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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.