Our new Year 7 cohort have had a busy and exciting first half term at Abbey Gate College. Mrs Leonard, Head of Year 7, takes up the story…

It only seems like yesterday that they were enjoying their first day on their own in the College, finding their feet, meeting their Form Tutors and classmates, having their school photos taken, and taking part in sessions with the ICT and PE departments.

After a hectic few weeks in College, with a range of new challenges such as more lessons, finding their way around the school and managing their homework timetable, last week it was time for some team building activities to let off steam.

On the Thursday morning, students worked collaboratively to create innovative and imaginative products in our ‘Dragons’ Den’ competition. Students bravely stood up to present their ideas, seeking investment in their new businesses. Abbey Gate College’s very own dragons, Mr Austen, Mr Bailey and Dr Lloyd-Johnson, were very impressed with the products and had invested a lot of money by the end of the session.

In the afternoon, ‘Study Skills Zone’ kindly made their annual visit to the Year 7s, leading a whole year group session exploring their ability to learn and testing their memory skills. Students learned all about how the brain works and how they can improve their ability to retain information and revise for their exams – an important set of skills for the coming years.

On the Friday we travelled to the Conway Centre in North Wales where students enjoyed outside adventure and team building activities, culminating in raft building at the end of the day. They had to work together to build their rafts, learning how to tie the best knots and how to make sure they stayed afloat. A fantastic day ended with a very competitive and exciting race between the rafts.

We are looking forward to many more exciting activities and trips throughout the year with Year 7, watching their confidence and abilities grow.