Careers Spotlight: Learning About Youth Work with No Limits KS4

As part of our PSHE and careers learning, students recently took part in a session led by No Limits, a local organisation that supports young people across our community. The session helped students understand both the role of youth workers and the real-life challenges young people may face, while also highlighting youth work as a possible career pathway.

Real Stories: Becoming a Youth Worker

The session began with Gerson and Emma sharing their personal journeys into youth work. Students heard about:

• What inspired them to work with young people

• The skills and qualities needed for the role

• How youth work can make a positive difference in young people’s lives

This helped students see youth work as a real, achievable career, rooted in empathy, communication, and community support.

What is No Limits?

Students explored who No Limits are and the services they offer to young people. This included viewing an animated video explaining:

• How young people can access support

• The different services available

• How No Limits works alongside schools and communities

Students were also guided through the No Limits website to better understand how young people can seek help when they need it.

Understanding the Role of a Youth Worker

Students learned that youth workers:

• Listen, rather than lecture

• Help young people think through their choices

• Share clear, honest, age-appropriate information

• Support young people to stay safe

• Take action if someone is at risk (safeguarding)

A key message throughout the session was that the focus of youth work is support, not punishment, helping young people feel heard and empowered to make safer choices.

What is Detached Youth Work?

The session introduced students to detached youth work, which involves youth workers meeting young people in their own communities, such as parks or local spaces, rather than expecting them to attend a building-based service.

Students discussed why this approach can be effective and how it helps reach young people who may not otherwise seek support.

Exploring Risks Young People May Face

Through discussion, students identified challenges young people can experience in the community, including:

• Drugs and understanding their consequences

• Personal safety and environmental risks (such as poor street lighting)

• Peer pressure

• Mental health challenges

• Difficulties finding employment

• Money and financial pressures

These conversations helped students reflect on risk, safety, and support, and understand where trusted adults and services can help.

Creative Activity: Designing the Perfect Youth Service

To finish the session, students took part in a creative activity where they designed their ideal youth service. This encouraged them to think about:

• What young people need to feel safe and supported

• What services would be helpful

• How youth workers could best engage with young people

This activity developed teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills while reinforcing learning from the session.

Why This Matters

Sessions like this support students’:

• PSHE learning around health, wellbeing, and safety

• Careers education by showcasing real-world roles

• Understanding of support services available to them

• Confidence to seek help when needed

We are grateful to No Limits for providing such an engaging and informative session and for helping students understand both the support available to them and the people who work to keep young people safe.

GCSE PE- Practical Lessons

 

Our Year 11 boys are working very hard through this second term. In our practical PE lessons we have been implementing the topics of the coursework and created a circuit based on Muscular Endurance and Coordination.

These two topics will have the boys using and improving their motor skills, improving their muscualr fatigue and testing their mental strength. Here we have class 4PR and 4NT showcasing their skills.

Diversity Day 2024

The Polygon School is celebrating School Diversity Week 24th-28th June. 

As part of our efforts to ensure our school environment is a place where every pupil can realise their potential, we will be joining tens of thousands of pupils and teachers taking part in School Diversity Week across the country to celebrate equality in our school.  

Our school council decided five years ago the way in which they would like to celebrate this is a non-school uniform day where pupils can dress in a way which reflects their identity and respect each other’s choices. This has become an annual event for the school that everyone looks forward to. This year non-school uniform day will be on Tuesday 25th June.  This is optional for pupils and there is NO charge as this is a celebration of the diversity in our school not for a charity.

We hope you will support the school in celebrating Schools Diversity Week and the education of equality, diversity and inclusion for all in our school. 

Alongside our anti-bullying and safeguarding policies, taking part in School Diversity Week is an important way of actively supporting acceptance of everyone in our school community no matter their age, background, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or ability. We are excited to see our school community come together again and demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive school environment where every young person can be themselves and thrive. It is a chance to explain to all our students the importance of diversity in the world we are preparing them for.

Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Foster who along with pupils will be leading our preparations if you have any questions. We look forward to sharing our celebrations for you all to see on the school blog.

Drugs Education KS4

KS4 pupils have had an excellent half term learning about drugs education and transferring knowledge into relationships education. Pupils can list the characteristics and positive aspects of healthy relationships, including mutual respect, consent, loyalty, trust and shared interests. They can also discuss how the influence of alcohol and drugs can sometimes be detrimental to healthy relationships. 

Pupils can discuss and demonstrate the importance of assertive communication in relationships and when dealing with peer influence. The fantastic team at Yellow Door have been working with KS4 pupils discussing consent, boundaries and the impact of coercive and manipulative behaviour, gaslighting and revenge porn. 

Misconceptions around pornography, toxic masculinity and male suicide have been discussed in a mature way by pupils and all pupils have been signposted to support from agencies online and in person which can support with any of these issue.   

                                           Exploring Alcohol Education Trust resources and games.

                    Discussing safe sex and contraception and how the influence of alcohol could impact this. 

 Practicing how to put a friend in the recovery position if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Pupils know this will keep them safe and prevent them choking on their on sick. Well done everyone. 

KS4 pupils also took part in a trip to Life Lab! Look out for our Life Lab blog coming soon! 

A little bit of Polygon History

 

A little bit of Polygon history

History was made today when, for the 1st ever time, a tutor group won EVERY cup available in the weekly assembly.

Best Attendance

Most Improved Attendance

Readathon Champions

Additional Learning Champions

Congratulations to 4PR for this historic week.

Year 10 Work Experience

 

Year 10 Work Experience

We again made workplace visits to our students to see them in action. Many of them were hard at work exploring a wide variety of tasks.

As you can see below we went back to the Co-op to see a pupil doing a stock take. A pupil was assisting the PE lessons at a local Primary School and another was helping at St Mary's Stadium making teaching resources for Saints Foundation.

Year 10 Work Experience

 

Year 10 Work Experience

This week we have our Year 10 pupils out at a variety of employers on work experience. There were many nervous faces but all of the boys have settled well and are enjoying themselves. 

This week is a big step that our pupils make in their journey to their next steps and a valuable learning opportunity.

We have a pupil at our local Co-op this week. He is learning how the stock is rotated and displayed, helping with stock arrivals and customer services.

We have another pupil at Jungle Jeans. On his first day he made up over 100 party bags and learnt how to use the coffee machine as well as tidying the play equipment. He earnt his cheesy chips at lunch time.

Here you can see another pupil hard at work, this time at Carers Together Charity Shop. He was hard at work in the stock room going through donations to go to the shop floor.

Our thanks go to the employers that have engaged with us this year and we will be visiting the rest of the pupils later in the week.

South Western Railway Visit

Last week we welcomed staff from South Western Railway to deliver a workshop alongside the Saints Foundation around the dangers of the railway and how to use public transport appropriately.

Pupils engaged in conversations around safety, how to use crossings correctly and how to use help buttons at stations for themselves and others. 

Pupils were told about the potential risks of misuse of the railways in terms of risk to life and financial penalties. They were also shown two case study videos from the perspective of a train driver who has had a near miss and a teenager who has been electrocuted locally on a railway. 

Well done to all the pupils who took part in the session and for South Western Railway for their visit.

Visits like this are a great opportunity to enhance our cross-curricular links in PSHE, Citizenship and Wellbeing.  The school is also working towards a HH5 and Eco School framework which includes personal safety and transport. Within work skills lessons we encourage employee encounters and this was a great chance for pupils to ask questions to staff who work hands on for South Western Railway.   

  

  

Richard Taunton's College Assembly

Richard Taunton's College Assembly

Last week we were visited by Richard Taunton's 6th Form College. They were on site to deliver an assembly to our KS4 pupils about the options available to them if they chose to apply for the college.

The boys all listened respectfully and were interested in the offer available to them at Taunton's.