Careers
Careers at New York Primary School
Through our stimulating and engaging curriculum, we link pupil learning to the world around them and explore career options from as young as Nursery age.
By integrating careers into our curriculum, children at New York are aware of the vast catalogue of opportunities that await them upon leaving school. Children at New York are driven to think about their futures and how they can shape the world around them.
School-based careers work has been found to have a positive impact upon pupils. Children understand that they can have aspirations, enjoy talking about these and can speak positively about school.
At New York, we challenge stereotypes through our career work and ensure that a range of female and male jobs are portrayed.
We do this through:
- Career assemblies
- Career displays
- Career theme days
- Visits from a range of companies / industries / professionals / universities
- Linking careers to our everyday lessons
- Exploring the qualities needed to pursue a career
Career assemblies
During our annual STEM week and throughout the school year, we have career assemblies which focus on children engaging in discussions about what they aspire to be when they are older. Visitors are often invited to these assemblies which gives pupils the chance to ask questions and hear about careers from the professionals themselves.
Career displays
Around school, careers are displayed linking them to their different subject and specific qualities. By having them visible around school, children are prompted to think about their future career choices and this forms an ongoing dialogue in school. Children are used to being asked “what would you like to do when you grow up?”
Career theme days
Career theme days take place during our annual STEM week but focus on careers as a whole, including STEM options and in particular, focussing on showing women in industry. Children are challenged during these theme days to think about stereotypes and question the world around them.
Visits from companies
At New York, we work closely with a range of industries, companies and professionals. We do this in person and virtually. Children are used to asking questions to different people and understand the benefits of doing this. We work very closely with Freudenberg and are in the process of developing our STEM hub around this work.
Every day lessons
As part of our science curriculum, all year groups teach specific STEM careers as part of the topic of learning. Children leave Year 6 with a bank of ideas for different careers and options that are open to them. Children research and investigate these careers as part of their science curriculum.
Qualities needed
We have a Proud word every week at New York that focuses on a quality needed to pursue a career in the future such as ‘teamwork’ and ‘communication’. Children at New York talk openly about these qualities and understand how they link to their school life and their futures.
