Dreams and Aspirations Day - Parents came in to talk about their careers and how they came to be on that particular career pathway. The children loved learning more about jobs they had never heard about or considered and were very inspired, particularly by the number of women in STEM roles and work within the charity sector.

At Eccleston Lane Ends we believe that starting career education early is important.

As longitudinal studies have shown, holding biased assumptions and having narrow aspirations can influence the academic effort children exert in certain lessons, the subjects they choose to study, and the jobs they end up pursuing. Research has also shown that the jobs children aspire to may be ones that their parents do, or those of their parents’ friends, or that they see on the TV and/or social media.

Low expectations are often shaped by biases or commonly accepted stereotypes, such as ‘science isn’t for girls’ or ‘university isn’t for the working classes’. These societal expectations act to restrict children’s futures by limiting what they believe they can do.

People Who Help Us - Reception and KS1 have visits from a range of sectors such as fire, police and vets to inform them about these different careers.

Though lots of children talk about what they would like to be when they grow up, they actually don’t have to decide this until they are adults. The most important preparation anyone can do for their future is to know what their talents are and what they enjoy doing.

At Eccleston Lane Ends we believe that children can be whatever they want to be with hard work and determination. We actively challenge stereotypes in the world of work so that our children learn that jobs are open to all.  We believe that careers education at primary school is important as it broadens children's horizons. Research shows that the more emplyers children meet in school they can earn 22% more in their future career and are 86% more likely to be unemployed or not in further education or training. 

Technology is evolving quickly and schools need to prepare children for jobs that do not yet exist therefore our curriculum is built around the skills needed for school life and beyond. If children learn about a broad range of jobs from a young age they are more likely to find a career that matches their strengths and talents. 

We are currently working towards the primary school Careers Quality mark which will recognise our commitment to a high quality careers education for all children. 

Step Into the NHS Competition

The children entered a competition run by the NHS - Step in the NHS. The Step into the NHS competition aimed to open pupils’ eyes and minds to the more than 350 NHS careers and inspire them to learn that anyone can do any job, no matter their background.

The children drew posters, submitted stop animation films and created 3D representations of their learning.

We were really proud that Orla from Year 3 was Highly Commended for her entry!

St Helens traditionally employs adults in the fields of health, care, education, retail, manufacturing, transportation and vehicle maintenance (LMI 2022).

It is important that we skill our children for the future and careers that may not yet exist. Through our BRICKS curriculum, our whole school values and our Pupil Leaderships roles and awards we seek to build skills such as:

*Listening

*Speaking

*Problem Solving

*Creativity

*Positivity

*High Aspirations

*Leadership

*Teamwork

We also actively seek to expose our pupils to a range of opportunities such as a careers carousel during our 'Future Dreams and Aspirations Day', interviews with engineers and creatives and others particularly in growth areas (Natwest 2024) such as, the environment and sustainability, engineering, coding and computing and business and finance.

What should you bear in mind when helping your child with education choices?

The decisions we make in our early life (e.g what school we go to, the subjects we chose to study, the decision to go to university/college, the courses we choose) can impact our career path. If this decision is heavily swayed by parental preference, the child may end up following a vocation that, deep down, they aren’t interested in. At the same time, without practical guidance and support when pursuing interests, poor choices can be made.

Each child is individual in their own way, and so may possess different skills and abilities to their parents.

We all take time to ‘find our feet’. Parents will often say things such as “pick a course you think you’ll like” or “why don’t you apply for this job”. Though it may seem they’re doing the right thing in terms of steering their children in the right direction, parents also need to understand that we all need space and time to discover what we truly want to pursue. University, for example, isn’t for everyone – and engaging in relevant work experience and/or undertaking an apprenticeship can be just as valuable in finding a suitable vocation in which you can thrive.

The trick here is to educate children that life is about self-discovery and new skills and talents are developed. How many of us are in careers we thought we would be in when we were 18?  

Lego Designer

Bailey meets Ellen

Ellen is a Lego Designer and this is her dream job!  She talks about the importance of creativity and working in a team.  Ellen talks about having fun at work and the importance of doing a job you love.

Animator

Prezidente meets Tasha Howe

Tash is an animator. She talks about her love of drawing and how she became an animator.  Prezidente talks to Tash about his Autism and asks her advice about working in the creative industries, specifically animation.

Doctor

Lila meets Alexandra Adams

Alexandra is training to be a Doctor. Once qualified she will be the first deaf and blind Doctor working in the NHS.  In this film she talks about the skills needed to be a Doctor and how her disability doesn’t hold her back.

Camera Operator

Justice meets Holly Smyth

Holly is a camera operator in TV/Film.  She talks about entry level as a runner, working your way up, and how to work and learn from other people. Holly also talks how her dyslexia did not hold her back.

This year we will be taking part in 'If you were an Engineer... What would you do?'

In this national competition, pupils are tasked with interviewing an engineer, asking them questions and then ultimately designing their own invention to solve a problem!

Watch this space for some of the entries!

Engineer

Rosa meets Jess Herbert

Jess is a Vibrations Engineer with Rolls Royce based in Bristol.  She talks to Rosa about leaving school at 16 and her route into work as an Apprentice.  Jess challenges stereotypes in science and her varied role as an engineer.

Horticulturalist

Jayden meets Daniel Jones from RHS Wisley

Daniel talks about leaving school and not being sure what he wanted to do.  He enjoyed gardening and became an apprentice for the Royal Horticultural Society. He talks about working and studying.  Daniel talks about the seasons and the range of vocational jobs available.