Year 9 students of the John Kyrle High School had an interesting day Friday, when they were visited by representatives from Reading University, Birmingham University, Hartpury College, RFDC, Hereford Art College and West Mercia Police. The day had been organized by the school's careers and work experience co-ordinator, Alan Jordan and the entire year got involved in a range of activities and challenges. The pupils were split into groups and encouraged to work as members of a team to discuss design, solve problems and complete their tasks.

Chris Dark, from Reading challenged groups to design and build a robot. Once the robots had been built, the pupils had to show that it could be manipulated to collect bricks and guide them through little goal posts. The task that the Royal Forest of Dean College set each group was to make a small light circuit, getting power from the mains, to the switch, through to the rose. One of the sessions that proved very popular was that hosted by Hartpury College who had taken along a couple of Royal Pythons, a pair of Bearded Dragons, two giant Millipedes, a Horsefield Tortoise and a Blue Tongued Skink. Abi Brann and Helen Wilmetts-Smith talked to the students about the creatures before instructing them on how to handle them.

Sonny Todd of Hereford Art College instructed his groups to draw portraits of other members of their group using different techniques, as well as using their opposite hand to their normal writing hand and there were some really good results. Birmingham University's Chris Few taught the pupils about the principles of sound amplification and then instructed them to make their own amplifier using card, elastic bands, wire coil and magnets. Regular to the school, PC Vicky Turner talked to her audience about working in the Police Force, explaining how different things are today to when she first joined the Force. PC Turner then gave a popular demonstration on the use of a baton, which is apparently much more effective than the truncheons of yesteryear.