No matter how distant one's schooldays there's no one who can't remember the dreaded moment of receiving exam results.
I am delighted by the recent exam successes locally both at A Level and GCSE/Baccalaureate. It's great to hear of individual successes (including excellent results in STEM subjects and even, in one local school in particular, in Modern Languages which is a national weakness).
It is really good to hear of individual pupils' stunning top-grade achievements but also to read of local pupils who have significantly outperformed expectations, whatever their final results. That's a great tribute to the pupils and the teachers concerned. As one school commented they encourage an atmosphere in which students work hard and want to be seen to be working hard: this clearly is paying dividends which will help the students concerned long into the future.
The future indeed looks very bright for many Horsham students and we wish them well.
Not everyone however will be lucky all of the time and we want everyone to have the opportunity to succeed throughout their working lives. Earlier in the summer it was a pleasure to meet at the Horsham Jobcentre many of the teams that provide help locally to those that find it hard to get into a job and then thrive and progress within it.
In particular it was good to hear about the WISH service being provided on behalf of Horsham District Council, to Billingshurst. "WISH" stands for Work, Information and Support Hub. The club provides employment-related group work sessions such as CV and cover letter writing and application form completion. It also provides signposting to partners across the district and advocacy support with local employers. Workshop sessions are run on interview skills, confidence and motivation building and members have access to free use of computers and the internet, with support provided to those that need it. WISH also can provide specialist 1-2-1 advice and guidance.
It was great to meet the team and for those who are 18 and older WISH Billinghsurst runs every Monday from 10am to 1pm, alternating between Billingshurst Community Centre and Billingshurst Library.
Photo caption: With Cllr Kate Rowbottom of Horsham District Council and team members and partners of the WISH Billingshurst team at Horsham Jobcentre.