FORMER students of Hexham’s Queen Elizabeth High School are being encouraged to share their experiences with pupils at the school.

Assistant headteacher Katie Innes and communications assistant Lauren Campbell are asking the school’s alumni to take part in a survey which will act as as a source of inspiration for current students.

The initiative is part of the school’s drive to meet the Gatsby Benchmark – eight guidelines that define the best careers provision in schools and colleges.

Lauren said: “A little while ago Katie and I came up with the idea of a questionnaire to go out to alumni.

“We wanted to get a wide range of people to show how many different types of career there are.

“We even want to have a few people who hated school say, now look what these people are doing.”

Former students can fill in a form on the school’s website. Completed forms will be made into posters and displayed around the school.

Katie added: “It’s inspiring for children and staff. We do lots of career work already and the people who have come back to us already show we’re doing something right, but we want to build on that.

“My aim is for 200, because if you spread them across the school years pupils would have a different one to look at every week.”