Careers – Mount St Mary's https://mountstmarys.org.uk Quid Retribuam Thu, 31 Aug 2023 13:00:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 Into University https://mountstmarys.org.uk/into-university/ Tue, 02 Nov 2021 11:07:22 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=11991

On the last day of term, 30 of our Year 7 cohort took part in an INTO University workshop which focused on supporting the development of fundamental professional attributes and inspiring students to achieve their full potential. During the workshop, the students involved were encouraged to discuss important subjects such as desirable skills that different employers look for in a candidate and the qualities that are essential to specific careers. In addition to this, our students took part in multiple activities that revolved around confidence building, improving communication skills and applying leadership skills. Although students seized all the opportunities awarded to them throughout the morning, the most popular activity focused on the importance of clear communication. Students had to work in pairs, whilst one individual was blindfolded and was expected to listen carefully, the other took on a leadership role that required them to provide direction and give clear instructions. In addition to this, also using teamwork, each group had to complete a jigsaw puzzle that formed an image of the face of different inspirational figures such as Malala Yousafzai and Barack Obama. This activity was followed by group discussion around the reasons why these people are considered significant. Undoubtedly the students involved really enjoyed taking part in the INTO University workshop and found it extremely stimulating and informative. Many are already asking when the next workshop will be!

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Wellington Place Challenge https://mountstmarys.org.uk/wellington-place-challenge/ Mon, 18 Oct 2021 11:40:04 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=11678

When we had our Careers Day, back in Year 7, our students left school thinking about their future. Of course, we understand that this is in itself a process, so to help facilitate that process we decided to give our Year 8’s an insight into the working life of a professional; but not just one, we chose four! With the help of our contacts over at Wellington Place, 4 professionals allowed us intimate access to their working lives; one was from the construction sector, one the financial services sector, one engineering & one was a civil servant. The idea was for our students to start thinking about what working in these sectors actually means, and how they would get there. Below are some examples of the effort and interest some of our Year 8’s showed in this challenge.

Elijas has a vast interest in the engineering profession and showed his understanding and knowledge of this sector by creating this masterpiece;

The engineering field is a popular choice at Mount St Mary’s. Nebi has created a picture of a sustainable building that uses windmills to generate electricity, which he believes will be the way of the world as it will help reduce our carbon footprint, help to reduce the electricity bills and help to store electricity for use on a wind-free day.

Tyrese also showed an interest in the engineering profession and to show his understanding Tyrese designed a building and, using his own words, was able to describe the contents used to make a building. To add to his understanding, Tyrese was able to fluently express an opinion on what inclusivity means to him and why inclusivity is important in the workplace. Tyrese linked this back to being a student at Mount St Mary’s which was fantastic to read. Great job, Tyrese!

Shruthika and Shrawasti have put some extensive thought into their chosen career paths and have gone so far as researching the company they would like to work for! Both have shown a creative, artistic side and we are excited to nurture this at Mount St Mary’s. Great planning, you two!

Oliver created a PowerPoint presentation on Inclusivity and Diversity in the workplace and he put in his own words his understanding of the same. Amazing to read – fantastically presented, Oliver!

At Mount St Mary’s, we believe in the power of our students; we believe we can accelerate their thinking and push them to not only reaching their goals, but also working to beyond their limits. We believe we can create a future line of professionals, all that we ask from our students is the commitment to making this work.

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Media Make-Up https://mountstmarys.org.uk/media-make-up/ Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:00:01 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=10885

The Year 9 students who are  interested in pursuing a career in Art and Design took part in an after school Media Makeup course.

This saw students recreating themed designs every week as part of their portfolio of work. Students amazed us with their natural talent and focus throughout the course!

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iCan Academy https://mountstmarys.org.uk/ican-academy/ Wed, 21 Jul 2021 07:23:15 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=10842

1st of July saw our final Drop Down Day of the year with a focus on Respectful Relationships and overcoming challenges in life. Students were incredible throughout the day, creating a real buzz within the classrooms and approaching all topics with great maturity, energy and enthusiasm. The day started with an incredibly powerful speech from Richard McCann who talked to students about how he has overcome a great deal of adversity in his life. Richard shared not only his emotional story but also the secrets behind his success and his “I Can and I Will” attitude. Students listened in awe at such a powerful story before leaving the hall and beginning their lessons with a renewed sense of self-motivation and belief.

The day was an amazing success with students leading conversations, pushing each other to contribute and creating excellent reflections in the afternoon. Many students left school with a keen thirst for more PHSCE sessions like this in the future and we cannot wait to see what they can achieve next year.

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Year 7 Careers Day https://mountstmarys.org.uk/year-7-careers-day/ Wed, 21 Jul 2021 07:22:54 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=10833

We strongly believe that it is never too early to start thinking about hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future. Having only just joined us last year, and being faced with prolonged periods away from school, we decided to support our Year 7’s in helping
making decisions for their future by arranging a Careers Day. The aim of this day was to help our students explore their dreams and explore which paths they would need to take in order to reach those dreams. With the help of staff, students were able to go online to conduct their own research into their chosen career paths and establish just what skills and expertise they would need to be successful in their chosen field.

This was a great learning experience for our students as they thought about where their own strengths and weaknesses lie. We kick started the day with two aspirational talks from two very different career paths; beauty & football coaching. Both talks were led by our guest speakers and were very successful. Our students demonstrated excellent Mount St Mary’s values showing Respect and Responsibility whilst being fully engaged during the talks. Towards the end, our students had their opportunity to ask their own questions, which they had the chance to prepare a few days prior. The last talk was from University of Leeds with the intent of helping students overcome barriers and discuss ways to get into University. Interestingly, the popular questions related to funding. Our Year 7’s were very impressed with the response they received from our guest speaker, and we are hoping this will encourage them to consider what further options are available to them. It was fantastic to see them working towards their future choices and essentially considering what options are best suited to their talents.

