Greenwood Academy 6th Form Team building Day
On Friday 7th September, 42 6th Formers from Greenwood Academy started their new academic year with a bang! With the support of Aimhigher+, Year 12s kicked off their first day with a study skills session that gave tips and emphasised the leap from GCSE to A Level study. Whilst over the corridor, Year 13s were getting their heads around Personal Statements with a workshop which included them all brainstorming their first drafts. After these workshops, all pupils joined the coaches and travelled to Ackers Adventure where the fun stepped up a notch!
First, Y12 and Y13 were randomly split into teams and then made their way to the activities field where they completed various challenges as a group. Grace, a Year 12 student, said ‘To be fair, that was really good as I only knew about 3 people before then and now I know loads’. Tasks required effective communication, time management, sometimes leadership and always, teamwork.
After lunch, all 6th Formers took part in either archery or zip-wiring – choices which were both selected by an in-school vote. Again, pupils had to work with people that hadn’t before, and support one another to achieve, particularly when it came to the scary heights of the zip wire!
The day was designed to encourage a positive atmosphere and start to the academic year, leading to higher retention and progression through FE and potentially on to HE. Ms Portsmouth, Greenwood Academy’s Head of 6th Form, commented,
“Thanks to our partnership with Aim Higher, this year we were able to offer a team building experience at Ackers for our whole Sixth Form cohort at the start of term to help them bond together as senior students in our school and prepare them for the challenges of the year ahead. It was an invaluable start to the year, but something which financial restrictions have meant we were not previously able to run. This is just one of the many ways that Aim Higher has helped Greenwood through their ongoing support of our students development.”
