Over the course of 2017, Neale-Wade has welcomed back nine alumni volunteers from a variety of different professional sectors to support and inspire current students.

Working in partnership with Future First, a national education charity that helps schools build connections with their alumni, Neale-Wade has held three employability workshops for Year 9 students. The workshops were supported by former pupils of the school, including Lillian Hosea, Director and Founder of the People Academy and Shane Hennells, Hygiene Manager at GS Fresh. The alumni shared their experiences of school and offered advice to students on the world of work.

At the school’s annual awards celebration last summer, guests were joined by former editor of the Sun newspaper and ex-Neale Wade pupil, Dominic Mohan, now CEO of PR firm The Outside Organisation. Mr Mohan spoke about the influence Neale-Wade had on his career and how to land your dream job.

 

Director of Curriculum and Careers at Neale-Wade, Sam Mandley, said: “We run a successful careers programme at Neale-Wade and setting up our alumni network has been a highlight this year. We have introduced our young people to some inspiring former students and their work has been of real benefit to the academy. ‘I went to Neale-Wade and now I ……….’ is such a powerful message to send to our students, showing them that they too have many choices available to them.”

Neale-Wade Executive Principal, Jason Wing, said: “I am delighted to have such supportive and highly positive role models working with our students. It reaffirms my belief that the children of March and the local villages can compete with the very best nationally and this is reinforced by the success of our alumni.”

With the support of Future First, Neale-Wade has built a network of 380 former pupils and will continue to engage these individuals in 2018 and beyond.