TURTON School stopped the clock for a day so young people could concentrate on their personal development to help them become bright young citizens.

The school in Bromley Cross stages a number of Stop the Clock Days (STC) as part of their personal, social, health, citizenship and economic (PSCHE) education.

The day was tailored to the needs of each year group, with some learning how to stay safe on the internet, others looking to the future to university and the careers options.

Assistant head Kelly Leonard said: "Days like today allow us to address specific issues prevalent to young people in a creative way; they encourage the students to ask probing questions and also explore key topics through the use of professional agencies who can support them on a deeper level.

"An example of this was that in our last STC day, we covered aspects of physical and mental health for our upper school students, while year seven used the time to work on team building and resilience.

"Having STC days gives us the opportunity to spend more time in the curriculum improving student achievement in core subjects such as English and mathematics.

"The importance of student voice is vital to the success of days like today. We have listened to our students who wanted to know more about work-related learning and transition through each of the key stages.

"In addition to this, current year nine have been following an Applied Learning curriculum which allows them to investigate careers beyond education and explore what qualifications and experience they need to achieve their aspirations.

"The response to this aspect of the curriculum has been very positive and students feel more confident in their Option choices this year and in a much better position to make informed choices about work experience, part-time jobs and expanding their own portfolio."