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.