Work experience week is a long anticipated time for all KS4 pupils at Bishops' College. The process of choosing a work place and arranging the placement has always been exciting for the youngsters who want to try first hand what it is like to be in the work place. This year I have been involved very closely with the above and have found it mostly satisfying as all of the EAL pupils have found appropriate placements and have not only enjoyed but also completed their two weeks of placements, which took place in the beginning of the Autumn term 2008.

When we were looking for appropriate placements we had detailed discussions with the pupils and considered their wishes for a career path at that particular moment, the choices made ranged from an office clerk, a teaching assistant, an ICT technician, a dental nurse and a nursery nurse assistant. Most of the pupils completed the process of writing letters to their future employers, preliminary visits to the work places and discussions all by themselves. They were thrilled to get into a completely new world: the - so desired by them - grown-up world!

In the beginning of September 2008 it was strange for me not to have the Y11 pupils back in school as they were already working at their placements and they were doing great as I rang all the employers prior to visiting them. I have visited all of the EAL pupils - most of the group being Eastern European Roma as well as a Hungarian and a Norwegian-Iranian - at their work places and was really delighted to talk with them and their employers who were all pleased by their pupils' attitude and performance.

Here are some shared brief notes from some of the pupils:

"My work experience was really good and I really enjoyed working at DCS (Development Control Service). Everyone was very friendly and they explained everything to me so I did all my work very well." Iva H.

"I have observed a lot of dental procedures during my work experience. All staff were very friendly and helpful." Michaela K.

"I worked in school and was helping the ICT technician and Reception. I have enjoyed this as I liked working with computers and it was great to run errands for the teachers." Marie C.

One of the most positive highlights of this year's success with the work experience was the significant number of Eastern European Roma pupils taking part and completing the project. The main issues of late arrivals, absences and unsuitable clothing, which have often occurred at school, were not mentioned by the employers as disadvantages and were outweighed by extremely positive comments, such as:

"Veronika B. has been wonderful with the Y3 children - just another teacher really, but a very young one!" Tredworth Junior School.

Now with work experience successfully completed the Y11 pupils are preparing for their GCSE exams in the summer term next year and looking forward to becoming very successful young people indeed!

Bishops' College Students Aid Y6 Transfer

"Going to big school" is a daunting prospect for many children and is particularly difficult for some Traveller children. Four Bishops' College students, Chelsea and Luke (Y7), Sheraleen (Y8) and Lucy (Y9) worked together to produce a Power Point presentation for Y6 Kingsholm pupils. They talked through issues and concerns such as bullying, getting lost, sanctions and rewards, school uniform etc and gave the Y6s a real flavour of what it's like to be at Secondary school. They showed the younger children how to use a planner and timetable and staged an "Ask the Panel" question and answer session.

Everyone felt it was a valuable experience. The Kingsholm children felt able to talk freely to other young people and felt more confident when they started at Bishops' College and the Bishops' students were able to share their knowledge and maturity with their soon-to-be fellow pupils.