Start Small ; Dream Big Lead Teacher and Assistant Headteacher Rachael Hill held a careers week, inviting a wide range of employers into her school for workshops, assemblies hands on activities with the Royal Navy and an after school careers fair which parents also engaged in.
Younger pupils enjoyed visiting local businesses in the village to learn about the range of jobs in their community. These included the library, care home, butcher and shops.
These activities are a means of bridging the gap between school and the world of work bringing real life, authentic experiences of the workplace.
We have really enjoyed being involved in the project, and we feel that the staff have learned so much about how such subtle influences, such as bias and gender stereotypes, can impact children. It’s made us so passionate about how we can reduce those and best equip our children for the future.
We think its been hugely influential for the children to be involved in career related learning. They know details about jobs now that they didn’t even know existed before we began this program. And as a result of that, we feel that the children have such a greater sense of purpose in their learning.
We’ve been really amazed at how the industries who are local to us have engaged with that career related learning and how willingly they’ve invited the children in.
Rachel Hill – Assistant Head Teacher.