An Exciting Start to the Year with the Sacred Heart Personal Development Programme

As part of personal development commitment at Sacred Heart, we have kick started the year with a host of different speakers, delivering sessions not only our Year 12 and 13 students but our Year 11 students too. 

To start the year, we had Rob Goodswen from Leeds University, who travelled up to Sacred Heart to deliver a series of presentations to students in Key Stages 4 and 5.  The aim of his session for Year 11 was to explore post GCSE options and support their understanding of where their GCSEs could take them. In his talk to Year 12, he focused on overcoming the leap from Year 11 into 12 and to encouraged the girls to make the most of their time in Sixth Form by broadening their personal development through what school has to offer.  Our Year 13 cohort also attended a session about university and what to expect from a Russell Group University like Leeds.

This term we have since hosted speakers from Northumbria University and Newcastle University as part of the careers programme delivered to Sixth Form students every Wednesday afternoon. Sessions covered topics such as Learning to Succeed, Future Options and Interview Skills along with a promotion for Newcastle University’s Year 13 progression scheme called PARTNERS.

We look forward to future sessions delivered by Russell Group Universities from further afield such as Nottingham and Sheffield, allowing students to experience a breadth of further education providers. 

In addition to our wonderful Wednesday career afternoons, we have been fortunate to host a number of other speakers as part of our ever-growing personal development programme. Year 13 students attended a talk by Women’s Street Watch, their first ever school visit, where they promoted their charity which is dedicated to keeping women of Newcastle safe in the city centre at night. 

Year 13 also took part in a PSHCE workshop delivered by Ben Oliver from Worth Educating. A regular visitor to Sacred Heart, Ben’s session focused on consent and healthy relationships. Students were able to take part in this discussion led session, participating in a dialogue about these important topics.

Success4all, a registered charity who support our most vulnerable children in Newcastle, have also been back into school to present to Year 12, promoting the work they do within the community and their volunteer programme: tutor-befriender. Every year many of our Sixth Form students proudly volunteer for this worthy cause and our new Year 12 students are encouraged to apply.