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Crime rates, Ofsted ratings, and the proximity of supermarkets were hot topics at a workshop held at Wellington College.
They were all statistics presented to girls trying to decide how to choose a house-building site.
Also presented with average salaries, the age of the population and house prices in the area, the exercise was one of several carried out at a Women in Construction workshop run by Taylor Wimpey housebuilders and hosted by Wellington College Student Alliance.
Others included matching job descriptions to the role title, identifying sustainable elements in a new home and building a bridge out of paper cups and straws.
Students from Edgbarrow, Bohunt, Sandhurst, Gordons and Tomlinscote schools all attended.
One student said: “I really enjoyed it. We learned about different paths you can take after school and different jobs. And I learned how to reduce materials to be more sustainable.”
Another said: “I enjoyed choosing the sites to build the houses on and seeing which ones were best based on all the available information, and all about the different types of engineers.”
The prize for the most sustainable bridge was taken by girls from Gordons School, for the strongest by Edgbarrow and the prettiest bridge prize was won by Bohunt.
Sue Parker, head of Wellington College Student Alliance, said: “The Taylor Wimpey team delivered some thought provoking sessions which had all the youngsters thoroughly engaged in each of the activities.
“We’ve had some really great feedback about this activity and we’d like to thank Taylor Wimpey for coming along.”
Gemma Bibby, Sales and Marketing Director at Taylor Wimpey West London, said: “We’ve been fortunate to establish a really good connection with Wellington College, and to have visited them a few times now to educate their students and others across Berkshire about the construction industry, and the important work Taylor Wimpey is involved in.
“It’s crucial that young and aspiring females are aware of the equal opportunities and roles available to them in the building industry. We hope we’ve inspired as many of them as possible to consider a career with us in the future and we’d like to thank Wellington College for once again inviting us along.”
Wellington College Student Alliance arranges events throughout the year for the 28 schools in its partnership, aiming to raise aspirations and give students new opportunities.
