Y10 pupils, enjoyed a talk from Corpus Christi, Oxford University. Pupils received a range of information on entry requirements, application process and financial support. Also insight on the social aspect of university life #BelieveToAchieve

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Eight Yr8 pupils have taken part in a 4-week Politics Project run by BeeWell culminating in a pupil presentation to local politicians online on 4th July regarding key issues concerning young people in Tameside. Our pupils chose to speak about the increased cost of living and its impact on mental health. A proposed solution was to invest in local leisure centres with facilities targeted at young people. Ideas included outdoor football areas, an indoor gaming room, indoor play centre and a gym for children. Our pupils were complimented highly for their excellent presentation skills and for speaking with great eloquence. The politicians were impressed by the mature way in which they approached complex issues and said their ideas were well thought through. The Yr8 pupils were excellent ambassadors for St Damian’s and for young people in Tameside.

Early morning employer talks were live streamed from Greater Manchester Careers Service. These focused on engineering & consulting with Arup, Technology, sales and marketing with Autotrader, HR, IT & Construction with BAM Nuttall, producers, artists and bands with the Warehouse project and construction and property services with Wilmott Dixon.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Two groups of Y9 boys have followed a 6-week aspirations and employability skills course delivered by Mrs C Brierley from the Department of Work and Pensions during the Spring term. Pupils identified personal qualities and skills required in the workplace, looked at apprenticeships and skills required for interviews. Pupils carried out mock interviews and were given feedback. The employability skills course has made the Y9 boys much more aware of the local labour market and jobs available, the importance of communication skills, the need to get good qualifications and the need to work hard at school so that they can get the job the want in the future.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Y8 recently attended a webinar from the Cybercrime unit at Greater Manchester Police. Pupils were given comprehensive advice on how to stay safe online which included high security password protection, privacy settings and protecting personal information. They also explored different types of cybercrime including sexting, cyber bullying, hate crime, misuse of social media and hacking, the laws in place and the consequences if the law is broken. The talk focused also highlighted how pupils could pursue future careers in computer-coding and consider an apprenticeship at different levels of entry in the cybercrime unit.

We are pleased to announce that three pupils in Yr9 have been selected to represent St Damian's and take part in the BeeWell Youth Steering Group run by Greater Manchester Combined Authority. These pupils will work with pupils from other schools and discuss matters relating to mental health & well-being, representing the views of young people across Greater Manchester.

​

​

​

​

​

At the end of November, 25 Year 9 pupils took part in an aspirations workshop run by Regeneration Brainery. Pupils embraced real-life challenges based on urban planning and regeneration. At the end pupils were asked to give a presentation and presented a number of innovative proposals and were great ambassadors for the school. Well done to all the Year 9 pupils who took part! Mrs Henshaw and I really enjoyed seeing their confidence and presentation skills

In July many of our pupils took part in work experience placements in the local community. These included nurseries, primary schools, hospitals, the construction industry, leisure, engineering and accountancy to mention a few. Although disrupted by Covid, it was a highly rewarding and worthwhile experience for many of our pupils.

Feedback from work placements:

• “XX was a pleasure to have…No task was too much trouble…She was polite, conscientious and hard-working”

• “We were extremely pleased with XX’s work ethic, attendance, punctuality, attendance and time keeping. XX was friendly and approachable… XX will be a credit to any future employer”

• “Brilliant attitude. Been a big help for me this week”

• “Her teamwork and enthusiasm has been exceptional”

Some comments from parents included:

• “I feel that XX has gained a lot more confidence and has learnt to become more assertive”

• “He is speaking a lot more in groups of people”

• “It was a thoroughly worthwhile experience”

• “The biggest benefit has been the confidence boost…”

• “The skills my daughter developed were: patience, listening, teamwork and communication”

• “XX must have benefitted from this experience as she never stopped talking about it”

This work experience was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to develop key employability skills such as teamwork, time management, problem-solving and communication skills.

Year 10 visited Manchester Metropolitan University and enjoyed a workshop on Study Skills and Goal Setting. The visit was successful in inspiring our pupils with an introduction to post-16 opportunities

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Congratulations to the large group of Yr10 pupils who successfully completed the Raising Aspirations programme at Ashton Sixth Form having attended taster sessions in their chosen subjects and having completed a formally assessed piece of work. Pupils were complimented for their maturity, enthusiasm and high levels of engagement and I am extremely proud of their hard work and dedication. Well done to two of our pupils who were selected for special awards: Anya Fotheringham who received the award for Business, Economics & Finance and to Thomas Brown who achieved the award for Maths & Science. A fantastic achievement! 

​

​

​

​

​

​

This focused on 4 key areas of business using St. Damian’s as an example to develop key skills in marketing, enterprise, sustainability & creating community links. Entries were of a very high standard and it was very difficult to choose the winning forms. The following forms were the winners for their year group: 8SBY, 9RJS & 10SBR. The Y7 winner will be announced after Easter.  

