Blog week ending 26th June
Preparing for the Future: The Careers Programme at Stone Lodge School
We believe that education should not only empower students in the classroom but also equip them for life beyond it. One of the most important ways we do this is through our comprehensive Careers Programme — a key part of our commitment to ensuring every student is able to make confident, well-researched decisions about GCSE options, sixth form, university, apprenticeships, and employment. At Stone Lodge School, we want every student to leave us with a strong sense of purpose and direction. Our Careers Programme is more than just guidance — it’s a partnership with families, educators, and employers to give every young person the tools they need to thrive.
Our Careers Programme offers students structured, age-appropriate guidance from Year 7 through to Year 13. It is built around the national Gatsby Benchmarks, which set the standard for excellent careers education across the UK.
At Stone Lodge, our programme helps students:
- Understand the range of career options available
- Recognise the skills and qualifications needed for different pathways
- Access meaningful encounters with employers and training providers
- Make informed decisions about their post-16 and post-18 routes
Careers Update. The collaborative partnership between North Kent Business Unit and Stone Lodge has meant we have been able to support students’ education and provide a bridge to employment through work placement and engagement opportunities for the next generation of health and care professionals.
The partnership has now allowed us to go one step further in offering a Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship to Ben Witham who leaves school this month and will be joining the community specialist nursing and matrons team based at Livingstone Hospital.
Debbie Lindon-Taylor, Director of North Kent Business Unit said: “Since 2023, we have been and continue to work very closely with Stone Lodge attending to present career insight talks and providing placements for their students to support education and wider experience to aide their career choice. Enabling opportunities offering a variety of apprenticeship employment for young people in the area, allows us to support the creation of local jobs and careers for our local young people and to make a beneficial impact for communities in our region”.
Carole Wilson, Administration Manager Said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer Ben this exciting apprenticeship opportunity on the very start of his career journey! Apprenticeships give us the opportunity to attract talent from within our local community. Employing and developing people from our local area is a great way to secure a talented workforce for the future.”
Geraldine Tiddy, Assistant Head Teacher Stone Lodge Academy said: “We are very excited to see this great apprenticeship opportunity be given to one of our Year 13 students. It is great to see our partnership develop into future career opportunities.”
Year 12 student Mollie Morrison commented on the recent Careers Session hosted by Arcadis Construction. “My day at Arcadis was very insightful into the various careers within construction. We had many talks accompanied with a few activities from people within the company explaining their role and responsibilities regarding their current project of building new communities within the Gravesend/ Swanscombe area. It was an informative experience one of which has opened my eyes to the wider range of jobs within engineering.”
Year 10 Careers Programme. Students spent a very hands-on day at North Kent College on a taster day. As part of our ongoing careers programme students are exposed to a plethora of potential next-step opportunities including higher education, apprenticeships, college and careers. This trip enabled students to experience what college could offer them and how it could support their personal goals and dream careers. Students experienced a range of work-place studios and classrooms that offer industry ready training and qualifications. As you can see students sampled a range of potential courses including, vehicle technology, hairdressing, catering, professional chef and carpentry and joinery. Students commented on their experience;
“today was great, it gave me a good look at things I want to do in the future.”
“life’s easy when you overcome challenges!”
“I want to be a mechanic now!”
“I loved it and took home the overalls and bird box I made.”
Year group assemblies are back in action (following exam season) relaunched with the focus on celebration! Ten lucky House Point recipients from each year group earned a lunch-time ‘fast-track’ ticket on a real-time wheel spin! Mrs Pickard activated the digital wheel selector choosing winners at random. The ‘fast-track’ enables the winning students to go to the front of the canteen queue on a day of their choice! Congratulations to;
Frankie W 7A, Ivy F 7G, Oliver L 7F, Ruby F 7D, Andre A 7E, Harry T 7B, Khylon J 7H, Henry H 7C, Cian P 7C, Jenson S 7E
Charlotte G 8C, Ellis R 8C, Maxim F 8D, Simrita S 8A, Roman B 8B, Junayd N 8F, Kayon A 8H, Markus S 8D
Amelia J 8E, James F 8D
Julia S 9F, Tommy Y 9E, Maisie S 9G, Jacob C 9D, Keira F 9A, Laura M 9A, Jake C 9B, Karma Ra 9H, Arda S 9G, Ayanna S 9H
Sports Day. Throughout the week, students competed in their Houses in Dodgeball and Benchball. The best placed teams then qualified to represent their Houses in the final. Sports activities across the week allowed everyone the chance to shine in an event, showing determination, skill, critical thinking and teamwork! Events included;
Boccia – Which is a Paralympic event requiring control and accuracy as you aim to throw your bean bag as close to the jack as possible!
