News and Events

Careers trip to Manchester Metropolitan University

A group of Year 10s visited Manchester Metropolitan University before the half term break as part of our Careers programme. The trip was designed to encourage students to think about life beyond school and to consider the different options on offer to them at post-16 and post-18. Our day began with a talk from the university’s Student Recruitment team where students learnt about the benefits of Higher Education, the different types of degree courses available and university fees and funding. Three University Student Ambassadors then shared their experiences with the group, including what a typical week is like for them: their timetables were very different depending on their subjects (English, Biology and Human Nutrition). They also talked about the clubs and activities they are involved in and how they manage their money. We then discussed the pros and cons of living away from home in student accommodation versus staying local and travelling into university each day to study.

After a quiz and Q&A session, the group were ready to take a tour of the university campus and facilities. We started at the Business School and were guided on past the Library and on to the busy Oxford Road corridor which is always a hive of activity with neighbouring institutions the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester. We took in Manchester’s first Poetry Library, the Jobs Hub and our students then got to sit inside a huge lecture theatre at the Geoffrey Manton Building which houses humanities subjects. This gave the group the chance to experience a lecture, sitting in the cinema-like seating as our guide presented to them from the front. This was the favourite part of the trip for most of our students - they found it felt quite different to a lesson back at school!

Next our tour took us past Manchester School of Art and on into the School of Digital Arts (SODA) where we were met by one of the university tutors. She talked about the types of subject areas on offer, her passion for the digital arts and what happens in the different spaces (e.g. creative studio space, exhibition areas and sections for independent study). We travelled on to the Students’ Union and the ambassadors told us about the student events they can attend in the main hall, including arts workshops, puppy yoga and roller discos! Our visit culminated in a trip past student halls to give our Year 10s an idea of the type of accommodation they might expect to live in and how much this could cost.

Thank you to the team at MMU for being our guides and for giving our students an insight into university life. The group came away with lots of ideas and chatted about whether they think Higher Education is for them. This experience will certainly help them when it comes to making decisions about post-16 and post-18 choices.