“We have been able to introduce our children to a variety of, and increase exposure to, a wider range of roles and careers than if we had tried to do this by ourselves.”
- Name: Chrissie Barrington
- School: Kingswood Primary Academy
- Role: Headteacher
- Area: Corby, Northamptonshire
Tell us a little bit about your school.
Kingswood Primary Academy caters for pupils from Corby (largely from the Kingswood estate) and for pupils between the ages of 3 and 11. There are a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for support from the pupil premium. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. We have over 240 pupils in the school. Kingswood Primary Academy plans careers and employability related activities across the school year.
Why did you decide to get involved with Primary Futures, and when did you sign up?
Back in 2015 the Greenwood Academies Trust launched a Careers and Employability strategy to support the work around challenging stereotypes, raising aspiration etc. in all of its academies. As part of the annual Careers and Employability Conference we were introduced to Primary Futures and the platform to recruit volunteers in local area. Since then we have held two Careers Fairs (one being an Inspiring Corby event and part of the published case study), two ‘What’s my Line?’ events and a Redraw the Balance activity in school with volunteer supplied by Primary Futures. Without their support, the events would not have been successful.
Was there an especially inspiring moment that happened at one of your events?
During the Redraw the Balance workshop for Y2, there was a moment when a number of boys realised women earn less than men and they were horrified. Great to see in children so young! During the same event (which included an accountant, an oncology scientist a logistics manager, an aerospace battle manager, a lorry driver and a nurse) the children were surprised and pleased that anyone can do any job doesn’t matter if you are boy or girl.
Has a Primary Futures volunteer come in that has a job you hadn’t heard of before or had access to? If so, please can you give us an example?
Before working with Primary Futures, as an adult I thought I knew about most jobs however, for example, we didn’t have access to: A train conductor, Female Strategic Battle Command Officer, Facilities Manager at Houses of Parliament, Female Scientist.
What difference has Primary Futures made to the school and your pupils?
I believe that links with Primary Futures have helped us raise the aspiration and increase the knowledge of our pupils. We have been able to introduce our children to a variety of, and increase exposure to, a wider range of roles and careers than if we had tried to do this by ourselves.
Would you recommend Primary Futures to other schools?
Yes. The platform is a great way to find and invite people from the world of work into school that we would not be able to reach on our own.