News and Events

Post-16 Experience Days 2025

Over the past few weeks year 10 students have been taking part in our annual series of exciting “Post-16 Days” as part of the school Careers Programme. These events are designed to encourage students to seriously consider what they would like to do when they leave school, to experience a day in the life of a college student and to learn more about the world of work. Year 10s have learnt about the different options available to them at post-16 and developed important new skills which will help them with decision-making and applications as they move on into year 11. The range of interactive activities included our annual employer fair as well as college taster days and special careers and post-16 workshops:

• Employer Speed Networking event – with local employers and apprenticeship providers
• Creating a CV
• Interview Techniques
• University education – workshop with Derby University
• T Levels – workshop with Macclesfield College
• Skills workshop – with Live-N-Learn
• Writing a Personal Statement
• Labour Market Information and decision-making skills – workshop with DEBP
• Employability and Digital Skills workshop

All year 10s attended a Taster Day at Marple Sixth Form College, and some students also had the opportunity to visit Aquinas College, Stockport College and Macclesfield College. These taster days gave our students a real insight into college life and what it is like to study at post-16. They took part in sample lessons for A Levels, BTECs and T Levels, choosing from a wide range of subject areas, many of which they had never tried before such as: Childcare, Criminology, Engineering, Graphic Design, Japanese, Law, Motor Vehicle and Psychology. These events were also a fantastic chance for students to meet college tutors, navigate their way around a busy campus and to use special higher level classroom equipment.

As part of these careers experiences, year 10s also had the opportunity to visit our annual Employer Speed Networking event where local employers set up stalls in our hall. Students took it in turns to visit each stall, asking questions about the company/organisation, finding out about different jobs and learning about the qualifications and training needed. This event is always a great success, giving our students the chance to speak directly to a wide variety of local employers and inspiring them for the future.

Our year 10s have been having some great discussions in school about their post-16 experiences and they are starting to plan their next steps as they prepare to enter year 11. We are looking forward to the next big careers event, our Post-16 Evening for students and their parents, which will be held in school on Tuesday 23rd September 2025. We have invited a range of local colleges and apprenticeship providers to have stalls in our restaurant, and there will also be a talk for parents about post-16 options, the application process and how to offer support at home.

A big thank you to all of the local providers and employers who supported our Post-16 Experience Days this year and made them such a great success:

• Aquinas College
• Army
• Breedon Group
• Buxton & Leek College
• Buxton Opera House
• Chatsworth Estate
• Derby University
• Derbyshire Constabulary
• East Cheshire NHS Trust
• High Peak School Sports
• Live-N-Learn
• Macclesfield College
• Marple Sixth Form College
• Monami Finance
• Nestlé Waters
• Orbia (Alphagary) 
• Royal Air Force
• Sally DePee (Office of Jon Pearce MP)
• Stockport College
• Stockport County FC
• Swizzels Matlow Ltd