information about the different roles available in construction and about the company who were hosting the event, Overbury. A trainee Project Manager spoke about her career journey so far and we were taken on a tour of a construction site (in full protective gear of course!) This site, also located at Wellington Place, spanned over 5 floors of an office building which was occupied by Lloyds Bank and other prestigious companies. Students were given a real insight into the different aspects of the construction process, from the first conversation with a client through to the completion of the project. A health and safety expert discussed the regulations which must be followed on site and the different roles involved in getting a project finished on time. Overbury have kindly agreed to send us pictures of the finished office spaces when the job is completed in April, and we are hoping to be able to visit again to see it for ourselves!

Students were asked to give some feedback on the event and were incredibly positive about their experiences. They said:

To end the morning session, the students were split into teams and asked to create their own company, who were tasked with designing an office space. Each team was given a floor plan and some ‘to-scale’ furniture blueprints which they could use to furnish the space. All groups presented these designs to the wider group and received feedback from the two experts who were leading the day. We finished the day by walking back to school, via McDonald’s, to reward this cohort of students for their outstanding attitudes to learning in school as well as the way in which they represented the school throughout our visit.

‘Speed Networking’

What a fabulous group of Year 9 students we have at Mount St Mary’s!

During a recent ‘Speed Networking’ event students were exposed to a range of volunteers, in career roles linked to the digital sector, and were given the opportunity to ask a variety of questions that helped to develop their understanding and awareness of career pathways, progression routes, transferable skills and the individual challenges faced by professionals in different roles.

Undoubtedly, this event served to encourage students to consider their aspirations for life beyond Mount St Mary’s and helped to give them further insight into the careers available to them when they leave education.

It was a fabulous morning and students were a credit to themselves and the school. The Volunteers gave wonderful feedback and all clearly enjoyed and were rewarded by the experience. The volunteers rated the Event and the Engagement by the School as Excellent.

The only improvement comments included:

Finally, a comment from our Volunteer lead:

Thank you to all of the students and staff that participated in the event. We look forward to providing you with further opportunities to help you to become work ready.

Year 9 Women in STEM
Johnson and Johnson

On 5th December, all the girls in Year 9 took part in a Women in Stem event.

Three women leaders from Johnson and Johnson spoke about their roles and journey within STEM and about the barriers and stereotypes of people working within the STEM industry.

The students learnt about the DePuy Synthes part of the business, which make medical devices. Their main site is in Morley and they spoke about university placements, apprenticeships and potential work experience. Students then broke into groups and had the opportunity to ask the speakers some questions. The majority of the girls were inspired to think about choosing STEM roles for their future.

Years 8-11 Jet2 Careers Talk

We were lucky enough to have a representative come to school to talk to our students about career opportunities at Jet2.

Jet2 are a fantastic company to work for and offer apprenticeships from post-16 up to degree level in a wide range of areas.

Here is what our students said:

Leeds Pathology Laboratory Trip

On 26th September, 20 students from Years 9 and 10 attended an open event at Leeds Pathology Laboratory at St James Hospital. Students enjoyed a carousel of hands-on experiments with the hospital’s biomedical scientists. They learnt about how to extract DNA using strawberries, how to test for viruses and disease and the evolution of the biomedical machines. BAM construction company also spoke to them about how they designed and built the building. At the end, there was a plaque unveiling by Dame Linda Pollard, Leeds NHS chair and Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Mayor. The students were impressed by the facilities and enjoyed getting hands-on knowledge and talking to the scientists. They are now interested in careers in this field after seeing the opportunities available in the hospital.

Mrs Suzanne Pedro
Careers Adviser

Health & Social Guest Speakers

On Monday 22 May 2023, 2 guest speakers spoke to Year 9 and Year 10 Health & Social Care students.

The first speaker, Maya, was blind from 14 months old. She brought along her German Shepherd guide dog, Monty. She spoke for an hour about her life, struggles and being a mum and a vocal coach. Monty is her 4th guide dog and she could not stress enough the great work that Guide Dogs for the Blind do. Students were inspired by her story, as she did not want her disability to be a barrier in her life.

We also heard from Phil, a past teacher at Mount St Mary’s, who is now an ambassador for Dementia Awareness. He explained what dementia is like, with lots of visuals, and told the students how they can help if a family member suffers from the disease. They were all given a dementia friends badge and if they are seen wearing this by someone in the community with dementia, they will know that the student is dementia aware and happy to help.

The Curry Guy

We were very lucky to have Dan Toombs, aka The Curry Guy, visit our hospitality and catering lessons in March. Dan is a published food author and has written a huge range of books full of wonderful recipes that we were lucky enough to have a go at making!

Year 9 Hospitality students made a chicken Lababdar from Dan’s book The Curry Bible, a delicious chicken curry with aromatic spices added, along with fresh chilli, cashews and tomato. Dan showed students how to portion a whole chicken and use all the meat in the dish. It tasted amazing and our students were thrilled to be taking part.

Year 10 students did something a little different, making samosa filling and learning how to fold pastry to create perfect triangles that were then shallow fried. Students discovered how fiddly this was, and how fast they cooked … they were eaten just as quickly!

Thanks again to The Curry Guy for a brilliant day!