Where great futures begin …. that isn’t just another catchy strapline; at GB we’re serious about preparing our students for the world beyond. Our personal development programme is an umbrella approach, encompassing the curricular and co-curricular subjects that all students can access throughout the Prep and Senior school. However, it is in senior school when this programme really starts taking shape and focusses on, not only their progress and relationships at school, but also how this will help them in the future.  

Our unique curriculum builds future skills into the timetable. Learning about metacognition or their ‘chimp brain’ in our L2L course helps our students to understand their emotional responses and learning styles, which will ultimately have a positive impact beyond their years at GB. Our MAP curriculum covers physical wellbeing and investigating how food affects the brain and energy levels. Enterprise projects promote team building and negotiation, while PSHE covers conflict resolution. This a holistic programme aimed at supporting students’ growth into well-rounded and very capable young adults.  

Therefore, indulge me for a minute and take a moment to think back to your own experience of careers advice at secondary school! Mine was decidedly below par at best. The visiting careers adviser sat in a dusty old ‘stock-cupboard’ office at the back of the library and when I told him that I wanted to be a volcanologist, his reply was something like, “Well, that’s not a career that goes well with motherhood” – NB I had not expressed any desire at the age of 14, to have children! Thankfully, things have moved on, and in more ways than one; initiatives such as Women in Stem, which encourages girls into Science and industry, and Ambitious About Autism, providing expert advice on accessing training and employment, plus the Equality Act 2010, all demonstrate that the world of work is embracing diversity and this is reflected in the plethora of amazing careers out there to suit all interests, skills and capabilities.  

And that brings to me the use of technology to benefit our students’ futures… including the infamous AI. At GB, we know our students very well, which means we can tailor our careers advice, in PSHE lessons and in tutor time, as well as drawing on the expertise of our community. During GB Careers Week in November, the students benefitted from a series of expert lunchtime talks with invaluable advice about how to AI-proof their cover letters and CVs and avoid social media mistakes which could prevent them from even securing an interview; as well as interview techniques and strategies for turning their passions into a dream job. The Year 10 students, before visiting the Skills London careers fair, carried out Morrisby profiling. This brilliant online platform provides objectivity and deep insights into the student's personal, academic and employment character, so that students learn about themselves and discover careers, subjects and courses they may not have imagined.  The result is a detailed and very personal profile of the student’s key abilities - academic, technical and practical - which they retain access to for life. Students are also able to access all elements of Morrisby Careers, mapped to the Gatsby Benchmarks, which includes questionnaires, career and course suggestions with wide-ranging subject and apprenticeship information, as well as work experience suggestions. We encourage students to use all the tools we give them to manage their own futures, and the Morrisby site is continually updated so students can return to their profile in college, before applying for university, during career changes … career support for life –  like the Great Ballard Diploma, then - a legacy of their time at Great Ballard.  

Every day really is a school day and if you have some advice to share, or perhaps you could mentor a student, offer a work experience opportunity, or if you’d like to collaborate in any way, please get in touch. Moreover, do not miss our careers bulletin, with up-to-date information on college open days, work experience opportunities and apprenticeships.  

Joanne Sykes

Personal Development Co-ordinator