Ms Buckle, Head of Year 11, arranged for two members of the National Citizen Service to join the Year 11 assembly today to explain how NCS offers students an opportunity to gain new skills and have plenty of fun this summer.

NCS is open to all 16 and 17-year-olds in England and helps build skills for work and life, whilst taking on new challenges and making new friends.  The programme runs in the spring, summer and autumn and brings together young people from different backgrounds. Being part of  NCS  is a great way for students to improve confidence, self-awareness and responsibility. The programme encourages personal and social development by working on skills like leadership, teamwork and communication.  Students taking part will have a short time away from home and will have to develop a social action project to deal with a local issue they’re passionate about.  They will then spend 30 hours putting the project into action in our community.  This is a great example of community engagement.

NCS quote on their website that, “Teenagers will develop the skills that employers increasingly value: confidence, leadership and independence and that NCS is a great addition to a teenager’s CV. In fact, almost three quarters (72%) of NCS graduates feel more confident about getting a job after doing NCS. All NCS graduates receive a certificate signed by the Prime Minister, and moreover, UCAS recommends students put NCS in their personal statement”.

Students at St Edmund’s are being offered the NCS experience at a discounted price of ÂŁ30 if they complete applications by 8 February 2017.

More information can be found on the following websites:

http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/

https://www.gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/national-citizen-service