By now all of those of you working so hard in our schools will be somewhere, hopefully exotic, enjoying the sun and a well earned rest. If you haven’t yet got that far at least let’s hope it’s a rest to start with! As we reflect on the progress and development of Primary Futures over the last few months it’s really encouraging to see more and more schools registering and becoming active with over 30,000 willing volunteers waiting for their call.
At the end of last week I had the fantastic opportunity to present Primary Futures, led by the NAHT, to friends from around the globe at an international Employers Engagement Conference in London, supported by two wonderful colleagues from Gunton Primary Academy in Suffolk. Along with other schools in the Reach2 Trust they have worked hard to introduce Primary Futures activities as part of our ongoing research into the impact PF can have on children’s aspirations. The conference was a real opportunity to highlight the importance of raising the aspirations of children in their primary school years using direct input from volunteers from ‘the world of work’. Something that is still missed far too often in my opinion as the focus still seems to be very secondary orientated!
It was massively encouraging to hear Andreas Schleicher (photo below), the Director for Education and Skills, and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris referencing Primary Futures and it’s importance in his keynote interview. This certainly helped to raise interest in our work!
At the conference the Education and Employers charity launched a report on 4 years of Inspiring the Future, which includes primary Futures, the work to date and the impact. It’s great to see the amount of coverage Primary Futures gets in the report. I’ll add a link to the paper when I can find it online! Watch this space!
In the meantime have a great summer and we look forward to working with you next term and beyond. We already have plans for pilot activity in Wales with events in the planning stage in Bolton, Wigan, Lincolnshire, Cambridge and the Republic of Ireland! Time you joined us?
Primary Futures On The Road 