The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Ruth Hussey, visited Tredegarville C.I.W. Primary School on Tuesday 13th October on behalf on the Primary Futures ‘Who’s in Health?’ campaign.
The Primary Futures Who’s in Health? campaign sees volunteers from all roles in the health sector talking with primary school pupils about their job and how they use maths and literacy in their career. The idea is to bring learning to life, raise aspirations and awareness of the huge range of jobs in the health sector and that it’s not just ‘doctors and nurses’.
Volunteers who took part in ‘Who’s in Health?’ visit:
- Ruth Hussey, Chief Medical Officer
- Sally Feyi-Waboso, Occupational Therapist
- Joanne Williams, Pastoral Healthcare, HR Manager
- Alyx Peters, Managing Director, MPS Healthcare Ltd
- Dave Wilson, University’s Chair of the Admissions Group
- Shaffi Batchelor, Medical Student
Professor John Bligh, Dean of Medicine, Cardiff University, presented a gift from the University to the school. The ‘Who’s in Heath?’ campaign is being rolled out across the UK by charity Education and Employers in partnership with the Medical Schools Council.
Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Ruth Hussey said: “Little did I know when I grew up in a farming family in north Wales, attending the local school, that one day I would be the Chief Medical Officer for Wales. This is a great way to inspire Welsh children, for them to see the relevance of what they are studying now to what they could become in the future. I hope today’s healthcare professionals can inspire Tredegarville Primary pupils and pupils all across Wales.”
Tredegarville C in W Primary School is situated in the city centre in Cardiff. Many of the children are growing up in relative disadvantage with 40% being eligible for free school meals. Just over half the children in the school use English as an additional language, many are new arrivals to the country and asylum seekers.
Emma Laing, Headteacher at Tredegarville C in W Primary School said “Primary Futures is really important to our school. It is a great way of getting our children think about possible futures, of raising aspirations and broadening horizons. It is about helping them to make connections between their learning in school and the world of work but it is also about getting them to look out of their immediate context and out to the wider world. As well as people from different professions we also introduce them to people who volunteer and serve their communities in inspiring ways.
We are particularly pleased this year to be welcoming visitors from the medical profession to the school. This will enable children to explore the range of work opportunities in medicine. What better way to widen participation in the future medical profession than to start talking to primary school children today?”
Professor John Bligh, Dean of Medicine at Cardiff University said: “Young people often dream about what they will be when they grow up. And for many those dreams are determined by the experiences they have had in their lives. This project, Primary Futures, is all about giving primary school children a taste of what being a health care professional is all about. We are aiming to inspire children to dream and to show them how important science, maths and language are in making those dreams come true.”
Schools can register for Primary Futures free programmes here: https://www.inspiringthefuture.org/primary-futures/