Assistant to the Deputy Mayor of London Visits St Edmund’s

3rd July 2019Mrs D Curtis

James Potts took time out from his busy day job, as Assistant to the Deputy Mayor of London, to speak with the sixth formers about his career pathway.

 

Since leaving St Edmund’s, James went on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts, Politics, at Nottingham University. He then became a Parliamentary Assistant in the House of Commons before becoming a Research and Support Officer in the Greater London Authority.

 

James went onto speak to the sixth formers about his St Edmunds experience and how it lead him to such a glamorous career, regularly meeting with politicians. He is due to meet Jeremy Corbyn tomorrow.  James talked about the implications of social media and twitter in the world of politics. He touched upon the issue of knife crime and media portrayal.

James was delighted to learn that Adeel Khan has a work placement arranged at the Labour Office for the MP for Wolverhampton South West, Eleanor Smith.

 

Mrs Hazeldine, Principal, said, “We are extremely proud of James’ achievements”.

Pictured with James Potts (centre): Usman Mahmood, Adeel Khan, Naomi Eguavoen, Silvia Konkwo, Sophie Tudor and Giancarlo Trinidad

 

Sixth Form Induction Day Success

2nd July 2019Mrs D Curtis

St Edmund’s Catholic Academy Sixth Form opened their doors to the incoming Year 12 cohort who will be joining in September.

 

A team of professionals from Barclays Bank took time out from their day jobs to speak about their careers and their educational pathways.  The sessions consisted of a series of individual and small team activities.

 

Sheer passion drive and determination was described in heartfelt presentations given by two staff from Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. James McPike, Youth Development Phase Coach, and Elliot Piggott-Smith, Academy Physiotherapist, shared their pathway to success, highlighting the highs and how they gained strength from the challenges they faced.

 

Former students Hannah Gay, a data analyst for the NHS, and Alice Beeston, Coordinator of PE at Redhill School, both gave presentations.  Hannah gave a thorough insight into careers in the NHS. Alice talked about her experience of sixth form and university and journey through education.

 

The students then had lessons in a carousel, which allowed them to get a flavour of what is to come in September and all students were issued summer tasks.

 

Year 12 Induction Day was a great success.

Year 12 Students Motivated By UCAS Exhibition NEC 2019

26th June 2019Mrs D Curtis

It may have been wet and cold day but that didn’t stop our brilliant year 12 representing the academy at the UCAS Exhibition this week.

There was something for everyone for our budding Sixth Form, ranging from Actuarial Sciences to Aerospace Engineering.

Silvia said, “Today has motivated me to work harder”. The students experienced a 360 degree movie about life on campus, talks on personal statements, apprenticeship opportunities, bursaries, scholarships and much more.

Year 12 students left the exhibition loaded with pens, prospectuses and with more clarity around the five university selections they will be making next term.

Photograph: Year 12 Students, Jasdeep Kulair, Adeel Khan, Jayana Chuhan, Amy Cox, Jason Randhawa, Taran Seehra and Barbara Poczatek

Sixth Form Employability & Enterprise Workshops

24th October 2018Mr M Jones

Daniel Collett from GE Aviation came in to deliver some workshops with year 12.  Former Head Boy at St. Edmunds who secured a very successful apprenticeship, Daniel is now in his fourth year at GE Aviation. He gave the students an insight in the world of work and the role of an apprentice.  Daniel was accompanied by a team of new apprentices who supported him with the employability workshops.

Sophie said “I found that it was very beneficial as they spoke to us and advised us on how to write a CV and the type of things to say within an interview. They also gave us tips on how to turn small things on your CV (such as communication skills) into things you can use in a bigger way. They also showed us how apprenticeships are not just about having a job but how they also continue teach you new things, such as how to work as a team, even when you’re out of the education system”.

Abigail said, “Although not being interested in the course itself (Engineering), I found it very helpful when advising us about how to prepare for interviews and questions that we may be expecting and how to answer them correctly to impress the interviewer, and to be able to flip weaknesses I may have, into positives”.

Taran said , “The course itself was very good at showing us how to prepare ourselves for interviews, along with telling us how to impress the interviewer”.

Nursing and Midwifery event at New Cross Hospital

23rd October 2018Mr M Jones
On Monday 15th October some of our Sixth Formers attended a Nursing and Midwifery event at New Cross Hospital.
It was a fantastic opportunity for our Sixth Formers as they were given important facts to what life as a Nurse or Midwife will entail and why the should consider Nursing as a profession. The day began with a welcoming speech from The Chief Nurse Anne-Marie Cannaby and later involved a question and answering session from year 3 Student Nurses. Our Sixth Formers also had the opportunity to participate in a number of practical sessions as well as visiting hospital wards
Marwah felt The day was very informative and the information given gave me an insight to whether nursing or midwifery would be a career I would plan to go onto.
Elza said “The day was very insightful for many of us who were still unsure about our career,as it gave us a glimpse of what it takes to be a Nurse or Midwife.”

