Soaring to Success

At Claremont High School, students are always encouraged to set their sights high  

‘The sky’s the limit’, but maybe not anymore as a group of daring pupils get ready for take-off... It’s all part of the Air League’s Aviation, Soaring to Success UK’s National Training Programme, led at Claremont by Ms Arbani, Teaching and Learning Leader STEAM. 

Founded in 1909, the Air League is the UK’s leading aviation, aerospace and space charity that aims to break down the barriers into these industries through its scholarship and outreach programmes. ‘Soaring to Success’ is one such programme, bridging the gap between education and industry by inspiring, enabling and supporting the next generation to consider a career within aviation and aerospace. 

Ms Arbani launched the programme at Claremont back in October, inviting applications from students across the school. She was inundated! And some of the applicants were not the usual candidates… 

‘In the past I have not been an ideal student and I didn’t think things like this were an option for me,’ wrote one pupil with relatively average grades on Go 4 Schools. ‘Nobody in my family is in the airplane industry, but when I told my mum I was interested in this she said she would be proud if I chose this as a job. Since Year 10 I have matured and started thinking about what I would like to do in the future. I’d really like you to choose me for this.’ 

The selected students took part in a series of online career conferences throughout November last year, which showcased the various roles and opportunities available within aviation. From January to March this year, they had to complete six e-learning courses – topics included Air Traffic Control and Drones/Remotely Piloted Systems. Students had to achieve 80% average for each module in order to qualify to fly next month. 

Twenty-two pupils have now successfully completed the courses, all achieving the required grades, and the Air League recently granted fifteen places to Claremont students to fly on 10th July. The ‘Air Experience Day’ marks the culmination of the third and final stage of the ‘Soaring to Success’ programme, with flight experiences provided by Flight Training London at Elstree Aerodrome, Borehamwood, for just fifteen pupils a day. This unique opportunity will support their UCAS applications for Engineering, particularly aeronautical/aerospace engineering, and will give the students a distinctive talking point at future interviews. With a real feeling of elation, these ambitious young people are truly hitting new heights... Up, up and away!