By Dr Elnaz Kashefpakdel
In this interim report, published by Education and Employers in partnership with TES and NAHT, the findings reveal the importance teachers place on introducing children to the world of work. The survey asks 250 primary schools heads and teaches across England about their opinions on career learning in primary and its impact.
Headline findings:
- The majority of teachers answering our survey believe children should be learning about the world of work and different jobs in their first years of primary school.
- Nearly half (47%) believe this should start from Age 5 and under
- A further 21% believe this should start from Age 5 – 7 in year 1 and 2
- Overwhelming majority of primary schools were already carrying out activities with the aim of increasing children’s understanding of the world of work.
- Most primary schools have not heard about the Government’s new Careers Strategy, which specifically mentions primary for the first time.
- In line with our previous work in secondary, nearly all teachers in our survey agreed that introducing children to the world of work was important in:
- Linking learning to the real world and in doing so increasing motivation to work hard
- Challenging gender stereotyping about jobs and school subjects
- Broadening aspirations
- While teachers appreciate the importance of these activities, there are challenges which prevent them being organised on a regular basis:
- The majority of our respondents believed time constraints are the major barrier in organising more activities with employers (60%).
- The second biggest challenge is availability of employers/volunteers and teachers and difficulty in communication and/or scheduling a suitable time for both groups.
The findings will be formally launched today at the 5th International Conference on Employer Engagement in Education and Training, more information here.
Click here to see the full report.