The aim of this project was to introduce the Year 12 students to a range of different career opportunities, but to do so in a way that would also develop skills useful in their futures. A brief was set by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NE LEP) who had recently produced a film and materials for school age students which focused on the key industry growth sectors in the NE. The sixth formers were asked to produce a lesson plan and activities/resources for Year 8 students that teachers would be able to use in careers lessons which would include reference to the LEP’s materials. The final versions of the lesson plans and resources were to be judged by the LEP, with those of high enough quality published and put on the organisation’s website for any teachers to download.

The project took place once a week for eight weeks with the students working in groups of five to produce their final product. The students started by thinking about what makes a ‘great’ lesson. They were asked to consider this both in terms of what the school senior leaders would think, but also Year 8 students. This was achieved through using the school lesson plan forma, working with teaching staff and talking to the Year 8’s during their form time.

Over the project timeframe, visitors from the university and local businesses came in who provided content that the students could then build in to their lesson plans. These visits took the form of a panel discussion and small group Q &A. Ongoing feedback was provided informally by the sixth form staff and Head of Careers and then in formal group sessions.