In recent days, our Year 9s have been lucky to be audience to two excellent and powerful pieces of educational theatre.

On Friday 7 February, Year 9 watched ‘Risking It All’, a 50-minute interactive theatre production by 2engage, which addresses child sexual exploitation (CSE) and county lines. Using theatre as a tool to discuss these issues and based on the lived experiences of teenagers, ‘Risking It All’ portrays the grooming process using victims’ personal accounts. The performance highlights how risky behaviour among adolescents can lead to vulnerability and dangerous situations, and helps young people spot the signs of exploitation.

Students were asked after seeing a performance to feedback their thoughts, and what they felt stood out for them most in the performance. Some of the things they highlighted include “How quickly you can get into debt”, “I didn’t realise how quickly situations can escalate especially grooming”, “That it’s a true story!” and “What stood out to me is these things can happen”. Students also commented on “The acting was very good and portrayed the story really well”, “The acting was enjoyable and immersive” and “I think that signs of grooming are now clear”.

The cohort were then visited by Voices of the Holocaust, a critically acclaimed theatre company dedicated to preserving the memories and stories of Holocaust survivors. Their play ‘Kindness: A legacy of the Holocaust’ is largely a verbatim play based on the testimony of Hungarian survivor, Susan Pollack OBE, aged only 13 when she was sent to the notorious Auschwitz-Birkenau in the summer of 1944. “Kindness” has been described as “beautiful and empowering” and “compelling and emotive”. You can read a further review of the performance at: Drama retells 13-year-old girl’s Auschwitz survival – BBC News

“When I was invited to watch the play “Kindness” – a production about our dear member Susan Pollack, I had no idea what to expect. For me, this play was like no other – it told the story of Susan in the most sensitive and thought-provoking way. I lost myself in this production and was fully immersed in her experience. With its fast moving pace and the interchanging roles played by only four actors, there was no time to think and instead we, the audience, were given the opportunity to listen to Susan through this darkest period of her life – her confusion, her despair, her loss, but also her hope. This really is a remarkable piece of theatre that must be rolled out across the nation.” – Sarah-Jane Burstein, Holocaust Survivors’ Centre.

Following the Year 9 performance, Voices’ actors and the play’s director, Cate Hollis, held a workshop with our A Level Drama & Theatre Studies students. After school, a second performance of ‘Kindness: A legacy of the Holocaust’ was held for parents, carers and students from other years.

Last week, a group of our Year 11 students were given the opportunity to explore a destinations fair held in the Robinson Rooms. This was an opportunity for students to find out about alternative post-16 options to Sixth Form, to chat to a selection of local providers about the courses they have on offer and to receive advice on making choices and next steps. Our thanks to all the volunteers who gave their time to support this event, including Activate Learning (with information about Reading College, Bracknell and Wokingham College), Basingstoke College of Technology, Sparsholt College, University Centre Newbury and West Berkshire Training Consortium.

We are following the success of last week with two more upcoming careers events for our Year 12 students.

Online Careers Fair

On Tuesday 25 February we will be holding an online Careers Fair during which students will be able to choose from a selection of online webinars and join to learn more about a career that interests them. We would love to hear from professionals who would be interested to support this.

Are you available on Tuesday 25 February between 12.10-13.00pm?

Would you be comfortable delivering a 30 minute presentation to our students on how you got into your career, the work you do on a daily basis and how you followed this career path?

Do you work in one of the following sectors?

• Business related fields such as marketing and HR
• Education
• Law
• Emergency services
• Crime and probation
• Sport related professions

If you would like to learn more about supporting this event, please email Co-Head of Sixth Form, Mr Owen –  mowen@stbarts.co.uk

Post-18 Destinations Fair

On Wednesday 19 March we will hold our inaugural Post-18 Destinations Fair, which will be attended by local employers, colleges and universities, enabling students to explore different post A Level opportunities in our area. Our thanks to Activate Learning (Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham College), AWE, Gardner Leader, Kerridge Commercial Systems, Oxford Brookes University, Portsmouth University, Royal Holloway University, University Centre Newbury, University of Reading and University of Winchester who have all committed to supporting this event. If you work for an organisation which offers post-18 opportunities and might like to join us, or know of an organisation you wish us to approach, please do get in touch with dseward@stbarts.co.uk

To learn more about the Careers Programme at St Bart’s, visit our Careers pages on our website.