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Thirty Year 9 pupils spent a day at the University of Salford on Thursday 17th February 2022. Pupils attended a workshop which explored the different pathways into higher education and the wide range of courses available. Pupils were surprised when they were told nationally that there were 35,000 different courses to choose from. Pupils also did a tour of the University campus looking at the accommodation, library, student facilities and subject departments. Pupils were able to ask questions and find out about degree courses, societies and finance. Pupils also took part in a higher education quiz in teams. The visit clearly had an impact on many of our pupils. One Y9 pupil commented in their evaluation ‘It has made me want to take school seriously’, another said ‘I want to work harder’, another said ‘I want to go to university so I can get a better job’.    

During National Apprenticeships Week, Yr9 pupils attended a lecture given by Mr Artley from Seta Training. Pupils learned about the range of apprenticeships available at age 16 & 18 including higher level degree apprenticeships. Many companies in a range of employment sectors now offer apprenticeships where apprentices get paid whilst acquiring invaluable workplace skills and training. If successful, apprentices then go on to take on promoted positions. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

On our website is our third Alumni newsletter which gives updates on the careers and successes of past pupils. Growing our Alumni network is key. If you are a past pupil or know a past pupil, please encourage them to click on the 'keep in touch' button and to tell us their news and hopefully they will be able to feature in future newsletters. We would love to welcome back past pupils who would like to come back to school and inspire our current pupils by delivering a short talk or workshop. If interested, please email: alumni@stdamians.co.uk

Last week, George Kenyon, a representative from GMHigher, the collaborative network of universities and further education colleges across Greater Manchester, delivered assemblies to pupils in Y9 and Y10 linking the importance of GCSE subject choices and attainment as a gateway to future success. Pupils explored the range of courses and progression routes on offer as well as learned about the potential of higher education graduates to secure a range of jobs in different sectors in our local area.

Congratulations to Y10 pupils who took part in the Virtual Work Experience with our new business partner, Fortem, a well-established property maintenance company. Pupils were involved in live links with Fortem employees via Teams and were busy completing a range of modules which included Innovation, Design, Resource Allocation, IT project management, IT development and Designing your own Business Plan. St. Damian's pupils with good academic qualifications and strong employability skills developed during work experience will be attractive to colleges, universities and employers in the future.

Congratulations to our Yr10 pupils who have just completed their work experience in a wide range of job sectors including education, retail, leisure, hospitality, social care and law with some travelling as far as Hertfordshire, Nottingham and Scotland to complete their placements. Feedback from employers was highly complimentary emphasising the maturity, initiative and sense of responsibility shown and pupils developed a range of employability skills. I am proud to hear such wonderful comments and this experience will prove to be of great value in the future when applying to college or securing an apprenticeship.  

Mrs Brierley, from the Department of Work and Pensions gave pupils an update on the local job market looking at the top sectors: retail, motor mechanics, manufacturing, construction, health and social care and education and jobs of the future in artificial intelligence, digital technology, environment and biotechnology. There are plenty of interesting future opportunities for pupils to consider.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Yr7 met Ms Lewis, Managing Partner and Senior producer at The Gate Films who spoke about how her team comes up with ideas for adverts and then the stages of production for a range of big brand clients. Yr8 & Yr10 met Ms Duffy, Social Value Lead at TRU West - Bam Nuttall spoke about the Transpennine Rail link upgrade and the focus on digital construction and sustainable infrastructure and apprenticeships in Civil Engineering, Construction, Quantity Surveying or Building Services Engineering, Business and Administration. Yr9 met Mr Mason, Managing Director, Stately Strategic Recruitment Group who talked about STEM jobs including civil/chemical/electrical and mechanical engineering and the aviation industry.

On the final day of National Apprenticeships Week, several pupils in Y7-9 attended Aspirations Talks given by Mr Lee Mason, our Enterprise Adviser. Mr Mason is a successful business entrepreneur from Tameside.  He shared information on the skills needed for the workplace with a focus on resilience, self-confidence, attitude, accountability, teamwork and goal setting for future success. These talks were well received by pupils and have helped reinforce that with an open mind and the right attitude, what you can achieve is limitless.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Three pupils in Yr10 have been nominated to take part in a Young Researchers Programme in collaboration with the University of Manchester. Pupils will be introduced to the world of academic research, with a focus on wellbeing. Pupils will get the opportunity to get hands on with the #BeeWell data analysis and shape future research carried out by the University of Manchester team. 

​

​

​

​

​

28 pupils have applied for 12 allocated places across a range of courses such as Art & Design, Business, Economics & Finance, Social Sciences, Humanities, Maths & Science. Interest has been high and it was great to see the high calibre of applications. We are proud to announce that all Y10 pupils have successfully been awarded places.

​

​

​

​

Ahead of the COP 26 conference taking place this week in Glasgow, Y11 learned about the challenges being embraced by businesses in Greater Manchester to plan for a more sustainable future in the workplace. Following encounters with colleges, apprenticeships, university providers and employers, pupils were given plenty of opportunities to consider as they plan their next steps.

​

​

​

​