Last week, timetables were suspended for Year 12 students to take part in Experience Week. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop skills and learn about issues that can affect them as they go through life.

Last week, timetables were suspended for Year 12 students to take part in Experience Week. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop skills and learn about issues that can affect them as they go through life.

On Monday, students took part in Health and Wellbeing Day. Workshops included; mental health, driving awareness, alcohol awareness and anger management. Students could also whip up some healthy dishes in food and nutrition, whilst those who were brave enough took on bootcamp fitness sessions.

Tuesday saw students take part in Experience Day. This is a day designed to enrich students, either in their subject area or a chance for them to do something totally different. Activities included visits to the Bowes Museum, Sunderland University and York. Onsite sessions saw students learning about genetic engineering, carrying out chemical experiments, among many others.

On Wednesday Ethical Issues day took centre stage. Many serious issues were up for discussion; guns in the US, capital punishment, drugs in sport, social media and many more saw students debating and discussing moral principles, which affect how people make decisions and lead their lives.

Thursday and Friday were devoted to Next Steps/Careers Days. On Thursday, a wealth of outside speakers, from universities to outdoor education specialists came in to deliver presentations, from preparing the perfect personal statement to student life, and how to write the perfect CV. Representatives from Yorkshire Bank then spoke to students, giving them valuable information on the do's and don'ts in interviews. Students then started the UCAS process, in readiness for their applications to university.

Francesca Priddy was delighted to take part and said "Experience Week gave us all a chance to try something new, discover different interests and make progress on planning our future after the academy. I thought that it was very beneficial as I developed an insight into new career prospects, improved my knowledge on health and wellbeing and got to interact with a wider range of students".