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Ellesmere College

Leadership and Employability

At Ellesmere we pride ourselves on the wealth of opportunities we offer our pupils both inside and outside of the classroom.

These opportunities exist inconspicuously in the mainstream curriculum but also more conspicuously in the hidden curriculum of the pupils daily routine. It is the combination of these experiences that help to shape us into what, and who, we are.

Leadership is very difficult to pin-point, as different styles exist to serve different purposes. One thing that is a little easier to spot is that Leaders and Entrepreneurs tend to share a number of common characteristics. We believe at Ellesmere that these characteristics reveal themselves through exposure to a multitude of difficult and demanding situations. It is when pupils are taken out of the 'comfort zone' that they truly develop the necessary skills to become successful as adults.

Each of these situations brings positive and negative outcomes. We celebrate a great deal of success at Ellesmere in a number of different areas, but we also believe that failure needs to happen; we celebrate the opportunity failure brings for our pupils to learn and develop. The basis of this is to develop those competencies, so needed by employers in today's fast moving and high competitive business environment.

The programme not only develops the skills needed to become a potential leader or entrepreneur but provides pupils with an opportunity to become more self aware and confident;

It is these successes and failures that form the basis of the Leadership and Employability programme at Ellesmere.

Each pupil is given one of our outstanding tutors to help recognise, reflect upon and respond to each of these experiences. Our pupils meet with tutors on a daily basis and have extended time in the week where things can be discussed in more detail, often in a 'one-to-one' environment. Pupils record their experiences in a 'reflective' log book that they can take with them throughout the stages of their time at the College.

Being Life Ready is not just a marketing phrase but a philosophy shared by the whole Ellesmere community that shapes the students of today and the leaders of tomorrow.

By developing key skills our pupils produce better university applications by demonstrating more maturity and understanding of the world that they are about to enter. Ultimately, the programme will develop Ellesmerians to be more successful and productive members of society.

See the wide range of employability and leadership opportunities that exist, at Ellesmere. Some of these area include: 

  • Academic Enrichment
  • Combined Cadet Force
  • Co-curricular
  • Debating
  • The Arts
  • Lamda
  • Expeditions
  • Sport
  • DofE - Duke of Edinburgh Award
  • English Speaking Board Exams
  • Extended Project Qualification
  • Institute of Leadership & Management Qualifications (ILM)
  • Sports Leaders Award

We devote two afternoons a week to sport and leadership opportunities that help to develop and support the growth of a student's 'softer' skills. In terms of employability, these are just as important as the academic grades, and together they fulfill the College mantra of 'Life Ready'. Leadership on the sports field is matched by participation in DofE, First Aid or CCF, or acquiring ILM Level 3 management qualifications and many others, as indicated above.