Some of our Year 8 students travelled across the Solent to be met by an ambassador from the University of Portsmouth for their Taster Day. The day began with an interesting question: If you won the lottery, what would you do with your time? The idea behind the question was not to think about how you'd spend the money; thinking about how you'd spend your time might provide insights as to what you'd like to do for a living! Some students wanted to socialise with family and friends, whilst others wanted to travel. As we navigate our education, we are faced with a variety of decisions, which can be made easier if we have a clue as to what we'd like to do! 

After introductions, students got stuck into three subject specific taster sessions. Students were shown how to find their pulse and count for one minute to establish their resting pulse rate. Then it was time to raise their pulses with some exercise! Measuring your heart rate after taking exercise gives an indication of how fit you are. Next, there was an opportunity to use a prosthetic arm to perform a manual blood pressure reading.

The rest of the day was filled with amazing discoveries and inspiring talks from university lecturers. Students found the day really interesting. When asked if they might consider university, one student answered "I definitely would, now that I have seen a bit about it!'. So all in all, it was a very worthwhile visit.