Heathfield Community College celebrates a wider curriculum day exploring career and further education options
2nd May
All of Year 10 were fantastically engaged this week during their Wider Curriculum Day which marks the launch of their focussed support on progression paths after Year 11. The day was split into two parts: travelling to Eastbourne Sports Park for https://www.bigfuturesshow.org.uk/ The Big Futures Careers Fair, which is the largest employability, skills and job event in East Sussex. Visitor numbers were 2000+ including schools and active job-seekers. The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Tim Cobb, who attended in the afternoon, was also most impressed by what he saw as was Councillor Pat Rodohan, The Worshipful Mayor of Eastbourne Borough Council.
Students had been prepared in PSHEe lessons and by their form tutors to make sure they took full advantage of such an excellent networking opportunity and spoke to at least 3 employers, a training provider, an FE College and a charity. Mr Howard, who led the trips was proud of how our Year10s conducted themselves and engaged with stalls which ranged from the Armed Forces, the NHS, creative media companies, finance and construction employers as well as high profile leisure and tourism sector employers and a range of brilliant local charities. One student the next day reported: “It was such a useful day for me, I had a really good conversation with a local College and now know exactly what I want to go on to after Year 11.”
For the second part of the day whilst the students were at school they were involved in a carousel of four activities to help them start to or progress with their Information, Advice and Guidance for next year: One carousel, lead by a Head of Faculty at Lewes’ East Sussex College Group campus explained the opportunities vocational education can offer, the University of Portsmouth presenter spoke about Higher Education and students had the opportunity to explore a number of recommended careers websites included on the Careers’ page of the website: https://www.heathfieldcc.co.uk/?page_id=68 in particular the site they will be using at the start of Year 11 to apply to the heathfield Community College Sixth Form or other providers in the County: www.careerseastsussx.co.uk .
The fourth carousel at College called ‘What’s My Line?’ was a great chance for the Year10 students to really impress 11 different employers with their excellent interpersonal and employability skills. Volunteers included a retired radiographer who was pleased to share that ‘your students are a credit to you: what lovely young people’, the HR Director from a Kent based pre school nursery provider who said ‘I have been to many schools for similar events and was so pleased to meet such well-behaved and polite young people, that has not always been my experience’ and a retired lawyer and current governor who emailed to say ‘The students are endlessly different and fascinating; and hilarious.’
Caroline Barlow, Headteacher commented:
“My favourite feedback came from and NHS District Nurse who emailed to say: “It was a pleasure to be part of the schools careers day. It was a difficult task for the pupils but they embraced the event ,they were polite, engaging and I was asked intelligent questions. They were delightful students and a credit to their school.”
For Ms Taylor, who led on the day and is the Head of PSHEe and Careers Lead it was:
“So rewarding as a very experienced teacher to still be delighted and impressed by so many young people stepping up and showing such mature interpersonal skills to be able to impress adults they had not met before, this certainly bodes well for their future.“
