Pupils get a taste of the future

Matthew Moss High School pupils getting to know the animals at Hopwood Hall College’s Life Sciences centre

Pupils from Rochdale’s Matthew Moss High School attended a Welcome Day at Hopwood Hall College in preparation for the My Futures programme which starts in September.

The programme will see over 120 pupils from Years 10 and 11 attending the College in 10 week blocks, on Thursday afternoons, to get a taste of the exciting and different curriculums on offer. The aim of the programme is to help them make the right choice of further education after their GCSE’s.

Throughout the trial session the 60 pupils participated in Animal Care, Medical Science, Engineering and Hair & Beauty to get a flavour of what’s to come.

Karen Neville, Business Manager from Matthew Moss High School, said: “A big thank you to the College for all their help in organising the Welcome sessions. The pupils are buzzing and have really enjoyed the experience. It’s been a really positive start to the programme.”

Hazel Sarras, Hopwood Hall College Programme Manager 14 – 16 and Science, added: “We were thrilled with how the Welcome session went and look forward to starting the programme in September. We have also been offering smaller taster sessions to other schools both in and out of the borough, including Holy Family, Redwood, Cardinal Langley and Kingsway Park, to name just a few.

"Some of the other provision we provide to schools offers the potential for the learners to achieve a level 2 qualification enabling them, post 16, to commence on a level 3 programme, which is highly sought after by employers.”