On the “Beyond Year 11” drop down day, we had lots of great opportunities to have sessions with different colleges, universities and companies offering apprenticeships, to look at careers and education opportunities post-16.

Firstly, my form had a speaker from Parker Hannifin (Gail Anthony), a manufacturing company, who talked to us about how their creations were used all around the world and what an apprenticeship would look like with them.

Next, we had Sarah Wigmore from Oaklands College presenting their different courses and a plumber, Darren Manning, talking about his own job teaching there.

This was followed by Renee Ramsay-Nicol from Computacentre who gave us an engaging task of creating an internet-safety TikTok video in a small group.

Another talk was from was Alison Moore from the University of Hertfordshire, who talked to us about university life and the benefits of going to university.

We also had Nick Baker and Charlotte Jones from Compco Fire Systems, who gave us a small talk about what they did and then a practical task of solving a problem and identifying possible risks, dressing one team member up in a builder’s uniform!

Lastly, we had a presentation from Mr. Laing, who talked to us about all the plans for our Sixth Form. He showed us all the possible courses and what differences and privileges there would be for us there.

Overall, it was an extremely engaging and interactive day that made me think deeper about what I wanted to do post-16, and helped me get a clearer idea of possible choices for the future.

Annalisa R (Y11)