Aspire2Be Provision - Implemented Experiences 2023/2024:
'Start Small; Dream Big' Programme – Research School
We are pleased to announce that Fens Primary School has been chosen as a research school for ImpactEd - in partnership with The Careers & Enterprise Company. Building on our own highly successful Aspire2Be programme, the ImpactEd initiative aims to increase aspirations of primary aged children, so that they keep an open mind towards their career pathway choices throughout their education. The programme is being run by our local Careers Hub, funded by The Careers & Enterprise Company and evaluated in partnership with ImpactEd. ImpactEd is an independent evaluator that supports high-quality monitoring and evaluation in schools.
Anglian Water – Parent Volunteer
September 23 Year 5
A very big thank you to Kevin and Anna from Anglian Water for visiting and working with our Year 5 children. The children really enjoyed hearing about how the water cycle works as well as how Anglian Water enables us to enjoy fresh, clean water in our homes. We really appreciated their time in sharing their expertise and knowledge with us.
Alexander Battery Technologies – Parent Volunteer
A big thank you to Amy and Ellie from Alexander Battery Technologies who worked with our Year 5 children. We enjoyed learning about the roles within their organisation as well as the skills and attributes that their employees use on a daily basis in their work. The children loved the interactive activities that they prepared for them.
Pamela Green – GMI Construction
October 23 Year 3
It was also wonderful to welcome Pamela Green back into school following her first visit with us last year. Pamela, from GMI Construction, visited our Year 3 children where they got to hear about the construction industry and the many careers that a company like GMI Construction can offer. Children even enjoyed constructing their own structures using jelly beans and marshmallows.
Gerry Tierney, Sharon Gould & Zoe Passfield - Magistrates & District Judge
October 23 Year 6
Our Year 6 children enjoyed welcoming Gerry Tierney and Sharon Gould, local Magistrates, and Zoe Passfield, District Judge, into their classrooms. It was great to hear and learn about their role from a volunteer Magistrate to a professional judge. Thank you for their time and for working with our children; they enjoyed the interactive crime scene and taking part in the quiz.
Stuart Ellerton & Gemma McCready – Pilot & SimFly Flight Instructor
Children in Year 6 had a great afternoon with Stuart Ellerton, pilot and SimFly flight instructor, and Gemma McCready, who previously worked for Atlantic Airways. The children enjoyed hearing about Stuart's and Gemma's careers and the many other careers in aviation. It was great fun trying out the uniforms and life-saving equipment.
Remembrance – Major McLauchlan
November 23 Whole school
Fens Primary School paid tribute to the fallen in our whole-school assembly. Our community came together and participated in our own Last Post Ceremony. Thank you to Major McLauchlan for being very generous with his time to help us remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. Following our assembly, a number of representatives from KS2 visited The Hartlepool Victory Square Cenotaph to lay a wreath from the Fens Primary School community.
After visiting the Cenotaph, our Year 4 children were excited to meet Major McLauchlan in their class. The children had the opportunity to ask lots of questions about his career journey in the military.
'Start Small; Dream Big'
November 23 Year 5 & 6
Our Year 5 and Year 6 children have completed their initial survey for the 'Start Small; Dream Big' research project. We are looking forward to seeing how the project can further develop our Aspire2Be programme.
Rosie Williams & Kiya Fields - What is it like working as an Antarctic scientist?
November 23 Year 6
Our Year 6 children got to virtually meet Rosie and Kiya from the MELT project. We found out how and why they became Antarctic scientists - it was great to hear how they described what they do every day and why it’s such a cool job!
Keir Nichols & Ryan Venturelli – Geologists in Antarctica
November 23 Year 5
Year 5 had the opportunity to virtually meet Keir and Ryan from the GHC project. The children were fascinated to hear how they have collected penguin bones and rocks from islands around Antarctica to find out how the sea levels have changed. They spoke about their job roles in detail which gave our children a fantastic insight into following a career path in earth science.
Geoff Scott – Keepmoat Homes, Seaton Carew
December 23 Year 5
Back in July, our aspiring builders, architects and designers had the opportunity to meet and chat to Geoff Scott from Keepmoat Homes, Seaton Carew. Geoff left the children a task to create their own construction health and safety posters which will be sent to their sign writers and displayed on the hoarding at their Antler Park site. The children's work was collected by Geoff before Christmas and we look forward to finding out who is the lucky winner of an Amazon voucher!
