A BRIGHT student gave a rousing speech about what the future holds to more than a thousand people. 

Ellie Taylor, a student at the Sir John Colfox Academy, spoke at the PiXL conference about a programme she is involved with called the PiXL Edge Masters. 

PiXL Edge is a framework for secondary schools and sixth form providers to develop and accredit in students attitudes, attributes and skills essential for employability and life.

The Sir John Colfox Academy is a leading PiXL Edge Academy and has embedded the programme throughout the school from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 5.

Sharon Spice, director of global student recruitment at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales recently told how employability skills are ‘more important than ever’ and the organisation Business Matters said pupils needed to highlight their skills to ‘better reflect their competencies outside of the curriculum.’

Ellie chose to complete the Edge Masters alongside her A Levels 
“I feel it’s a place which values the importance of academic achievement, but more importantly focusses on creating people,” she said.

The Masters allows pupils to specialise in a specific area they would like to continue with at university or future employment. 

Ellie said she would like to be a drama teacher in the future and her activities are all linked to working with other people both inside and outside the academy. 

“My activities for the Edge mainly focus around the performing arts. I have been running a drama club for students for nearly a year now and been a student leader for the school play while also performing in roles with local theatre productions and helped to co-run the school choir. 

“These are things that I absolutely love doing, but the way in which the Edge programme celebrates this and challenges you to approach it differently and evaluate your actions allows so much personal growth and a critical perspective,” she said.