We created ‘Step Up Day’ in 2017 as we recognised the need for Year 10 students to understand the challenges that their examination year would bring. At the time, it seemed important to recognise the increased challenges that the new style examinations brought. We also wanted to acknowledge the pressure put upon young people to have such a vast knowledge-base at their fingertips in order to be successful in their GCSE examinations, and beyond. Through ‘Step Up Day’, we encouraged students to consider their possible career pathways, but we also used the day to focus on motivation and revision techniques.

Over the last two years this has evolved into a day during which students are able to reflect on themselves and their learning, but has also become an opportunity for us to begin to develop students’ understanding of metacognition and motivation. This day is now part of a journey for our students rather than a stand-alone entity in itself. We are extremely proud that students are able to take these skills and apply them to different areas, whilst also challenging themselves to see beyond what they thought was possible.

Our virtual ‘Step Up Day’ isn’t as we had planned, but has been thoughtfully adapted to be completed at home. Each session will go ‘live’ at the scheduled time, and there are many live elements to the day. We think that this is also a great opportunity for everyone to see some familiar faces. We cannot wait to be back in school, and it has been so lovely to see so many Year 10s over the last two weeks.

For more details click here: Step Up Day Plan