On Tuesday 6 March Year 9 spent an enjoyable, worthwhile and fun activities day discovering what the world of work entails. Working in groups, the students took on the role of young independent adults living and working in a community.

The day started with Mrs Stephens playing the role of question master for the Spin Game: a general knowledge game with questions relating to the world of work. Mrs Jessett then invited the girls to explore their dreams and aspirations for adult life by choosing a wish list of accommodation, transport, belongings and leisure activities.

‘What’s My Line?’ followed after break, when a range of jobs were randomly assigned and students took on an occupational role for the remainder of the day. Mrs Lewis encouraged everyone to become absorbed in their new roles as computer programmers, doctors, travel agents, biologists, advertising executives, photographers, plumbers, solicitors and so on, to investigate aspects of different jobs and so gain an insight into other people’s working lives.

Then it was time for some serious budgeting before lunch, when girls tackled the concept of how to balance income and expenditure. Would everyone be able to have all the items on their dream clouds now that they were working in their new roles? Yes for some, no for others…some girls were ‘overspending’ by several thousand pounds a month.  Mrs Duke got them back on track and soon everyone had somewhere to live, even though in some cases this involved downshifting from a  large farmhouse of their own to sharing a flat with three others. Some quick calculations in budgeting for leisure then took place, when students considered how they spend the hours in a typical week and discovered that there just aren’t enough hours in a day when you are working full time!

We saved the best activity until last: an inter group competition, led energetically by Ms Windsor, to decide and plan a dream holiday – one that fitted in with everyone’s work schedules AND budgets. Everyone in the group had to go together; no-one could be left at home; resources could be pooled; items could be sold to raise enough money. Some excellent presentations on proposed trips to destinations such as Egypt, Spain, Australia, Paris, Amsterdam and the Caribbean from each of the groups ended a really successful and memorable day.
H Lewis

To see more photos, please click below:
http://www.kingsleygallery.co.uk/index_files/realgame.htm