There is still a long journey ahead at Mount St Mary’s for our Year 7’s but if we can get them thinking now, imagine the impact this will have on their decision making skills further on in the school journey!

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Your Future First https://mountstmarys.org.uk/your-future-first/ Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:39:31 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=10810

As part of Year 10s work experience this year staff organised a practical, in-depth two week programme aimed at providing students with the opportunity to gain experience in their career of interest. The first week saw students partaking in sessions based around experience in the workplace, practical experience in a career sector of their choice, cv writing, confidence and teamwork building and A level taster sessions. In the second week students focused on further and higher education and took part in sessions based around student well-being, student finance, personal statement writing and student ambassador Q and A.

The aim of this programme was to prepare students for the world of work and also for their post 16 options. Students had the opportunity to gain hands on experience in an industry they are interested in working in, whilst at the same time getting to find out more about their college and university options. Students were supported throughout by school staff, college and university staff and employers to ensure progression and to inform decision making. This was a true collaborative event with support from Leeds Trinity University, Leeds United Foundation, Temple Moor High School, IntoUniversity, NHS, West Yorkshire Police, and the iCan Academy.

For more photo’s of the event please click here to go to our photo gallery

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Year 11 Well-Being and Enrichment Day https://mountstmarys.org.uk/year-11-well-being-and-enrichment-day/ Mon, 28 Jun 2021 10:45:37 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=10303

The Year 11 Well-Being and Enrichment Day gave students the chance to spend some time in a relaxed and friendly environment learning some new skills and developing their knowledge in a range of different practical and creative areas.

Students could choose between a range of sessions that allowed them to do something a little bit different, take some time out to focus on their well-being and have fun with their friends. Students chose from the following sessions which were put on by MSM staff:

  • Forensic Science
  • Jewellery Making
  • First Aid Skills
  • Ukulele Music
  • Batik
  • Baking breakfast muffins
  • Football
  • Quizzing
  • Media Make Up
  • Debate Mate
  • Glass Painting

There was so much positivity in the different sessions with students and staff alike having a great day all round!

For more photo’s of the event please click here to go to our photo gallery

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Year 8 Options Day https://mountstmarys.org.uk/year-8-options-day/ Tue, 15 Jun 2021 12:59:26 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=10127

Year 8 are now at the point of their Mount St Mary’s career where they start thinking about the subjects they would like to study at GCSE. To help support them in making the right choices, all our Year 8 students took part in an Options Drop Down Day, targeted at giving them practical experience of the subjects on offer to them.

Staff within the Creative Arts and Technologies Faculty delivered some amazing sessions aimed at giving our students a taste of what it is like to study different subjects at GCSE level. Students had the opportunity to experience learning within specialist spaces, which is something our students haven’t had the chance to do recently due to covid restrictions. Sessions were delivered in the Cyber Café, the Main Hall, the Workshop and the Kitchens to give students hands on, practical experience of subjects such as Hospitality and Catering, Drama, Design and Technology, Health and Social Care and Business Studies.

It was fantastic to see so many of our students embrace the challenge of a new subject area and even more encouraging to see them so engaged in taking responsibility for making an informed choice about their future pathway. Students experienced using a range of skills that included baking shortbread, using machinery to make wooden keyrings, applying their creativity skills in Design, building their confidence through Performing Arts and testing their entrepreneurial skills and business knowledge.

Our Careers Department also delivered an informative session around the types of jobs and career paths various subjects and qualifications could lead to. Year 8 are now reflecting on the day to help them make their choices regarding which subjects they feel are best suited to them and their future aspirations.

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Year 8 Into-University https://mountstmarys.org.uk/year-8-into-university/ Mon, 10 May 2021 07:24:19 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=9487

On Thursday 22 April, 28 Year 8 students took part in a session run by Into University. The session focused on providing students with different methods to recall information, as well as a range of revision techniques and memory games, giving them valuable skills to use as they progress into KS4 and begin studying GCSE courses. All the students who were involved approached the sessions with an overwhelming sense of respect and responsibility, and it was great to see the active participation by everyone to learn the Japanese numbers from 1 – 10.

Special recognition went to James Anderson for his outstanding efforts and contribution, but the most heart-warming moment was the Retribuam shown by Kwadwo Sarpong, who nominated Benny Asante to receive his prize to recognise the effort he had made during the sessions. We look forward to welcoming Into University for more sessions in the future.

“I just wanted to say thanks to you and all of the other school staff who helped us get in and deliver to Year 7 and Year 8 last week, especially at short notice.

It’s been months since we have been able to deliver in person at any schools, and we couldn’t have hoped for two better groups to deliver with – the team all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Both cohorts were focused and engaged.”

Ali Johnson from Into-University

For more photo’s of the event please click here to go to our photo gallery

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Leeds City College https://mountstmarys.org.uk/leeds-city-college/ Tue, 27 Apr 2021 09:12:18 +0000 https://mountstmarys.org.uk/?p=8794

Last week we had a representative from Leeds City College hold an assembly for our Year 11 students. The students were introduced to the various campuses and courses that Leeds City College have available and were also shown impressive video tours around their facilities. The representative explained that it is mainly vocational courses which they offer, however, they also have apprenticeships and a sixth form for A Level applicants. The students were impressed to hear that the college has a Student Union where they can go for support and to get involved with clubs and extra-curricular activities.

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