Claverton Down campus was a hive of activity as the Widening Participation team welcomed students from Oakfield, John Bentley, Matravers, Ralph Allen, Selwood, Abbeyfield, St Mary Redcliffe and Hayesfield schools.

The Year 8 and 9 students participated in a number of activities that identified their strengths and attributes whilst fast-paced sessions enabled pupils to quickly explore a range of job sectors and the required skills.

Students put a variety of questions to good use during the ‘Interview a Student’ session with Student Ambassadors from a range of Higher Education and Further Education institutions. The answers provided students with a genuine insight into life as a current student and which academic route may suit their personal and learning needs. With the importance of GCSE choices reinforced, the students were able to create a personal map towards a career whilst considering academic, vocational and work-based learning.

The students were then able to get a taste of the university environment as part of a campus tour led by our Ambassadors and it was clear that the day had raised the aspirations of many students to contemplate an academic journey.

The activities finished with a reflection of the day in which students demonstrated an impressive display of knowledge gained throughout their visit.

Philip Brook a teacher at Selwood Academy: “We all thought the sessions were great and well put together and relevant to our pupils. It was really nice to see our pupils thinking and contemplating their future. For some of the less academic pupils, they can now see that there are many different routes to a job or a career.”

Commenting on the day, Jane Tiley, WP Outreach Officer said: “Futures Days are such a rewarding event. It is so great to see students leave the event feeling inspired and more informed about what choices are out there for them. It opens up their eyes to the different pathways that can lead them to achieve things that they might have thought were just not possible for them.”

If your school is interested in attending a Future Day or any other outreach event, please email the Widening Participation team on widening-participation@bath.ac.uk