The impact of giving primary school children the chance to meet people from beyond their immediate networks has been featured across 11 ITV regional news channels.
Copyright: ITV News
The reports show children from local schools taking part in Primary Futures activities, drawing pictures of what they want to be when they grow up, talking about what they’ve drawn and why, and meeting a range of role models. Headteacher Karen Giles provides a national perspective on how talks from volunteers really help motivate and inspire children, as well as supporting the recovery from Covid.
The reports highlight findings from our recent Starting Early research. This shows meeting workplace role models raises children’s aspirations and challenges the ingrained stereotypical views they often have about the jobs people do based on their gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background. The biggest impact of these encounters is on children from disadvantaged backgrounds who often don’t have access to a diversity of role models.
“Evidence shows that meeting workplace volunteers makes a real difference to children’s lives, improving attainment and engagement in the classroom and having a positive impact on children’s ambitions and ideas about their futures,” explains Nick Chambers, Education and Employers CEO, the charity that runs Primary Futures.
“Having proved that Primary Futures works in selected schools across the country, we now want to extend the scheme so every primary school child has the same opportunities.”
Find out more
- Visit Primary Futures for more information about our service, run in partnership with the National Association of Headteachers, which connects schools with workplace volunteers
- Starting Early examines the impact of Primary Futures’ interventions in primary schools and explores how the scheme can scale quickly and at low-cost
With special thanks to all the primary schools who took part in filming:
- Barham Primary School, Wembley, London
- Beaumont Community Primary, Hadleigh, Suffolk
- Crosshall Junior School, St Neots, Cambridgeshire
- Goat Lees Primary, Ashford, Kent
- Holy Trinity Church of England VC Primary School & Community Nursery, Weymouth, Dorset
- Joseph Cash Primary, Coventry
- Morpeth Road Academy, Blyth, Northumberland
- Ossett South Parade Primary, Wakefield
- St Teath Community Primary, St Teath, Cornwall
- Sandringham (part of Exceed Learning Trust), Doncaster
- Welton Primary School, Midsomer Norton, Somerset
- Village Primary Academy, Derby