Welcome to another news roundup from the Aspirations Academies Trust, a group of 16 academies in the South of England, including seven in Dorset.

This time, we find out more about students visiting the Careers and Apprenticeship Show, learn more about pupils’ poetry performance, and see a special visit from the Easter Bunny.

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Aspirations Students Enjoy the Careers and Apprenticeship Show!

Students from Magna Academy, Poole, and Livingstone Academy, Bournemouth, attended the Careers and Apprenticeship Show, hosted by BCP Council, at the BIC last month as part of their careers education program.

With more than 150 exhibitors from various employers across all sectors in attendance, the students were able to gain insights into a wide range of professions.

University representatives, established companies, and training providers showcased diverse pathways, from cutting-edge technology to established industries, with interactive workshops and seminars on offer throughout the day.

Aspirations Academies Trust, which oversees both schools, places a strong emphasis on employability. Its ‘No Limits’ curriculum seeks to develop the ‘power skills’ essential for success in the workplace.

“It was great for our students to hear first-hand how much employers prize things we focus on in class like teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving,” said Assistant Principal at Livingstone Academy, Laura Burder. “The show at the BIC has brought careers to life for many of our students and given them a starting point to think about their futures.”

Year 9 LAB student Charlotte agreed: “I’m not sure what I want to do when I leave school, but the show has given me lots of ideas!”

Year 12 student at Magna Academy, Oliver, was pleased to have attended: “It was very informative! I found it really useful to discuss and explore potential career destinations and it was great to learn about all the opportunities just in the local area.”

The 2025 Careers and Apprenticeship Show will take place on Tuesday 18th March 2025 at the BIC.

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Magna Academy Takes Delivery of Easter Treats for Young Carers

Young carers at Magna Academy were thrilled when the Easter Bunny made a special delivery to the school in Ashdown Close, Poole before the holidays began.

Since 2021, Magna students with caring responsibilities have been treated to Easter eggs thanks to the generosity of Insight Security Services.

Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Magna Academy, Annabel O’Keefe, commented: “We are so grateful for the continued support of Matt and Terri Feltham at Insight Security.

“Their thoughtfulness means so much to our young carers and reminds them that they are special.”

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Pupils at Ocean Academy Perform for World Poetry Day

Pupils at Ocean Academy celebrated World Poetry Day on Friday 22nd March by learning and performing poetry to an audience of parents, carers, and friends. Each year, World Poetry Day encourages everyone to make, experience, and share poetry to celebrate the power of poetry to bring people together.

“We set the school a fun challenge to mark the day,” explains Ocean Academy Principal Colleen Duggan. “By learning and presenting a poem, the children were given the chance to practice their skills of oracy and performance whilst having fun and raising money for books for our library.”

Every class learned a different poem to contribute to the performance which took place in the school playground as well as in the main hall.

“Some of the children dressed up, others had choreographed movements and there were some sound effects too,” adds Colleen, “poems with onomatopoeia always go down well!”

The sound effects were appreciated by 8-year-old Faith. Her verdict? “It was amazing. I loved the KABOOM bit at the end!”

Ten-year-old Eva was effusive in her praise of the event: “All the poems were incredible. You could see how much effort everyone put in. Some classes watched each other twice as they were so good!”

While many classes chose well-loved poems, Dolphin Class (Year 3) performed a poem aptly named ‘Dolphins’ written by their teaching assistant Liberty Voisey.

“We crowned Miss Voisey Poet of the Day,” adds Colleen. “The children were very motivated to show everyone their bespoke poem, which included sign language!”

Parents in attendance enjoyed watching their children enjoying playing with verse, in spite of the unsettled conditions, with one mum saying, “No rain could put a damper on that. So enjoyable hearing those poems, brilliantly done!”

Another was impressed by the level of engagement exhibited: “This really captured my son’s imagination. I heard him in the kitchen practicing during the week. He really enjoyed it.”

While fundraising was not the focus of the day, the event raised £257 to put towards restocking the library.

• https://www.aspirationsacademies.org/

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