Alumni
Welcome to David Nieper Academy Alumni
We are working on developing our alumni community in order to provide support to both current and former students.
Established in 1939, the school was named Mortimer Wilson School shortly after and taught under the same name until gaining specialist Arts College status in 2008, when it subsequently became Alfreton Grange Arts College. In 2016, the school was academised and is now in its sixth year as David Nieper Academy.
With a rich history of over 80 years of teaching on the site, we know we have an expansive alumni ranging through the different institutions. Whether you studied at Mortimer Wilson School, Alfreton Grange Arts College, or here with us at David Nieper Academy, you are welcome to join our community.
By building our alumni community, we aim to:
- Develop and maintain communications with our former students
- Provide support to current students through workshops and communications with alumni
- Create a strong network for alumni and current students
Alumni Profiles
Miss Chloe Ann Morcombe
What does your job/apprenticeship/course involve?
I am currently in my third year of undergraduate studies at the University of Sheffield, studying Politics and International Relations. As such, I am currently working on my dissertation, and have chosen to specialise in matters concerning Parliamentary Studies and Policy and Governance.
From your experience, do you have any advice for our current students at David Nieper Academy?
From my personal experience, I have often found that there is a lot of pressure on young people to know exactly where they are headed in their post-16 education and careers. I would say that with that in mind, and as someone who had a vague idea of what I was interested in but nevertheless without a rigorous plan and specific career pathway forged, I would often feel a failure before even starting. You most definitely learn along the way. I would advise keeping your options open and being actively interested in learning new things with an appreciation of their value to ensure that you don’t potentially ‘close the door’ on any potential opportunities that may arise. I’d definitely, therefore, argue that it’s about striking a balance and remaining open-minded and inquisitive about everything you study in education. During my time in education, I have definitely honed my ability to critique things and no longer take them at “face-value”, and I think that this is a skill that transcends formal education.
How did David Nieper Academy help your chosen pathway e.g. qualifications/work experience/job/university/ apprenticeship?
My favourite GCSE subject was Sociology. This definitely shaped my understanding of the world and allowed me to develop my analytical and critical-thinking skills about things we might otherwise take for granted. Had I not chosen to study GCSE Sociology, having only a rudimentary understanding of what the subject entailed, I am certain that I would neither have chosen to pursue Sociology at further study, nor would I be studying Politics at degree-level. I think with that in mind, remaining open-minded but definitely still evaluating how your choices during school will affect your future definitely rings true.
What are your future career plans?
I plan to do postgraduate studies after my undergraduate degree. I am currently considering either a Law conversion course or an MA focused on policy and governance. Eventually, I hope to undertake some work in the field of Politics, more specifically policy-related areas.
What three words would your employer/university describe you as?
Friendly, considerate and diligent.
Did you conduct work experience at David Nieper Academy? If so, how did you find your work placement? Do you think your placement enhanced your employability and career prospects, if so how?
I completed some work experience at Croft Infant School as a Teaching Assistant. I believe that everyone in Year 10 was granted the chance to find a week’s work placement.
I definitely felt that undertaking a work experience placement allowed me to gain confidence, and it meant that I was able to see how the role differed from my experience in education as a student. Though I was perhaps not completely aware at the time, I believe that being assigned various roles with responsibility, and subsequently receiving written feedback at the end of the placement, introduced me to a form of professionalism that I had not previously been aware of.
Upon reflection I can see the added benefit of undertaking placements, and at the time I did appreciate the responsibility that I was given. I do, however, think that I, personally, was quite lucky in the sense that the people I worked alongside were genuinely helpful and wanted me to experience the work placement to its fullest.
Miss Paige Wistow
What does your job/apprenticeship/course involve?
Job: I support and assist children from the age of three to seven years of age. I have many opportunities to teach and prepare for my future career.
University: I study in the evening after work, I attend lectures and I have assignments to complete.
From your experience, do you have any advice for our current students at David Nieper Academy?
LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHERS, they don’t bug you because they’re being annoying, they are trying to support you because they care.
Believe in yourself (something I didn’t particularly do at school).
Work hard and you can achieve what you set out to do even if it takes you three attempts!
How did David Nieper Academy help your chosen pathway e.g. qualifications/work experience/job/university/ apprenticeship?
At this school I found my love for learning and teaching, I had different teachers who believed in me and pushed me to reach my potential and as a result of these teachers I have entered the education sector with the intention to inspire and support the future generations.
