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17/01/25

On Wednesday, our Year 13 students enjoyed an interactive ‘interview techniques’ workshop. They took part in various activities to practise their interview skills which proved to be an engaging and constructive session. pic.twitter.com/o81SXG1YsD

17/01/25

Exciting Career Opportunities in Education! Are you passionate about shaping the future of young minds? Our schools are offering a variety of vacancies, including key leadership roles.#EducationCareers #ShapeTheFuturehttps://t.co/BNn5ZN2Oag pic.twitter.com/VbkGHUDxM2

17/01/25

Join us on 23 January at 3.30pn for 'How to search & apply for ' with Expect a step by step guide to the different vacancy platforms & tips for supporting young people in the application process. Register: https://t.co/bEx2ysGYiz pic.twitter.com/avommOhxAl

17/01/25

Sign up now for out Train to Teach events taking place in February pic.twitter.com/JEsZ1YjREf

17/01/25

* Careers Advisor vacancy * 18 hours per week term time plus INSET Days Working pattern to be discussed at the interview H6 £12,200 per annum, actual salary Start Date: February/March 2025https://t.co/WePFhthyIP#stalbansjobs pic.twitter.com/zGcI1nxXQs

17/01/25

Another great performance from our squads, this afternoon saw our girls take on a spirited Oakwood side. Goals from Riana (2) and Emma saw us win 3-0, topping off a great week for primary extracurricular sport! pic.twitter.com/ITjoMSbs9u

17/01/25

Ladybirds had a fantastic visit to Little City this week. We were able to role play as lots of jobs within our community. We had hairdressers, builders, shop assistants and police officers. It was a very busy morning! pic.twitter.com/922Y0b79Wb

17/01/25

Last Wednesday, some of our students enjoyed two events in conjunction with The Apprenticeship Support & Knowledge (ASK) programme. There was a presentation from an Apprentice Ambassador followed by a workshop to help students understand what to expect from an assessment centre. pic.twitter.com/iTnSHGOpqC

17/01/25

Ladybirds have been exploring emergency services and using junk modelling to create our own emergency vehicles. We have added lights, wheels and even repeating patterns to bring them to life! pic.twitter.com/4llUwySboG

17/01/25

Robert Barclay Academy is part of Scholars’ Education Trust. We are looking for a hardworking, ambitious and dynamic teacher to join our highly successful Maths team. We warmly welcome applications from ECT’s. pic.twitter.com/MuphvNPRn7

17/01/25

Our Year 11 students are busy working on their GCSE free composition, combining their own instruments with digital programmes Sibelius and Garage Band. Their compositions will showcase both their skill and creativity, and we can't wait to hear them! pic.twitter.com/RSfxQRGTTn

17/01/25

On Tuesday, our Year 11 GCSE Graphic Communication and Art, Craft & Design A- Level students enjoyed visiting the V&A in London. The trip provided an opportunity for the students to gather inspirational first-hand research which will be invaluable for their exam project. pic.twitter.com/czXWmKLntk

16/01/25

We are starting the year by making new garden signage from recycled wood. Thanks to St Albans Wood Recycling centre. pic.twitter.com/Ecy6yyJGhn

16/01/25

We're hiring a new IT Team Leader at Hemel Hempstead. Scholars’ Education Trust focusses on the use of Digital Technology in and outside the classroom, developing an innovative educational experience. Apply today.https://t.co/TqkxZuSZrU pic.twitter.com/Pd7BL5QNlu

16/01/25

Year 10 GCSE History students & some KS3 students had an incredible experience at a brilliant hands-on hosted by historian Dr. Bill Smith, delving into the real-life story of WWII hero Arthur Cornell - helping to build a deeper understanding of this time in history pic.twitter.com/8ur4hubJqm

16/01/25

SJL Music celebration of the Autumn Term. New display! Many thanks to Mrs Ralph. pic.twitter.com/TSXfgu1xzU

15/01/25

Robert Barclay Academy is part of Scholars’ Education Trust. We are looking for a hardworking, ambitious and dynamic teacher to join the team as a Science Teacher. We warmly welcome applications from ECT’s. pic.twitter.com/wnstQgGkh1

15/01/25

Robert Barclay Academy is looking to appoint additional members to its team of committed & friendly exam invigilators. The main external examination season runs through May and June, with other exams and assessments held periodically throughout the year from November to July. pic.twitter.com/LZepYOPtf4

