John Flamsteed Community School pupils get life lessons during 'Inspiration Day’

Youngsters at John Flamsteed Community School, in Denby, were given a break from their timetabled lessons to participate in various activities throughout the day.

Organised by teacher Holly Bradley, the school – part of the East Midlands Education Trust – also took Year 10 pupils on a team-building trip to Cromford where they participated in rock climbing and kayaking.

Mrs Bradley said: “There has been so much positive feedback from our Inspiration Day.

“Our Year 7 pupils learned about various faiths and cultures, which enhances the RE programme that we offer in school.

“Year 9 participated in workshops ran by Talk the Talk, who deliver sessions on oracy and confident speaking which ties into their GCSE English work, whilst Year 8 students had a health and fitness day where they learned about the importance of mental and physical wellbeing.

“It is important that our students are given the opportunity to develop essential skills that they can transfer into everyday life; resilience, communication and leadership skills.”

The school welcomed visitors from EMA Training and careers-scheme E4E, which hosted mock interviews with Year 11 students who are preparing to sit their GCSE exams.

Business leaders from organisations including Rolls-Royce, Toyota, award-winning tech firm Barron McCann and global science company Lubrizol spoke with pupils and shared top tips on how to conduct the perfect interview.

Mrs Bradley added: “We are working hard to improve our careers offering in school to help pupils make more informed decisions and inspire them to achieve new goals.

“We want them to leave John Flamsteed Community School more confident about their post-16 choices and with a firm understanding of the requirements needed to pursue certain courses.”

Kerry Ganly, account manager at Penguin PR, has two children at John Flamsteed Community School. She participated in the mock interviews and also gave a talk on journalism and PR.

She said: “I regularly take part in similar schemes in Derby city with the E4E project and believe that careers events are of vital importance to young people. It’s good to see E4E working in the county, too.

“It was great to talk to the students about my career, offer them advice such as get as much volunteering experience and work experience under your belt, and nice to know that there are young people out there who are dreaming of careers in science, law, education and, like me, PR.”