Year 8 House Day: Careers, Skills & Enterprise
Our Year 8 students had a busy week last week, with a trip to Whipsnade and their first Year 8 House Day. These days offer students a chance to develop new skills and explore learning opportunities beyond their regular timetable.
This year, the theme was Careers and Employment. The morning began with an online forum hosted by WorkTree, an organisation dedicated to career education. Students were introduced to workplace fundamentals before engaging with professionals from diverse industries, who shared insights about their roles. Students then had the opportunity to ask questions, sparking inspiration and encouraging them to think about their own career aspirations.
Building on our curriculum themes of Sustainability and STEM, students participated in a lively class debate about the pros and cons of space exploration versus its environmental impact. It was impressive to see students collaborate, research, and formulate arguments while also developing strategies to counter opposing teams.
The morning concluded with a hands-on team STEM challenge: constructing the tallest spaghetti and marshmallow tower and designing a paper ramp to launch a marble through the air. This activity showcased students’ problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills as they worked together to tackle these creative tasks.
The day’s final activity was the launch of our enterprise event. Each form group received a £10 startup fund and was divided into teams to brainstorm a business idea. Teams pitched their ideas “Dragons’ Den” style, presenting concepts ranging from cupcakes to crochet dolls. Students embraced the challenge enthusiastically, and after voting on their favourite ideas, they will now bring them to life. Any profits generated will go toward our House Charities at the end of the year.
Year 8 House Day was a fantastic opportunity for students to engage in meaningful, skill-building activities that connect classroom learning to real-world experiences.