14/01/25

We are looking forward to welcoming students to our Post-16 Information Evening on Wednesday - check out this video for a taster of life in our Sixth Form... pic.twitter.com/drMu26Vaa6

14/01/25

* Examinations Officer vacancy * Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday Contract: Term-time only + INSET + 2 weeks required during exams and results dates Actual Salary: £30,600 per annum Start Date: May 2025https://t.co/I2WDXUxLu4#stalbansjobs pic.twitter.com/nIbQ8kMqXr

13/01/25

Year 6 learning about colour symbolism in their workshop this morning. Exciting to see the costumes of Umbridge and Voldemort. Common misconception: Voldemort’s cloak is green not black. pic.twitter.com/dQK4sP6R3c

10/01/25

KS2 Curriculum - A great way to start their new topics about Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt. pic.twitter.com/oPC8KuOPoy

10/01/25

Join Our Team: Exciting Career Opportunities in Education! Apply now to join a community that champions growth, innovation, and excellence in education. Together, we can shape the future of our students.https://t.co/BNn5ZN2gkI#teachingvacancies pic.twitter.com/cW7bls0wGd

10/01/25

*Samuel Ryder Football Academy* Football players from our Sports Academy program recently supported current Watford FC players Daniel Bachman, Tom Ince and Mattie Pollock in training towards their UEFA coaching badges. Such a fantastic opportunity for these players. pic.twitter.com/kVURfHzIHV

09/01/25

Year 11 students were learning about the titration technique in science class - using it to determine the concentration of an unknown vinegar solution. pic.twitter.com/Lle3Ky2GlW

Trust News

Computing Alumni at SJL

Posted on 17/01/2022

Excitingly two former SJL students came back to Sir John Lawes School, keen to talk to Year 11 and Year 12 students about their experiences of A Level Computer Science and their degrees along with sharing their work experience since.

Hugo studied Video Game Design and now works for a game studio called Ballistic Moon. Matt is studying Cybersecurity and is currently on a year in industry working for IBM.

Hugo, who gained a First-Class degree in Video Games Development at Birmingham City University, is now working as a software engineer for independent games studio Ballistic Moon. They discussed how their A Level studies at SJL had provided a strong foundation for what they had gone on to study at university, an example being an understanding of object-oriented programming which allowed for their swift adaptation to the programming required for games development. A nice touch was Hugo’s side-by-side screenshots of their A Level coursework from 2019 and a game they had coded in 2021, showing how far their skills had developed in just two years.

Hugo also had some useful advice for students, saying that they should “experiment – nothing will be perfect to begin with” and “pursue what you love and find a job that fits”. We then heard from Matt, who studies Cybersecurity and Forensic Computing at the University of Portsmouth and is currently completing a technology internship at IBM. Matt spoke about his enthusiasm for coding in Python at school and how he enjoyed building upon this in his own time, taking on a range of personal projects, such as setting up his Raspberry Pi for gaming, and removing telemetry from Windows 10 to improve its performance. Matt then discussed how he took advantage of the extracurricular opportunities provided at university, getting involved with “Capture the Flag” competitions and joining the Ethical Hacking Society. We were particularly impressed to hear that Matt was employed by the university as a research assistant whilst still in his second year, and we enjoyed seeing screenshots of research papers bearing his name.

Like Hugo, Matt reflected on his A Level studies at SJL, and commented that some of the algorithms he had learnt about then are ones that he now uses most days. His advice to our students was that “the best way to learn with programming and technology is just to play around with it” and that “personal projects are so important”. We are immensely impressed with how far Hugo and Matt have come in the 2.5 years since they left SJL, and are looking forward to hearing about what comes next for them both. The students who attended the event had the following reflections:

“I found it quite inspiring to know how much Hugo and Matt had achieved in the space of two years. It's crazy how advanced they have become and I hope to go that far as well” – Jamie (Year 11)

“I learnt what my opportunities in Computer Science are and that I should practise my programming to get a good career” – Kai (Year 11)

“I found the event interesting as it showed everyone how you don’t need to be the top 1% to get into a job you enjoy. In addition, Hugo and Matt demonstrated the importance of self-motivated projects” – Adam (Year 12)

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