Sixth form is given a boost at Meadowgate School in Wisbech

The catering department takes shape at Meadowgate School.

Meadowgate sixth formers have sent a huge thankyou to students at the College of West Anglia Isle Campus and staff at the Wisbech Co-op store who have both forged links with them to help boost their vocational studies.

Construction students at the Isle Campus had time to spare at the end of their courses and built the sixth formers some potting benches for their horticultural classes.

The Co-op are giving work experience to students once a week to get involved with packaging and labelling

Emma Bird, head of vocational studies at Meadowgate, said: “We are working hard to improve the opportunities for vocational skills for our sixth formers and the links with the Isle and the Co op are brilliant.

“We are also building a new catering department for training which will have a kitchen and coffee shop.”

The Co-op stepped forward to forge a partnership designed to provide employment skills to the young people.

Emma said: “The Co-op staff have been very generous with their time and with Lisa Gill, assistant head of the school, devised ways in which the sixth form students can help with tasks such as labelling packaging.

“This gives the students a real life experience of being part of a team, of working to a deadline and learning new skills.

“If a student can see the actual product on the shelf that they have created, packaged and labelled then the incentive to work is formed.”

The partnership has plans to expand the students’ experiences with the hope that some of them will go on to gain employment in the retail sector.

Emma said: “It is refreshing to discover that community spirit is alive and well in Wisbech.”

The catering unit will house a training kitchen and a coffee shop which will be used to teach and deliver the BTEC Jamie Oliver’s home cooking skills Level 1 qualification from September.