Higher Ideas Exchange 2024

Macmillan Academy hosted its annual Higher Ideas Exchange, where students and their families gained the chance to speak with representatives from universities.

Attending were all the local universities, but also those from further a field, such as Herriot Watt, Edinburgh, Loughborough University, Lancaster and Sheffield University. This year we added medical specialists from Newcastle University and Hull York Medical School. The advantage for our students is this event creates a centralised opportunity to speak with university ambassadors about courses offered, accommodation, bursaries, industrial placement years and much more. It takes a lot of pressure from our students, as they don't have to rely solely on travelling to each university in order to gain an understanding of what is offered.

Also available at this event were students who had attended Post 16 and went on to study at university, degree level, masters and PhD. They returned to their former school and college, to speak with students, reminding them, "this is where I started too." Their backgrounds included Cambridge and Imperial University, Leeds University and the University of Lima.

The event not only inspired our students and helped with their future plans, it also gave staff time to reflect on their own personal journey and to remember the important role both staff and students have in supporting each other and nurturing student success.