Class of 1982, Andy Cameron, answered a social media post to come into Priory and talk to the current day pupils about his career in the police.
Andy was a Head Prefect and excelled at sport, especially rugby, during his time at Priory before becoming a Lancashire Constabulary Police Inspector and now lectures in policing at the University of Lancashire.
Priory put an appeal out for former pupils to get in touch to attend one of their career-inspiration sessions with past pupils talking about their career paths, the good and the bad, to help our pupils make informed choices about their next steps.
Andy, who also received a tour around the school, said: “I enjoyed returning to Priory and the pupils were really engaged.
“I came back 16 years ago when my daughter was looking at secondary schools. There are a lot of happy memories and it’s nice to see some of the places which have been developed.
“When I was here, I had a careers talk about police which told me to do my A-Levels and then go to university to go into policing. My A-Levels didn’t work out but, at that time, they reduced the age to 18 to join the police so I signed up then. It all happened in one day.
“I am passionate about policing, it is a bit of a calling. You have to want to help people but also be ready to challenge them. You also need some common sense. I hope I inspired some pupils to have a look at it as a career.”
Ms Smith, Priory’s Careers Adviser and Lead Practitioner for Personal Development added, “I appreciate Andy for giving up his time for the benefit of the pupils. The young people were enthusiastic in the session and had a number of questions to ask regarding the wide range of roles Andy has held. Andy has offered to hold a ‘part 2’ session, which we welcome.”
