Year 11 students learn new skills to help them with interviews.

A large part of our efforts go towards raising aspirations and showing students right from Year 7 that if they are positive and ambitious they can achieve great things. As well as a year-round calendar of careers events, we aim to equip our students with skills for the future that go above and beyond achieving good academic grades alone.

During the session today, students covered topics aimed at developing interview skills. These included the importance of body language and what not to wear to an interview, being professional and shaking hands, doing research beforehand, focusing on your positive qualities and what to do with an awkward question.

The aim was to enable students to focus on their character; we have recently launched a brand new Character Programme with students undertaking regular timetabled lessons. In those sessions, they are taught to think positively about the future and think about the type of person they are aiming to become, committing a sentence to the beginning of their exercise books that serves as a daily reminder of their aspirations and the impact they are hoping to have on their communities. Whilst it covers the importance of being kind and respectful to one another, we are also teaching our students vital skills for an interview like how to introduce yourself confidently and offer a firm handshake. 

Head of the Character programme, Miss Dawes, said: "The purpose of today was to ensure that our Year 11 students are equipped with top tips for securing apprenticeships of post 16 qualifications. We aimed to support them with real life first hand experience and allow them to put this into practice in a familiar environment. They are now ready to take on the outside world one hand shake at a time."

Halle Marie, Year 11, said afterwards:: "I found this morning really helpful, having never been for an interview I now know what I would do before one and I feel more confident."