Headteacher's Weekly Update

We have been delighted to showcase the skills and talents of our students through opportunities designed to give them a taster of the world of work.

Last Friday we sent seven students from Years 10 and 11 to Ipswich Hospital to take part in their annual “Take Over” day. They learned a lot from shadowing a range of staff and seeing the hospital in action during a busy working day. Not only did they learn about the healthcare sector but also more widely about business and management roles within a large organisation.

This week some of our Young Carers from Years 7-11 went to the University of Suffolk to speak to their Nursing Students. Mrs Steele and Mrs Byam, who lead our Young Carers work at the school, spoke about the ways in which we as a school support these students who have to deal with so much on a daily basis, helping them to balance home and school life in order to achieve their very best. Having achieved our Platinum Award in recognition of the work we do, we are proud of the support offered to our students. Then the ten Claydon High School students spoke to smaller groups of the trainee nurses, offering personal insight about the challenges they face. The university said that their students had gained so much from talking to students and hearing their opinions rather than merely being taught the theory.

Year 11s arrived at school for Learning About Work day, dressed for a day of work, as local employers joined us to share their expertise from different fields with our students. Students had completed application forms with CVs for the employers to consider and then spent the day finding out about recruitment and selection processes in different industries. Each student was then interviewed by a business person for their desired roles and the interviewers selected their preferred candidates. We are so grateful to local businesses and employers for supporting us and very proud of our students for performing so well; a number of our visitors said they would hire all of the students they had interviewed if they could! Thanks to the following for giving so willingly of their time: Barclays Bank, BSP International, Exim Solutions, Harwich and Dovercourt High School, Haven Power, John Lewis and Partners, Larking Gowen, MacKenzie King, Morrish Consulting Engineers, NAC Coaching Ltd, Oliver Marks Consulting, Resolute Mortgages, SHE French and Suez UK.