Aspire to engineer – To the moon (x3 virtual meets)
Our Year 5 children were lucky enough to virtually meet Howard Hu, a world-leading space engineer, who has worked for NASA his entire career and leads teams to build and operate the spacecrafts. Our children got to ask Howard what inspired him to work for NASA. Howard said from the moment his dad took him to see Star Wars when he was a child, he knew he wanted to design and build spaceships. That dream has become a reality for him!
We enjoyed taking part in challenges which have inspired our children to reach for the stars when thinking about their own futures.
Hayley Minton & Colleague – NHS Radiographer
January 24 Year 5
Year 5 children met Hayley and Rebecca who are both Radiographers for the NHS. The children were enthused by their passion and energy for their jobs. The session was packed full of discussion and activities that allowed our children to develop and showcase their science knowledge and link their curriculum learning to this exciting career path.
Dentist – Elliott McCarthy Dental and Implant Clinic
December 23 Year 4
Thank you to Elliott McCarthy Dental and Implant Clinic for visiting our Year 4 children. The children learned first-hand how their curriculum learning links with the roles within dentistry, while developing their science learning. We are also grateful for the very generous gift of an electric toothbrush that one lucky winner from Year 4 took home as a prize. It is fantastic to see our children continuing to learn from our wider community.
‘Let’s get up to snow good’ – Hartlepool Further Education College
December 23 Year 3
A number of our Year 3 children were invited to take part in a Christmas themed visit to Hartlepool College of Further Education. They worked with the college staff and previous pupils of Fens Primary School. The children enjoyed a range of Christmas crafts and games, and a flight to the North Pole to hand deliver their letters to a very special person. A very big thank you to the college students who organised this lovely, festive opportunity for our children.
Career Workshops – North East Aspiration Partnership
January 24 Year 3 & 4
Our Year 3 and Year 4 children met Dean from NERAP who works with Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside Universities. Dean supports primary schools by introducing the concept of university, while encouraging enthusiasm surrounding education and further study. Our children took part in a fun and interactive workshop where they explored different aspects of student life and the exciting careers open to post graduates in areas such as Science, Arts, Media, Sport and Humanities. The children enjoyed completing a quiz to see which career might suit their personality and preferences. Thank you to NERAP and Dean for working with our children and for introducing them to the idea of further education.
The Royal Navy
January 24 Year 6
Year 6 children met Janine, Wes and Joey from the Royal Navy. Our children learned about the incredibly varied career paths that the Navy offers. They also learned how the Navy operates as one organisation, prevents conflict and offers security for our nation. The children loved making their own flares in the classroom which were then launched in the playground to end the session.
A big thank you once again to Stuie and Gemma from Simfly- Virtual Global Flying for their time today visiting our Year 5 children. We loved hearing all about the many careers in the aviation industry as well as role-playing some of the jobs that we learned about. They both really inspired our young people to think about their futures and how their learning today will help them in their journeys later in life.
NERAP Careers Workshop - North East Aspiration Partnership
February 24 Year 5
Our Year 5 children met Anna from NERAP who works with Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside Universities. Anna supports primary schools by introducing the concept of university, while encouraging enthusiasm surrounding education and further study. Our children took part in a fun and interactive workshop where they explored different aspects of student life and the exciting careers open to post graduates in areas such as Science, Arts, Media, Sport and Humanities.
Thank you to Anna for working with our children and for introducing them to the idea of further education.
Beth Cairns – Tees Valley Collaborative Trust Careers Coordinator
A BIG thank you to Beth Cairns, Careers Co-Ordinator for Tees Valley Collaborative Trust, who visited our Y5 children. Beth delivered a careers session focused around challenging stereotypes in the workplace. The children enjoyed sharing their own career aspirations and impressed Beth with their knowledge about stereotypes.
Erin sent some wonderful feedback from her session:
Thank you for your lovely feedback. Both classes were absolutely brilliant! I can honestly say that their knowledge on stereotypes and views on equality were comparable to no other school that I have delivered this session in. Your Aspire to be and PHSE curriculum is clearly working really well! Your students are so well prepared for the future.
Please do feed back to your headteacher that I am sincerely impressed with the work that you guys are doing in the area of careers and also how wonderful the kids were.
STEMFEST Tees Valley Visit – Darlington Rugby Club
March 24 Year 5
Mr Collinson's class were invited to STEMFest Tees Valley at Mowden Park Rugby Club, Darlington. The event involved around 40 North East companies who delivered hands-on activities, showcasing the wide range of careers and jobs available in Tees Valley.
David Cundell - