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We are passionate about preparing our students to be ambitious and successful in their future careers, and recently all our Year 12s attended a UCAS exhibition to consider their exciting next steps in education and employment. As always, it's a busy last few weeks of term, and you can read on for updates about Badminton Club, creative sociology lessons, and an educational visit to Thinktank. Year 12 Inspired at UCAS ExhibitionLast week, our enthusiastic Year 12 students attended the annual UCAS Discovery exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham where they met expert exhibitors who were on hand to offer their knowledge and advice to help them to shortlist their Post-18 options. 
At the exhibition, Year 12 were able to meet over 100 universities alongside apprenticeship employers who gave them face-to-face answers to the questions they had about their academic and career options after Sixth Form. 
Year 12 were able to hear from lecturers and experts in the subject areas of their choice and even had an opportunity to hear first hand from current students about the subjects they love and apprenticeships that they chose. Aqeel, alongside many of our other Year 12 students, engaged with apprenticeship providers such as PwC, KPMG, and even Dyson. 
Year 12 also had access to live subject talks from university and industry experts about careers in Medicine, Sports and Leisure, Social Sciences, Nursing, and many more. The event featured interactive Q&A sessions, covering topics such as jumpstarting career journeys and making applications stand out from the crowd. 
Following the invaluable experience Year 12 gained from attending the event, the Sixth Form team will continue to support and guide them in the final weeks of term in completing applications to university, and provide them with one-to-one feedback as they write their personal statements documenting the experience and knowledge they have developed in their first year of Sixth Form. – Miss Benning 
Badminton Club: A Hit at Q3 Academy Great BarrBadminton club has been a staple on Thursday afternoons, with a range of students regularly attending the extracurricular club from Year 8 all the way to Sixth Form. 
All students have managed to continuously improve by competing against a range of different opponents within the Academy in both singles and doubles matches. 
Students have been able to improve on a range of different skills such as serving, overhead clear, and net shot, and will continue to do so as exemplified by their dedication and enthusiasm to the club. – Mr McGeough 
Sociology Meets Play-Doh: Creative Learning TechniquesThis week in Sociology, we have finished our study into sociological explanations about why girls nationally outperform boys in GCSEs and A-Level examinations in most subjects. Students were asked to transform sociological theories into Play-Doh models. 
Transforming their knowledge into a different format shows high level thinking skills and will also help them to remember the theories for their exam next summer. 
We have explored various factors which may impact the attainment gap between the genders. One theory given is that boys and girls receive different forms of socialisation which prepares girls to be good obedient learners, another is that groups of boys don't value education but value the respect of their peers more and so are defiant. Therefore are more likely to be sent out of lessons and miss learning. – Ms Colley 
Discovering the Wonders of Science at ThinktankOn arrival at Thinktank, our students headed to the Planetarium with its 360-degree screen, where they learnt about stars and planets. They were able to explore the outer reaches of space, journeying through the night sky and enjoying an adventure through the solar system. This was an immersive experience, and provided clues for the treasure hunt that students completed throughout the day. 
Students visited the Science Garden, an outdoor discovery space. Here they investigated water, gravity, and strength through hands-on exhibits. By being able to immerse themselves fully in the investigations, they were able to gain a strong understanding. 
Students worked in groups to investigate a crime involving a gang of jewellery thieves. In this hands-on workshop, they lifted fingerprints, compared fibres, and used microscopes. 
The trip ended with a walk around the exhibits, looking at everything from dinosaurs to how the human body works. The students were very intrigued and asked many fascinating questions. They were excellent ambassadors for the Academy. This truly worthwhile experience has inspired all of our Year 7 and 8 students that attended. 
On our visit we also had the delight in meeting Cherese, our Year 10 student on Work Experience. What a fabulous opportunity she had, working at Thinktank! – Mrs Perera 
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