Year 12 University Experience and Bonding Day

After a hiatus of 2 years, we were very excited that our annual Year 12 University Experience & Bonding day could go ahead once more. On Wednesday this week, all of our new Year 12s and the Sixth Form team boarded the coach for Leeds where we spent the day at Leeds Beckett University. Students took part in a carousel of activities including presentations from university staff and undergraduate ambassadors on the topics of ‘Choosing a Course and Choosing a University’, ‘Student Life’ and ‘Finance & Budgeting’ (the weekly budget task was eye opening for many when asked to guesstimate their average weekly spend on food and bills!) They also completed a team building challenge to see who could build the longest bridge from minimal resources (paper, juice cartons and paper clips no less). Not only did the bridge have to be as long as possible but also had to meet a specific height and had to be able to support a roll of sellotape. Needless to say, there were a number of collapsing bridges! Students worked brilliantly together and it was great to hear the discussions (and laughter) and competitive spirit.

Over lunch, we were treated to a meal in one of the campus refectories – a fantastic choice (burgers, veggie burgers, pizza, burritos – the list goes on) and really delicious and filling, we could all have had a little post-lunch snooze afterwards! Instead, students were sent off in teams to dash about campus in an orienteering style tour – they were asked to take selfies at various checkpoints including the campus letter box which took some finding!

A hugely enjoyable day. Leeds Beckett staff and students were really welcoming and we loved seeing the more historic parts of the campus as well as the new £45 million sports facility; it was stunning. State of the art lecture theatres, fitness suites, physio treatment rooms and sports nutrition kitchens – all very impressive.

Even though our Year 12s are just at the start of their A Level journey, the aim of the day was to whet their appetite and encourage them to start thinking about what their exciting next steps might be post-18. We also wanted them to enjoy getting to know one another and the staff in a more relaxed setting away from Sixth Form. We think the day achieved just that!

Mrs Wilson