Hello everyone,
I expect you feel strange about 'returning' to school today. When the lines between holiday and school are blurred (as they are now), it can feel a bit odd. I recommend: a good shower, and dressing for business to snap you out of the chocolatey malaise that you might be wallowing in. There are some exciting things in the pipeline for you guys this half term and some things I'm very much looking forward to sharing with you. First of which, is online assemblies. In the near future, you will be receiving a recorded video assembly from a member of staff - make sure you access it and enjoy it as best you can! We only had 2 or 3 Masses as a year group this year before a pandemic took them away from us. I did say after the Mass we shared with Y13 that these occasions are quite special - and that you would miss them when you had left. I hate to say I told you so...but I was right. How fitting that the most recent feast day Mass we had as a College was so well observed, with singing from some of our very own Y12 impresarios! When school does return, I can't wait for that first assembly...and the first opportunity to send a physical, spikey, pineapple hurtling towards a deserving student!
This week, if you're considering an apprenticeship rather than a university degree, you should certainly read on to an interview with my brother, Mr Matthews (senior), at the end of the blog. As ever, any further questions on any of the careers detailed and explained to-date, if you have any questions for the people who have agreed to share their experience with you, send me an email and I'll ask for you!
Hopefully, you will have all logged in to SMHW this morning and seen work from teachers. We only had two weeks of this new, alien, home-learning before the Easter holidays - and there were some inevitable teething problems and changing expectations. I think (and hope) that you will find this becomes a bit smoother now. I know that many departments are looking in to other ways of teaching you - using different technology - so keep your school email close at hand for any updates!
UCAS
Mrs Elmer has set up the UCAS guidance as a separate blog. You can (and should) access it via the link below!
The latest from Chateaux Matthews
We have enjoyed watching the twins develop and grow at home over Easter. Pee-po has finaly become a game they can play and enjoy without just thinking we have abandoned them as soon as we cover their eyes. It doesn't quite translate as a photo rather than a video...but here is George enjoying a game for the first time!
 |
| Pee-po! |
I've also been trying to stick to 3 runs a week since being inspired by Mr Browne to get some form of cardio fitness back. The times are moving in the right direction...although Mr McDowell sets a genuinely frightening pace! As you can see, the staff are trying to relay run/cycle from Salesian - Turin! Just in the last few days, staff have managed over 800km and raised nearly £1700!
 |
| Slow and steady wins the race... |
In other news, (senior) Mrs Matthews (my mum) put her sewing skills to good use. Knowing that me and Mrs Matthews (wife) wanted a game of scrabble but didn't own a board or want to spend the extortionate prices of board games online (the inflation is terrifying!), she stitched us a board and made, by hand, the letter tiles. We absolutely love it...and the twins even slept for long enough to have out first match - a two-hour epic!
 |
| The smug winner of the Matthews Scrabble Champions League... |
 |
| A slightly healthier set of supplies from the Easter batch of 29 eggs (this is just an estimated total) |
If you have been making fun in a creative/original way OR eating something very healthy and appetising, ping me a photo and I'll gladly give you a shout out and a virtual pineapple!
Pineapple Time...
This week - a couple of very well-earned pineapples. Annabel H very kindly sent me some recommendations for Easter listening with a very kind email. One whole crate of pixel pineapples is reserved, however, for our very own Mr Thomas. What a man! Mr Thomas has been using his technical product design skills to create masks for local health-care professionals to use. How amazing is this? He has used some of the Salesian skills and equipment to, ultimately, help save lives. You'll have seen in the news lots of criticism about lack of emergency equipment in hospitals - and clearly all countries will be desperately trying to stock up in the current climate. To think that you attend a school where members of staff will create this in the country's hour of need should make you super proud. You might have seen in the newsletter the fact that the science goggles were donated to St Peter's Hospital in the first week of the lockdown. Please please please never forget how lucky you are to attend a school like Salesian! I know Mrs M and I feel lucky to work there.
 |
| Stay home - protect the NHS - be a hero like Mr Thomas |
Looking to the Future
 |
| Mr Matthews (left) and Mr Matthews (the clever one - right) |
This week I interviewed my brother, who is a civil servant. He has an interesting link to Salesian as he was taught Maths by a very young Mr Kibble when he was in year 8, 22 years ago!
This Mr Matthews works for the Institute of Apprenticeships. This is the team responsible for encouraging businesses to create apprenticeships to get young people in to work and maintaining the standards of these new apprenticeship and technical qualifications. He completed a history degree, and masters, about 15 years ago - and became a civil servant through the 'Civil Service Fast Stream' which is a graduate recruitment process.
He says...
Applying to apprenticeships is separate to UCAS and university degree admissions process. There are a couple of ways, if you are interested in pursuing an apprenticeship and 'earning while you learn' of applying. You can apply direct to employers - usually through company websites or through some of the following websites. You might also like to know that some apprenticeships now come with an integrated degree - so you also get a degree with the job that you train to do.
Firstly, there is a massively diverse range of things you can do – some examples of apprenticeships are listed below:
- Advanced carpentry and joinery (takes 12 months)- Advanced Butcher (18 months)- Associate Ambulance practitioner (18 months). Recently approved. At end of this you are part of an ambulance crew, responding directly to 999 calls and administering emergency care. There are also apprenticeship qualifications with embedded degrees in subjects and professions that you might be surprised to find on a list of potential apprenticeships. Some of those which come with a degree are listed below:
Employers may also advertise directly on their own sites.
- Advanced clinical practitioner (3 years). Quite topical. Advanced Clinical Practitioners manage defined episodes of clinical care independently, from beginning to end, providing care and treatment. Come out of it with a Master’s degree in Advanced Clinical Practice.- Aerospace Engineer (4 years). Creating aircraft components and equipment, specialising in a specific engineering discipline (for example - airframe, design and stress, systems integration, support engineering or manufacturing engineering). Again, this has a degree embedded as part of the training (BEng, bachelor of engineering).
- Chartered surveyor (5 years). With degree embedded.- Civil Engineer (5 years). With degree.- Cyber security technical professional (4 years). With a degree.- Solicitor (5 years). Again, get a degree. All of the approved apprenticeships are listed here:https://www.instituteforapprenticeships. org/apprenticeship-standards/? includeApprovedForDelivery= true Where to go if you want to find an apprenticeship:https://www.gov.uk/ apprenticeships-guide (home page with basic info)https://www. findapprenticeship.service. gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch (search for an apprenticeship near you).
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ (advice on writing applications and for interviews) Some videos/ interviews:https://www. instituteforapprenticeships. org/about/showcasing- apprenticeships/
Good luck, Mr Matthews (senior).
As I said, if you are considering an apprenticeship instead of a university degree - and you have some questions or would like to speak with someone who is already on the path that you would like to pursue...let me know via email!
As ever, very good health and happiness to you and your families. Don't be strangers.
Mr M
Saint John Bosco...
No comments:
Post a Comment