When I grow up…. An invitation to take part in this national campaign
Dear Head Teacher,
We hope your new term has started well. We know that in September many schools ask children about their hopes and aspirations for the future. This year we want to celebrate and showcase what children aspire to and capture their creativity and imagination. In partnership with the NAHT, we are inviting schools across the country to get involved, asking their children to draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up – it is as simple as that!
The aim of this campaign, which is free to all schools, is to kickstart conversations with children and help them explore what is possible and coincides with the 10th anniversary of Primary Futures. It takes just a few minutes and feedback from teachers has shown that it really helped facilitate conversations with children about the importance of the subjects they are studying and their attitude to learning and school. Many use the drawings to make eye catching, colourful displays in school and sometimes share with parents and in newsletters.
To make it really quick and easy for you we have made a simple resource pack, which contains everything you need. Some of you may recall our ‘Drawing the Future’ research survey in 2017, when over 20,000 children drew pictures of what they wanted to be and answered a series of questions around attitude to learning and who inspired them. Done in partnership with the NAHT, OECD Education and Skills, TES and UCL Institute of Education children from over 20 countries have now taken part. Here is a video of some of their wonderful drawings:
Join us in celebrating your children’s hopes and aspirations for the future – simply print out the drawing template included in the pack. If you want to incorporate drawings into a lesson or involve parents, there is a lesson plan and draft letter for you in the resource pack.
We will be featuring drawings from schools across the country and there will be a selection of prizes, which we will be announcing shortly.
Primary Futures is a FREE programme that enables you to very easily and quickly find volunteers who are willing to come into your school ( in person or virtually) and talk about their job and the subjects they did at school. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this autumn, it’s run in partnership with the NAHT to help inspire children, excite them about their learning and show them the opportunities available to them.