I also gained the majority of qualifications I needed for my job and university.
What are your future career plans?
My plan is to teach and influence.
I am particularly interested in STEM so I would like to do a course on this.
What three words would your employer/university describe you as?
Bubbly, dedicated and enthusiastic.
Miss Taylor Nutt
What does your job/apprenticeship/course involve?
My job involves a balance between attending university and carry outing my role at FP McCann as a trainee Quantity Surveyor. This split can vary but generally I will spend 4 of the 5 working day at work with the other day spent at Nottingham University. My responsibly at work is to manage the financial risk on any construction project we are involved with. A key example of this will include ensuring payment is received for all the works we have carried out. I am also involved with agreeing the final value of the project which often requires a negotiation based on the price of additional or different work carried out that originally anticipated. I have recently had some exposure to reviewing legal documentation and I am enjoying this side of the role also. At University we have been given a variety of modules to complete so far such as Cost Planning & Estimating, Measurement, Contract Admin and Fundamentals of Construction. I tend to prefer the modules such which relate to contracts as this allows me to apply the knowledge and understanding I have developed at work.
From your experience, do you have any advice for our current students at David Nieper Academy?
One main piece of advice that I have is not to panic if you aren’t sure what you want to do for a career as soon as you leave school. I had no idea! I would suggest that in your next step of education, whether that be attending sixth form or college, that you should do something that leaves doors open for you and gives scope for multiple different careers. For example, I went on to do my A-levels and I chose to study Geography, Maths and Product Design. This meant that if I did want to go to university full time, I had chosen subjects that many different courses would accept and it also gave me a bit more time and experience to decide what I wanted to pursue a career in.
How did David Nieper Academy help your chosen pathway e.g. qualifications/work experience/job/university/ apprenticeship)?
When choosing my GCSE’s subjects, I would say DNA were a great help. I studied Geography, History, Graphics and Spanish. I was already sure that I wanted to take Geography and Graphics but really wasn’t sure what else I wanted to choose. They encouraged me to take a language to gain extra recognition for the English Baccalaureate. They also encouraged me to choose a variety of subjects which would allow me to have more options in higher education. Enabling me to do work experience also helped me in narrowing down what I wanted to do as a career, as well as preparing me for what was to come after leaving school.
What are your future career plans?
Currently I am a Trainee Quantity Surveyor and I am due to finish my degree in 2023. At this point I will be a fully qualified Quantity Surveyor and I have to then begin my Chartered Pathway as part of my course. I therefore hope that by the end of 2024 I will be a Chartered Quantity Surveyor. As I currently work for a sub-contractor, in future I would like to potentially work for a Main Contractor to gain different types of experience. I also hope that one day I will be able to manage a team of Quantity Surveyors.
What three words would your employer/university describe you as?
Hardworking, motivated and outgoing.
Did you conduct work experience at David Nieper Academy? If so, how did you find your work placement(s) at David Nieper Academy? Do you think your placement(s) enhanced your employability and career prospects, if so how?
Yes, whilst at DNA I carried out work experience at WYG International. Here I was office based and carried out basic admin tasks. I would say that carrying out this work experience was the moment I realised that I wanted to have a career which was office based as I liked the idea of having a routine and knowing where I would be based every day. I also found that this helped me understand office life and it gave me much more confidence in speaking to people. Because I had such a pleasant experience it also meant I wanted to carry out more work experience so I could have a better understanding of what I might want to do for a career. I then carried out some work experience at Whittam Cox Architects where I designed a doctor’s surgery. I would say that this was the point where I decided that I wanted a career within the construction industry, but I also decided that I didn’t want a career as an architect. From this point onwards, it was a case of me researching the construction industry and carrying out different types of work experience before I realised I wanted to peruse a career as a QS.
Mr Nathan Hopewell
What does your job/apprenticeship/course involve?
The manufacturing and testing of jet engines.
From your experience, do you have any advice for our current students at David Nieper Academy?
For those who want a long-term career in engineering it is a difficult but rewarding course.
How did David Nieper Academy help your chosen pathway e.g. qualifications/work experience/job/university/ apprenticeship)?
Mrs Thorpe helped me realise that engineering was something I am good at and something that I would like to pursue as a career.
What are your future career plans?
To continue doing what I am doing.
What three words would your employer/university describe you as?
Motivated, aspirational, dedicated.