Mount Cleverest – Be the last player standing with tokens as you answer quick-fire true or false questions.
Quoits – A game played in ancient Greece where you throw your hoop onto the wooden target to earn points.
Uno – Be the first to get rid of all of your cards!
Students gave everything to their events performing to the best of their ability with encouragement and (very) loud cheering from student spectators! Congratulations to you all! The final House Point Scoreboard by Year groups was …
At Stone Lodge School, the Design & Technology Department empowers students to become confident, creative, and critical thinkers, equipped to shape the world around them through innovation, problem-solving, and practical skill development.
Our vision is to foster a dynamic learning environment where students explore a broad and interconnected curriculum—encompassing Food Preparation & Nutrition, Product Design, Engineering, and Graphic Communication. Through these disciplines, we nurture curiosity, resilience, and technical competence, enabling students to respond to real-world challenges with sustainable, thoughtful, and purposeful solutions.
Food Preparation & Nutrition. Years 7, 8 and 9 curriculum allows students to develop their understanding and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet. Students are introduced to a range of cooking techniques and the science behind their results! On this cycle, students have been applying their knowledge in practical lessons making a range of delicious sweet and savory dishes .. Swiss roll, pizza’s and lamb kofta kebabs and as you can see from the below .. our chefs have excelled! As students progress, they will be trying their hand at increasingly complex recipes and techniques applying scientific principles whilst accommodating special dietary needs.
Engineering. Year 7 students are currently working on a project to research, design and then build a model of a bridge to their own specification suitable for the chosen environment and purpose .. and on budget! Students are constucting a range of bridges including suspension, beam, truss and arch! I particularly love the model that includes a billy goat gruff crossing and a troll underneath! (first picture).
Our cross-curricular STEM engineering Club competed at Whilton Mill Go-Kart Circuit in the Grand Final of the STEM on Track National Competition. Team Stone Racers is comprised of two teams, each has four drivers and one spare, made up of students from different backgrounds, abilities, and interests. This STEM club is an incredible learning opportunity combining science, technology, engineering and mathematics with the thrill of kart racing. Race day had all the excitement of a major Formula 1 meet! Congratulations to all Stone Racers, from the design, through the build, to the driving skills on the day, your dedication to the project and team have been exceptional – you thoroughly deserve the accolades earned on the circuit! Stone Racers achieved the fastest lap of the tournament at a mere 1.03seconds!! Overall our teams were placed 6th and 8th (of 25).
What a finale!! Congratulations to our fabulous Year 11 Football Team Champions who have lifted one last trophy, winning the District Cup! The match was a thrilling final that went to penalties seeing the boys win literally on the last kick of the match! Mr Proctor couldn’t be more proud – the team have been in five cup finals in four years and have certainly gone out on a bang with their third major trophy. Mr Proctor added “they have been an absolute pleasure to work with over the years and I am delighted that they’ve added to their trophy cabinet on their last ever game .. what a legacy they’ve left behind”
Dartford Rugby Club have shared the below opportunity …
The 2025 Dartford Valley Youth Combine. Ready to push yourself like never before? The Valley Combine is a full-on day of strength, speed, and skill challenges – perfect for anyone who want to test their limits, work as a team, and take on something different. Whether you’re into fitness, rugby, or just love a good challenge, this is your chance to step up and show what you’ve got.
– When: 6th July 2025
– Location: Dartford Valley Rugby Club, Cotton Ln, Stone, Dartford DA2 6PD
– Time: 11:30 Start.
– How much does it cost? It’s FREE!!
– Who’s invited? Anyone between the ages of 12 – 18 (year group 7-Sixth form)
– Do I have to be a Dartford Valley player? No, the combine is open to everyone!
– What do I need? Suitable clothing and plenty of water.
– How do I register?
Forthcoming Dates;
Year 6 Parents/Carers Meeting – 26 June
Year 6 Transition Day – 4 July
Uniform sizing day – Years 8-10 – Friday 4 July
Uniform sizing day – Year 6 (new Year 7s) – Saturday 5 July
Year 12 LBC Trip (Learning Beyond the Classroom) – 8 & 9 July
Year 7 to 10 LBC Week – w/c 14 July
Year 12 Work Experience – w/c 14 July
Year 10 mock exams results day – 21 July
Student Celebration Week – w/c 21 July
Last Day of Term 6 – 22 July 12.05pm
Best wishes,
Catherine Cusick
Headteacher