Arun Complete’s Young Investment Banking Placement

10th October 2018Mrs D Curtis

Over the two years of A-Levels, I have supplemented this academic interest with work
experience within the financial sector. My placement on, “The Young Investment Banking
Programme” at The University Of Manchester gave me a 360-degree experience in investment banking where I was trained on how to secure a front-office position and given access to established investment bankers. During the program, I was given the opportunity to attend a one-on-one question and answer session which I found particularly beneficial. I was able to cover specific areas involving sales and trading, hedge funds and private equity, which gave me an overall boosted insight into finance as a whole. Commuting to Stoke-on-Trent (Wood Goldstraw Yorath LLP) I was given the opportunity to provide a budget for a client where I had to meet their overall set prices in completion of their house. The experience gave me a strong understanding on how to work with a variety of people and how to manage money in a more sophisticated way. I believe that studying a Banking and Finance degree will equip me with the knowledge and understanding to facilitate me forging a long and rewarding career in this area.

 

Arun Raj

Sixth Form

Cery’s Sutton Trust Summer School Experience

2nd October 2018Mr M Jones

The Sutton Trust project involved 6 days living in Grey College at Durham University. Each day consisted of academic sessions where a subject leader would do presentations on different aspects of the chosen course in preparation of an assessed project at the end. After an evening meal, social activities ran which included theatre, football, fencing, a silent disco and open mic night. The assessed project for Psychology was a written piece on our own devised psychological experiment, and a presentation to our group on said experiment. Passing this project resulted in a guaranteed conditional offer in which the entry requirements were reduced from AAA to ABB.

The Sutton Trust Summer School at Durham University was insightful. It was my first time travelling and living away from home so now I don’t feel as anxious when thinking about moving away to University. I am also positive that Durham is the university for me, as well as being confident in my choice of course.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

1st October 2018Mr M Jones

Friday 28 September 2018 marked the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning organised by our
Sixth Form.

Staff took part and generously contributed cakes to be sold. We certainly ‘baked it and
faked it’!! Our Sixth Formers – Tiffany, Cerys and Gabriella kindly promoted and co-
ordinated the event. The majority of the cakes were sold during break in the foyer.

Leoni (8AK) said, “ I bought a cake that had a cute strawberry on top of the icing and jam in
the middle. I support Macmillan because my great uncle died from cancer and I think
Macmillan do an amazing job supporting people with cancer”.

Visit from Oriel College, Oxford

18th September 2018Mr M Jones

India Collins-Davies, Outreach Officer from Oriel College, Oxford came to speak to Year 13 about the interview and application process. We have a number of potential Oxbridge applicants this year who are competing for places at Oxford and Cambridge.

Arminda is applying to Cambridge this year to study Computer Science, he is predicted an A* at A level, Armindar said, “The experience was very helpful, and made me feel more confident about my application, India made some valuable comments”.

In year 12 we have a group of aspiring medics who spoke to India about gaining experience in the medical field in preparation for their university applications next year.

India gave a motivational talk to year 11 with a brief overview of entry requirements and career pathways. Paige who is aspiring to go to Oxford asked about her pathway to university and ‘A’ level options in St Edmunds Sixth form.

“The Best Dressed Sixth Former” award

17th September 2018Mr M Jones
John is one of many great ambassadors for St Edmund’s Catholic Academy. He is currently studying Law, English Language and Literature and Film Studies he aspires to study English at University.
The school dress code firmly stipulates smart office wear a rule which John always adheres to, wearing his uniform with the same pride as the uniforms worn by Years 7 to 11. This was celebrated by his peers last term when he was awarded a certificate for ‘The Best Dressed Sixth Former”. Last weekend, he visited Blooms Menswear in Darlington Street, where he shook hands with the manager and had his photo taken within the shop, holding the certificate he was awarded.
John stated, “A good uniform is a sign of good discipline and as students of St Edmunds, it is our responsibility to set a good example. Or at the very least not to appear haphazard.”
The Year 13 student is a frequent customer at Blooms Menswear in Wolverhampton, where he, like so many others, has his suit tailored and fitted, He takes great pride in his appearance along with his school work and as proud members of this academy, we should ensure that we reflect that pride both in our work, in our attitudes and in our uniforms.