For staff on duty at the front door one Friday in November, it was hard to tell some of our students apart from special visitors who were in school that day. The occasion was an Interview Skills Day for our Year 12 pupils, featuring a ‘mock’ interview in front of a member of staff or a business person from the local community. The idea behind this annual event is to prepare next year’s leavers for the reality of facing job interviews. They now have a greater appreciation of the pressures involved and will hopefully be better prepared when the time comes.

Our Year 12 pupils certainly ‘put on the style’ for the day, with some of them looking far more mature than their real age!

         

  

 

In January our Year 12 pupils were out of school for a week of Work Experience. As usual, the local business community, public sector and services community welcomed them and offered a wide range of activities and experiences. Each of them learned valuable lessons for the future, with many confirming their career plans.

The Work experience Cup was awarded to Zara Leslie, who completed a week at Harding & McKee Vets in Coleraine. Zara was enthusiastic and helpful throughout the week and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience! She proved to be a great ambassador for the school. 

            

Andrew was with Stephen Moore Farm Machinery. He told us he was involved in fixing the air conditioning and front linkage on a tractor and enjoyed the fact that he was trusted to do this kind of work (under supervision). He hopes to become a fully qualified engineer and really appreciated the opportunity to learn more about this kind of work.

Dylan spent the week with MM Mechanical Plumbing & Heating. He said he really enjoyed being involved so much in the jobs they were doing that week. He helped the regulars as they removed old copper pipes from bathrooms and fitted new radiators to a house. He was grateful for the experience and has learned new skills for the future.

Aaron joined a number of other pupils who were with the Army for a week, where the instructions just kept on coming. Being required to tidy their rooms every day proved to be quite a challenge for some. Aaron said he loved the assault course best. “It was the most fun, it was a real challenge and I was motivated to complete it.” He said he learned just how tough life in the army is, with all the hard work and effort that is expected. Despite all this, he also said it was a great experience since it was something he had never done before.