Apprenticeships In Action After working hard towards succeeding in their examinations, students have a variety of options

available to them when training for their chosen careers. Alongside university or college entry, a

quality apprenticeship is a very attractive option and our students are currently pursuing these

routes to employment with some of the best companies in the UK.

Similarly, our strong focus on quality work experience in Year 10 has also involved our students

working with multinational companies, such as BMW and Wilmott Dixon. Alex, Keith and Olivia

(Year 10) talk about their experiences overleaf but first let’s hear from Jessica in Year 13…

Hertswood Academy Aim High Achieve Excellence

Hertsbeat Monday 18th June 2018 | Issue 13:17

Peter Gillett, Headteacher

An Apprenticeship in Accountancy by Jessica (Year 13)

When considering my options after Sixth Form, I had to choose between getting a job or studying at university.

Though both were attractive to me for their own reasons, an apprenticeship would offer me the best of both worlds.

After completing a week of work experience in two of the top five professional services firms in the UK — Deloitte

and Grant Thornton — I was really eager to work in accountancy.

Grant Thornton offers an amazing school-leaver programme, with positions in a

variety of roles. The application process begins with sending in a CV, applying to

your preferred service line. From my work experience and speaking with people in

the tax service line, I wanted to work within this part of the company, particularly

employer solutions. This team works to ensure their clients’ employees are

engaged, incentivised and respected, as well as progressing as a business. The idea

of increasing the growth of a company by ensuring its workforce is looked after

was exciting as I felt this could positively impact people and make a difference.

Through to the next stage, I completed a digital interview, answering questions

about myself and the role I applied for. Two weeks went by and finally I received

an email inviting me to their London offices for an experience day. This day

entailed completing a group exercise with other applicants on a case study where

we viewed how we would help a client establish and present solutions for the

issues they have in their business. Afterwards, we split and had individual

interviews assessing our skills and why we want to work for Grant Thornton.

Not even 24 hours after my interview, I received a call telling me I have an offer to

work at Grant Thornton, where I would complete a five year programme, study for

two professional qualifications and become a chartered tax adviser. There’s a

sense of relief when everything falls into place and you finally have a goal to reach.

Revising and working hard in study periods has become easier now that I’m

excited about what I'm working towards. If I could give any advice to anyone - set

goals and challenges for yourself and get out of your comfort zone.

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An Active Day with Arsenal by Alfie, Ben, James, Jibril, Kiran, Razvan, Ryan, Sarah, Tom and Tyler

On 5th June some of us were invited to the Arsenal training ground in London

Colney for an Inclusion Day. We met students from two other schools — some

were in wheelchairs. We all took part in fun activities, including dance, music, yoga,

‘living story book’ and ukulele playing. Lots of us enjoyed the ukuleles the most,

learning to pluck and strum the strings.

During the yoga session we did stretching and a position called ‘downward dog!’ It

was very tricky but we managed. The dance session involved working in a group with

a giant elastic band. We took it in turns to go over and under to create different

shapes. At lunchtime we were all lucky enough to play football with Arsenal staff on

the training ground’s indoor football pitch.

We had a great time and hope we can go again next year.

In the previous issue of Hertsbeat you read about our Year 7 BBC School Report team taking on

the topic of transition from primary to secondary school for their latest report.

You can now find this on our website at www.hertswoodacademy.org/BBC-School-Report.

Year 10 Experiencing the World of Work by Mrs Ronayne (Head of Careers)

In March Year 10 students completed a week’s worth of work experience. Students had placements in banking, retail,

veterinary, and construction to name a few. The feedback from students and some employers was brilliant, the students

should be very proud of themselves. We asked Olivia, Alex and Keith to tell us about their experiences.

I spent my week at BMW, where I worked in various departments. My week was thoroughly enjoyable, as

there was never a dull moment. I took part in a range of tasks including managing staff, dealing with

customers, analysing sales and organising meetings. I was definitely kept busy!

My work experience provided me with lots of learning opportunities and enabled me to gain valuable

insight into the working world. I had a fantastic week there. by Oliva Faulds

We spent our week with Wilmott Dixon where we became Construction Managers. Our maths skills were

put to the test as we had to work out how much concrete was needed for pilings. We learned how to use a

gantt chart to schedule contractors to come on site and which gridlines the steels related to. We were also

allowed to attend the design and finishing meeting which was really interesting.

It was amazing to go on site and to see our new school being built. We learnt how to work as a team and

would recommend this placement to anyone interested in the construction industry.

by Alex Jamieson and Keith Headech

“Leaders and managers are taking effective actions.”

“Leaders and governors responded quickly to the findings of the previous

inspection report by producing a statement of action and a strategic

school improvement plan. … Your review of actions taken so far shows

that many have been completed and others are well underway.”

John Daniell, Her Majesty’s Inspector

Enjoying Some Positive Feedback

On 16th May 2018 our academy had a visit from

OFSTED for a monitoring inspection. On 1st June we

received feedback in the form of a letter from Her

Majesty’s Inspector, John Daniell, who praised us for

our progress in addressing the persistent absenteeism

of a minority of students.

His feedback can be found in full at www.hertswoodacademy.org/ofsted or on the OFSTED website at reports.ofsted.gov.uk.