Pupils in Peterborough are urged to raise their expectations

Nominated students from these schools have been taking part in the Insight Discover programme which aims to raise aspirations among young teenagers through a number of online mentoring projects, and academic assignments.

In June, Year 9 pupils from Sir Harry Smith Community College, Ken Stimpson Community School, Nene Park Academy, Queen Katharine Academy, Ormiston Bushfield Academy, Thomas Deacon Academy and St. John Fisher School attended a Careers and Skills Day organised by the university at the Allia Future Business Centre in Peterborough.

The students took part in a range of activities which aimed to develop their transferable skills.

Leading up to the event, students worked on a project where they had to complete an application form for a professional job. They had to discuss their transferable skills in the application in preparation for a mock interview at the event. Students also took part in a Lego project which required them to invent a product or service with the aim of enhancing the student experience at university.

Daniel Pererra, a Modern Foreign Languages teacher from St. John Fisher said: “I’ve enjoyed today in particular as they’ve had something very active so they’ve had the chance to use their skills, like communication and teamwork.”

James Anderson, the More Able and Talented Coordinator at Queen Katharine Academy said: “I think today’s been absolutely brilliant. It’s really great to see students work together as a team, and see them collaborate on something that has brought them all together. The programme has, as a whole, been really valuable.”