Teacher Externship Programme

Our teacher externship programme ran for its second year this summer providing our vocational teachers with yet another opportunity to get out into industry to explore recent changes and to further deepen our understanding of the subjects we teach. We have returned with a wealth of information, to pass on to our students, regarding technical expertise, careers advice, new technologies, new project-based learning ideas and a wealth of work experience opportunities for our students.

Examples of the 2025 externships included our law team visiting Muckle LLP to understand what it means to work within a modern and vibrant law firm offering services across a range of specialisms. Delta Hotels welcomed our business teachers offering an insight into the hospitality industry, offering a range of opportunities for the students throughout next year with conversations inspiring the design of coursework projects in the next academic year.

Our criminology and psychology staff visited Low Newton Prison to learn about the PRIMROSE programme by which a team of psychologists work with high risk female offenders in a bid to reduce their risk of harm to themselves and others. They also worked with Durham Police as part of their externship to learn more about the changing trends in crime rates within the North East and to further enhance the quality of careers advice they may now give to those students hoping to enter the police force.

The Health and Social Care department undertook two externships, those being at Middlestone Moor Primary School and the Care Academy (Durham County Council) in order to return with detailed advice to our new Year 13 students as they prepare to undertake their own work placements next year. Understanding which skills the health sector views as most valuable will ensure our students present themselves in the best possible light proving themselves as assets to any future employers. The school placement has also proven of significance in helping our staff prepare for the new AAQ in Early Childhood Development which we intend to add to our provision in 2026.

In addition, our Games Development teachers worked with Infinity 27, securing the chance for our students to create their own games next year within a professional environment and with one to one support from designers. Our BTEC Science department completed externships with Quotient Sciences and CPI at NETPark, which also has the combined effect of providing excellent opportunities for our students to meet such influential employers and visit their facilities next year; however, it also aids the team in preparing for the new AAQ in Medical Science due to commence in September 2026.

Our IT and Computing staff worked closely with Teleperformance who have also proven to be a wonderful connection providing a detailed insight into some of newer additions to the Computing and IT AAQ syllabus in preparation for September. Finally, Durham County Council provided a wealth of marketing resources to our business and marketing staff and were extremely forthcoming in explaining their marketing strategies and logistics.

We are extremely grateful to the North East Combined Authority for supporting us in our externships this year and to all of the employers who have taken the time to work with us because they understand just how important it is that young people forge these connections with local employers, gain first-hand experience within specific industries and hone their skills ready to carve out their future career. We look forward to further developing our externship programme next year.