Aspiration and Achievement Week
Every year at Timbercroft we host an Aspiration and Achievement Week (last week of May before half term). The aim is to immerse our children into different jobs, learning about roles and responsibility and to inspire our children.
The idea was born from the observation that our children had little or no aspiration for their future. The go-to job was to be a footballer or a singer. Aspirational for some you may say and let them follow their dreams others may say. We did and we still do encourage this, but the children had no real idea of what prospects there were for them, especially our most disadvantaged children. For some of these children, everything was out of reach. I also have the difficulty in understanding why children aren't introduced to careers from an early age as at the age of 16 they still have to ask their teachers to use the toilet but are expected to know what to do for their future lives!! For more information about our beginnings please read this Think Piece written by our Executive Headteacher Mrs Joyce.
Our whole school goes off timetable for the week while teachers oversee a host of careers-focussed activities designed to broaden horizons and support their aspirations – including hearing from guest speakers, applying for jobs, talking about career options and experiencing what it would be like to work in different career sectors.
It is great to be able to invite our guest speakers - including some of our amazing parents - into school to share their experiences with our children through assemblies and workshops.
One of the hardest and most important jobs as a teacher is to inspire and motivate young people so that they lift their sights beyond their immediate environment.
The key message behind the Aspiration and Achievement Week is that aspirations are what drive students to be what they will become. It is our responsibility to provide school experiences and environments which will encourage children to do more and be more than they presently aspire to be. Ultimately, we want to develop our children’s aspirations at the earliest opportunity.”
The children met ‘real life’ superheroes from the NHS, police and fire service, as well as hearing from those working in a host of other jobs, including an accountant, reporter, designer, lecturer, nursery manager, audio-visual translator, illustrator, storyteller, caretaker, psychologist, HR manager, price controller and customer service manager.
'Timberzania'
As part of the week, we set up our own ‘Timberzania;’ where our staff reorganised the school to set up different professions for the children to trial for the day from fashion design to a driving school to hospitality.
The children rotate through the different areas around the school across the day and gain an insight into what it would be like to work in different vocations.
All children are invited to apply for jobs in the school, including Deputy Headteacher, Receptionist, Class teacher, Sports coach, Premises assistant and PA to conduct throughout the week, with a written application and supporting our school staff across the week.
Aspiration and Achievement Week on Twitter
