Year 9 Highlights

19th January 2024

Year 9 Careers Evening 2024

During the Careers’ Evening this week, we hosted professionals from over twenty-five different professions. Several of the professionals present are Braeburn school parents and former parents. We appreciate all of you who volunteered to be part of our career guests and came with your children to the event. Here are some reflections from some of our students.

Isaac Kisongoche

Work-Related Learning Coordinator

A careers’ evening is an event designed to provide individuals, typically students or job seekers, with valuable insights into various professions and industries. During this gathering, attendees have the opportunity to interact with professionals from diverse fields, including business, healthcare, technology, and more. These events often feature panel discussions, presentations, and one-on-one networking sessions.

The primary purpose of a careers’ evening is to help individuals make informed decisions about their future paths by gaining firsthand knowledge about different career options. Professionals share their experiences, discuss the challenges and rewards of their respective fields, and offer advice on educational and skill development paths. Attendees can ask questions, seek guidance, and build meaningful connections with industry insiders.

This event serves as a bridge between education and the professional world, empowering attendees to make informed choices about their careers. It not only broadens their understanding of potential professions but also provides valuable networking opportunities, opening doors to mentorship and future job prospects. Ultimately, a careers’ evening plays a crucial role in guiding individuals towards fulfilling and successful career paths.

After attending the careers’ evening, students can reflect on the valuable insights gained to make informed decisions about their future. Firstly, they should assess their interests, skills, and passions discussed during the event, aligning them with potential career paths. It's crucial to research and explore various professions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the demands and opportunities each field offers.

Networking is crucial in any career, so students should connect with the professionals they met at the careers’ evening through email to build and maintain relationships. Seeking mentorship from individuals in their desired field can provide valuable guidance.The students think that the careers’ evening benefit them to confirm the subjects they should take for IGCSE.

Setting short and long-term goals based on the event's discussions will help students create a roadmap for their career journey. Finally, staying adaptable and open-minded is essential, as the job market evolves. The careers’ evening is not just a one-time event but a stepping stone towards informed decision-making and proactive career planning for students.

By Zainab Mohamed Ali

Year 9: Statements about the event (collected by Imtiaz Lorenz)

Anthony Ndirangu: “It’s been nice. There are many industry professionals, however, I would’ve expected them to give us more IGCSE guidance.”

Alfred Ripås: “My experience was good. I found out a lot about different careers and I got to know what I needed to know.”

Rishon Malhotra: “I’ve enjoyed meeting the different professions, especially the pilots and found out [even] more than I thought I knew.”

Friday's Debate

The second speaker on the proposition

The debate which took place on Friday was very eventful and in my opinion a big learning experience!

It started with preparation and I was the second speaker on the proposition (for the motion). We were debating the motion that “students should pick their school lunch”. It was quite nerve-racking at first to develop strong points but it taught me how to work with different classmates and how to work under pressure.

We began the debate with our first speakers on either side (opposition and proposition) and soon it was my turn… I was excited to present my ideas and after my speech, I worked with my team and my third speaker to include strong rebuttals to defend our motion. Once all speakers were finished the judges took 6 minutes to decide the winner which resulted in the opposition. Ethan Wahome (second speaker for the opposition) claimed “It was very entertaining and enjoyable to create speeches and replicate a courtroom, it taught me a lot about debating.”

The skills I learned about through debating varied from teamwork, perseverance, and as Ms. Monks claimed, being able to work“off the cuff”.

Although the outcome may have not been great (in terms of the proposition side), it was a good learning experience to learn from mistakes made in the debate and improve them in the future. The whole class all had fun learning the new topic!

Rania Mughal 9B

Most of this comes from my experience as a judge

The class 9B had a debate that took place on the 12th of January 2024. A motion was presented to the class and so the majority were placed into 2 teams: The Proposition and The Opposition.

This motion was whether or not students should be allowed to make up the school lunch menu. The Proposition would support this motion and the Opposition would go against it. The Judges with the help of the Timekeepers would determine which side would win at the end of the debate.

After help with research from the researchers of the respective teams and a mark scheme created by the Judges, the debate began. The Proposition spoke first and proudly presented the rest with many good facts and statistics and their confidence and articulation in speech was very astounding and presentable.

The Opposition’s rebuttals were also very impressive. They were all very confident in speech and their counter-arguments which made up for the fact that they quite lacked facts/statistics.

Both teams managed to lose many points (due to factors like talking during another team’s argument, timekeeping, etc.)

In the end the Opposition won with 40 points compared to the Proposition’s 35 points. I believe this debate was an overall success. Both sides excelled in confidence, articulation and arguments which were all key factors in making for a successful debate.

Kelly Lokenga 9B