Year 10 have enjoyed a huge amount of diverse and dynamic activities this week as part of Enrichment Week, focusing on learning beyond the curriculum and building life skills.  

The week kicked off with Enterprise Day and a workshop delivered by Bright Futures Experience. The full-day event focused on supply chains, business departments, recruitment processes, interview preparation, branding, and environmental sustainability. Wearing business attire, students analysed job specifications, scrutinised CVs, made hiring decisions, created eco credit cards, and wrote and performed radio advertisements. The workshop emphasised the importance of profit, people and the planet in business. 

On Tuesday, pupils came to school wearing ‘smart casual’ sixth form dress code and attended elective seminars on subjects ranging from ‘Rocket Science’ to ‘Ultimate Battle of the Art Historians’. The afternoon held an introduction to the university application process and Q&A with two alumnae about their university courses and subsequent professions. Ella Campbell talked about her upcoming masters in Art History and classical mythology, and Emily Bolton answered questions on her degree in Natural Sciences and masters in Ecology and Conservation.

Wednesday held a ‘hosting a debate’ workshop and volunteering sessions. In the morning, the interactive workshop, run by Miss Gordon, honed students’ chairing, speaking and high-level questioning skills. Working with the Head Girl Team, students recorded a seven-minute piece for a Grand Finale speaking competition and prizes were awarded. It served as great practice for the national English Speaking Union competitions next academic year. Every member of Year 10 spoke for several minutes without notes, video recorded, and chaired and questioned a guest speaker. For many, this was a nerve-wracking process but one which they have since said they found enjoyable!

The Enrichment Volunteering afternoon is a long-standing NHEHS tradition. We welcomed 15 children from the Log Cabin Charity for a party as part of their volunteer-led after school club. All Year 10s had a role and either helped set up the party or ran the inside activities and outside games. Pupils also worked at a local park with the ranger, led crafts and singing in a care home, or prepared items for local charities at the school. 

In celebration of how far the year group has come as a community, on Thursday, Year 10 formed the Stronger Together Choir. Our music department led a morning of song in preparation for a performance at Hill Fest on 5th July. Students voted on the choice of song and came to school dressed as an inspirational performer.

On Friday pupils created their Morrisby profiles to help them navigate their career choices post-A Level. The questionnaire is an excellent tool to start the conversation when students come to their Morrisby Interviews with a dedicated team of careers experts later in the term. Pupils enjoyed a picnic in Pitshanger Park in the afternoon, complete with fun sports organised by our new House Captains. 

Miss Cagnino, Head of Year 10 said, “I am delighted with how Year 10 enrichment week has unfolded. What we had planned was a week of enrichment activities that widened the horizons of students, allowing them to see what is possible in the short term: A Levels, University, but also a view to the pragmatic life skills of building a marketing campaign in the Bright Futures Workshop or being introduced to Unifrog, which they will be very well acquainted with when they begin to think about university admissions in Year 13. However, the real takeaway of the week for me as a Head of Year was the pure joy and energy that the students brought to every activity. I am incredibly proud of them this week; they have proven that their school experience isn’t about the exams they sit but the life skills and memories they build along the way.”