Last month, Year 11 of local Gumley House School took two weeks off from school for work experience. For most of them this was their first time in a work environment, and therefore they were anxious about it. However, the majority of students didn’t want to leave by the end of their placements. One student who thoroughly enjoyed her placement said “I completely loved my work experience. My colleges were fun and friendly, which I didn’t expect. Work experience is a fantastic opportunity for students to get a taste of the working world before they have to go out there themselves. Working with adults and being treated like one was also very refreshing; it was a welcome change to the constraints and endless rules of school life.”

The snow caused many struggles for the Gumley House students and some only had one week of work, rather than two. One girl voiced her opinion on the matter: “It’s ridiculous that the school I worked in was closed for four days due to the snow- Gumley was still open! It was really annoying because I feel I missed out.”

The majority of students are reluctant to return to school after enjoying their work experience so much. Their only consolation is that by completing their GCSEs, they will be able to work full-time in the future and will discover if the real thing is as enjoyable as this was.