National Apprenticeship Week 2023

This week, we have been celebrating National Apprenticeship Week. Nowadays, there are many exciting opportunities for students to explore but it is essential that young people do their research so that they make an informed decision about their future careers. In order to support our students with these important decisions, they have been learning about apprenticeships, the labour market and working on their employability skills.

Every day has been busy with a range of lunch time activities and visits from external speakers. On Monday, Sixth Form and Year 11 students interested in careers in Law took part in an ‘Ask a Justice’ event and we invited the Stafford College Apprenticeship Bus in to school which was well received by students from all year groups.

In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, members of staff have put together career profiles which detail their qualifications and career pathways. These ranged from working in pig factories to filling pork pies. Students have enthusiastically completed activities based around these profiles to earn valuable house points and learn more about careers in different industries.

The whole-school focus week saw a wealth of experienced presenters from a range of providers visit assemblies to give our students a flavour of apprenticeship opportunities. These ranged from ASK Apprenticeships who talked to Year 11 students about their Post-16 and Post-18 options to apprenticeship teams from South Staffordshire College and Walsall College who talked to students in Years 9 and 10. Jayne Guest from In-Comm Training gave an inspiring presentation to Year 8 about Engineering apprenticeships and skills gaps in the manufacturing industry. She spoke passionately about encouraging females into STEM based jobs and encouraged students to get involved with activities in and out of school.

Julie Poppleton, Director of Careers, said: “There is an increasing number of students that are looking to go down apprenticeship routes. As a school we are engaging with employers who are looking to grow their own talent and are offering apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced or higher degree level.”

Carrie Cain, Assistant Headteacher, added: “Our careers programme is a golden thread that runs through the school curriculum and inspires our young people to aim high and follow their dreams. NAW plays an important part in this careers programme, and we are grateful to the companies and organisers of the events taking place in this week, as they help our students make an informed decision about their next steps.”

School Closure 07/02/2023

TO ALL PARENTS/CARERS:

Chase Terrace Academy will be closed to all students today due a maintenance issue. This morning we opened our doors to a burst water pipe in the ceiling. The water had left multiple classrooms flooded, meaning they were not able to be used and not safe for students to be in. We are currently ensuring the electrics and fire alarms are working correctly following the water damage but fully expect to be able to open tomorrow, with restricted access to the damaged classrooms.  We apologise sincerely for any inconvenience this may have caused to our parents, carers and students. We will keep you updated on the circumstances.

Thank you all for your patience and co-operation with this.

Staffordshire University Future Journalists Awards 2023 / Careers Workshops

50 students from across KS3, KS4 and KS5 were invited to attend and find out more about entering this competition. This was launched with some current final year undergraduate students Harry Bamforth and Nathan Edwards who are studying Journalism at Staffordshire University.  Students found out about making an entry with writing words or creating a video/audio clip of their choice with a deadline of the 3rd March 2023.  To support them in making an application and to explore careers in this sector, Mrs Poppleton Director of Careers, Mrs Cain Assistant Head and Mrs Cowley Head of English, arranged for some expert guests to run some short careers workshops including:

•          Marketing, Media and PR

•          Photography and Videography

•          Journalism

•          Editing and Radio presenting

We were joined by expert guests: Ed Nell a BBC Radio Presenter, Russell Youll a group Sports Editor with the Midlands News Association, Nigel Howle a Journalism Lecturer from Staffs Uni and owner of Howle Communications (which specialises in PR and Media) and Stuart James owner and Director for Emotive Eye specialising in Corporate Photography and Videography. 

Mrs Poppleton commented ‘’The opportunity which our students have been given today and the time which our external guests have given us has been invaluable to our students. All students took something away with them and they were really inspired, informed and aware about the labour market and the wide level of opportunities for jobs in these sectors. I wish any students who apply for this competition every success!’’

Ed Nell commented –“It was good to educate the students upon journalism as a profession and widen their knowledge of our field. The students at Chase Terrace Academy were eager to participate in the group activities and contributed to the discussions we had about different areas of Journalism. We made sure that the groups were rotated so the students could get exposure to different types of careers.”

Year 10 Raising Aspirations Evening

Our commitment to raising aspirations and opening our students’ eyes to the post-16 education and career routes is a high priority for our school and this particular evening very much followed our mind-set.

The evening was very well attended as parents and students took the opportunity to gather specific guidance and information from a range of speakers on post-Year 11 options.

The event began with a presentation from the Headteacher, Head of Sixth Form and Careers Lead and was followed by a series of optional workshops from which each family opted for their preferred two.

There was an apprenticeships talk delivered by Jessica Pieri from NGTU, information about starting your own business from Eleanor Campion, Caitlyn Atkins and the Chambers of Commerce and Newman University spoke about student finance. Elsewhere, the English Department gave further guidance about English at GCSE and jobs and university applications.

Mrs Cain, Assistant Headteacher, said: “The key to making a successful choice is to familiarise yourself with the options early and to make sure you hit the necessary milestones to reach your destination. It is important to remember that competition is high so every grade you can grab puts you a step ahead. It is crucial to realise that there is a direct link between the classroom and the world of work.”

Ms Mason, Headteacher, added: “It was fantastic to see such an excellent turnout. This evening certainly got the ball rolling on discussions at home and continues to flag up to Year 10s that their performance this year is critical in forming a successful application at the end of Year 11.”