Selby College hosted two Discovery Days with local primary school students, giving the children the opportunity to take part in taster sessions across a variety of subject areas.
Year 5 and 6 pupils from Airmyn Park Primary School, Whitley and Eggborough Community Primary School, Athelstan Community and Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School took part in the events, where they enjoyed a range of taster sessions in Art & Design, Computing, Construction, Hair & Beauty and Sport.
They also had the chance to use the College’s VR headsets in the state-of-the-art I Innovate digital learning pods, which are new to the College this academic year.
Sharon Noble, Teacher at Barkston Ash Catholic Primary, said: “The children thoroughly enjoyed the chance to experience new and exciting learning through the taster sessions hosted by Selby College. They all worked cooperatively and were able to gather hours to go towards their ongoing Children’s University achievements.”
Selby College is one of the Learning Destinations for Children’s University with the Discovery Day events aiming to enable young children to discover new subjects and understand the range of academic opportunities available locally.
Rachel Rayner, Wakefield and Selby Children’s University Coordinator, said: “We are delighted to use Selby College as a way of raising aspirations with our CU schools. We organised two fantastic events for the students, where they were able to explore a number of courses that we offer at Selby. Many of the students arrived not knowing what College was, where it is or that it was a future option for them. The hands-on workshops really opened their minds to different career paths, inspired them to make choices about their futures and most importantly helped to embed the message that they can achieve their ambitions.”
The Children’s University is a charity that works in partnership with schools to develop a love of learning in children which it achieves through encouraging and celebrating the participation of 5-14 year olds in extra-curricular activities in and outside of school.
Last month, 70 pupils from Wakefield and Selby Children’s University celebrated their learning achievements at the Children’s University Graduation, which took place in the Mechanics’ Theatre, Wakefield – the first graduation ceremony of the Selby programme since its launch last year.
Pupil from local secondary school participating in an A Level Biology taster session.
This July has also seen both Colleges welcome another cohort of Year 10 students for Taster Days, giving pupils the opportunity to trial a range of taster sessions in subjects of their choice from Construction to Computing, Healthcare, Science and more.
James Pennington, Local College Director at Selby College, said: “We are committed to working in partnership with local schools, from primary to secondary, to help transform learning, raise attainment and achievement and encourage progressions for learners of all ages and abilities. The Discovery Days and Taster Days are a great way to introduce students to the variety of options available for their futures so it’s fantastic to hear such positive feedback from the schools and pupils. We look forward to welcoming them back in the future.”
If you are a school or an individual member and are interested in signing up to Selby Children’s University, please contact
Find out more about Selby Children’s University, here.
Find out more about Selby College here.