Pupils display communication skills with confidence

Longridge hosted an exciting Careers Fair in school this week which drew praise from career providers for the maturity in School pupils.

There was also an opportunity for pupils to lead on discussions around particular career options and what they are seeking in the next chapter of their lives.

Deputy Headteacher Mrs Arnott said: “The Careers Fair is a really important annual event because it brings a reality to the work we do in school, supporting pupils to gain clear insights into the range of pathways and opportunities for further study and work for young people today.

“With a range of visitors from the worlds of employment, apprenticeship and further education, the buzz of conversation all afternoon demonstrated the interest and engagement of our older pupils as their eyes were opened to a wide range of career opportunities and ideas.”

Head of Pastoral Mr Skeen added: “It is important to us that our students get the maximum benefit they can from Careers Fairs and so we work with both the students themselves and providers to ensure they both understand what can be achieved at the event.

“I think that came through strongly this time with a number of providers making a point of saying to us that they found the Longridge pupils very engaging and confident in discussing careers and opportunities.

“That is the key for us – that both pupils and employers can share information and start to develop understanding of the pathways for pupils into a wide variety of work.”

The Longridge approach to encouraging children to have a voice was evident at the start of the day began with pupils Gabbi and Miriam delivering an interesting assembly for Forms 1-3 which displayed their passion and commitment to being members of the RAF Cadet Corp. They had requested and prepared for this in a very mature and confident way.

“In our regular year group assemblies age specific discussion and support is provided,” explained Mrs Arnott. “Pupils are encouraged to suggest the focus for these assemblies, and Gabbi and Miriam relished this opportunity to speak to their peers and share their passion and enthusiasm for the challenges and opportunities they have been given access to through the cadets.”

The PE team were also keen to hear from a group of Form 3 and 4 pupils on their views regarding sporting participation. From this has come a fantastic series of Tuesday afternoon coastal walks being introduced by Mrs Smith to address a request for alternative ways to exercise and take advantage of our location and access to great local walks during the summer term.

Mrs Arnott commented: “That is the beauty of a small school like Longridge, where it is fantastic to be able to meet bespoke curriculum requests. The pupils become more confident from being asked for their views and given a voice in school and our staff are key to that because they listen and shape what we do as a result.

“The staff constantly amaze me with their ideas and enthusiasm to meet the individual needs of all our learners. Our pupils really are lucky to have such an amazing group of colleagues who know them so well, and who go out of their way to genuinely listen and support them every day.”