Earlier in the week, Year 7 students (currently embarking on their new Year 8 timetable), worked in small, non-friendship groups to learn more about the world of work, and also watched an inspirational video about the man who invented the Makarapa!

Makarapa - Wikipedia

Developing some great employability skills, including communication, problem solving, meeting deadlines, managing risk and being creative, students took part in three different activities, led by a superb team from Bright Futures.

Steve, one of the facilitators, has worked in Malawi to train entrepreneurs and is an environmentalist – he also performs at Glastonbury! He told students “I am so impressed with your ideas, in such a short space of time too – you have been brilliant to work with, thank you”

Steve went on to explain that it’s important to look at risk and reward and at the business opportunities that are out there – regardless of your background or academic abilities. He said “Businesses pay people lots of money to analyse data to predict risk. Remember, even if you fail you will have learnt from the experience and gained lots of knowledge. Many famous business owners have failed in their original enterprises but are now highly successful”

Careers Lead, Mrs Taylor said: “We were delighted to welcome back the team from Bright Futures, It’s important for our younger students to begin to identify their own skills and abilities and start to gather knowledge about the opportunities that are available.

I would also like to extend my thanks to staff, who encouraged the teams throughout the challenges and supported the students as they completed their work”