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The Year 12 Apprentice event is run each year and provides students in Year 12 with the opportunity to work in small groups, on a real brief, delivered by employees at a Fortune 500 company.

This year saw students work on a healthy schools brief, delivered by the world’s sixth largest pharmaceutical company, Glaxo Smith Kline, via video link. Students were tasked with improving the health and well-being of everyone at school, including teachers, students, support staff and even visitors to the school.

The two-day event was intense and after their brief, students had time to conduct research and brainstorm their initial ideas.

Students were provided with real data about the school and the local area, including a survey of all staff and students about their views on healthy living. Students were then taught how to write pitches, write a business plan and how best to visually present their initiatives before presentations had to be submitted between 11.00 and 11.10 on day 2, with time then given to students to practice their group pitches.

All six groups presented brilliantly and the initiatives that Year 12 came up with were as follows:

• Group 1: An overhaul of the canteen food (a renewed focus on heathy, varied food)
• Group 2: Sports and fitness clubs (clubs supported by 6^th form for lower years)
• Group 3: Lifelong Learning Initiative (a focus on preparing students with life skills)
• Group 4: The Buddy System (buddying 6^th form students with KS3)
• Group 5: Harris Wellbeing App (an extension to the existing Harris Federation App)
• Group 6: Emotional Enhancement Programme (a wellbeing journal and club proposal)

The winners were group 6, with an excellent initiative centred around a wellbeing journal that can then act as a referral to a lunch time wellbeing club, supported by sixth form students. Group 6 will be given an initial investment of £300 to pilot their project, but all of the groups will be asked to further develop their ideas. 

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What students said...

Alfie D said: "The Year 12 Apprentice Day is a day I will never forget. It is a day where all its challenging demands and expectations were full of enjoyable and engaging tasks that each highlighted common strengths and weaknesses. I believe that the Apprentice Day helped me realise things about myself, for example, when I was pitching my idea to the teachers and the GlaxoSmithKline representatives, my anxiety and introverted nature seemingly vanished and I was able to successfully deliver the pitch to them. I was also able to answer quick fire questions to a high degree of formality."

Esther N said: "We will be given £300 to implement our idea to help the younger years to have a smooth secondary life experience, which contributes to good mental health. My group and I have the responsibility to continue this and make it work - our teachers believe in us."