Our Year 10 students have returned from an incredibly successful week of work experience after spending time with employers across a wide range of industries, gaining invaluable experience while making a fantastic impression wherever they went.

 

Work experience is an important part of every student's journey. It provides young people with the opportunity to develop essential workplace skills, build confidence, improve communication, experience professional environments and explore future career pathways. It also helps students understand the qualities employers value, preparing them for the next steps in education, training and employment.

 

This year's placements gave students the chance to experience an incredible variety of careers. From engineering, construction and specialist electrical services to healthcare, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, education, housing, environmental services and the emergency services, our Year 10 students embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm and maturity.

 

From the very first days of the placements, employers were already contacting school to share positive feedback about our students.

 

Connor, who completed his placement with Chapman's Ground Maintenance, and Freya at Groomers of Haydock both received early praise, with employers delighted by the positive contribution they made to their teams from the very beginning.

 

As the week progressed, the positive feedback continued to pour in.

 

One of the standout reports came from Rushani, who completed her placement at Premier Retail Convenience. Her employer praised her friendly, polite and approachable manner with both colleagues and customers, commenting that several customers even asked where she was on the evenings she wasn't working because they had enjoyed speaking with her so much. She was also recognised for her confidence with maths, willingness to learn and positive attitude towards every task she was given. Her employer described it as "a pleasure" to have her on placement and believes she has a bright future ahead.

 

Daisy, Lucy and Daniel, who spent the week at Westbrook Old Hall Primary School, also received exceptional praise. Staff described all three students as "absolutely fantastic", highlighting their enthusiasm and willingness to turn their hands to every task asked of them. The school was so impressed that they said they would happily welcome all three students back in the future.

 

At Essity, Maisie experienced a range of workplace activities, including carrying out a hazard hunt within the converting facility and designing a Chemicals Safety poster that has now been proudly displayed on the company's Health & Safety noticeboard.

 

Keira enjoyed a varied placement with The Riverside Group, where she spent time learning about large-scale housing developments and visited new-build sites to gain an understanding of how homes are constructed, while also seeing the finished show homes.

 

Another fantastic success story came from Katie, whose placement at Two Brothers Coffee has already led to discussions about the possibility of a part-time job in the future—a wonderful example of how work experience can create real opportunities beyond the classroom.

 

Throughout the week, students represented Great Sankey High School across an impressive range of businesses and organisations including BDB Special Projects, ISS UK Specialist Electrical, Werfen, Penketh Primary School, Hey Little Cupcake, VR-EPS, Hope Plumbing & Building, Merseyside Mounted Police, NHS Blood and Transplant Tissue & Eye Services, alongside many other valued employers who generously supported our students.

 

The glowing feedback received from employers reflects the professionalism, maturity and positive attitudes demonstrated by our students. Time and again, employers praised their enthusiasm, reliability, confidence, willingness to learn and ability to become valued members of their teams in a very short space of time.

 

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to every employer who welcomed our students, invested time in supporting them and provided such meaningful experiences. The partnerships we have with local businesses and organisations are invaluable in helping prepare our young people for the future.

 

Most importantly, we would like to congratulate every Year 10 student who took part in this year's work experience programme. Whether they were working in a classroom, workshop, office, café, construction site, laboratory or community setting, they represented themselves, their families and Great Sankey High School with pride.

 

The skills, confidence and experiences gained throughout the week will stay with them long after they return to the classroom, helping to shape their ambitions and inspire the next steps on their career journey.

 

Well done, Year 10!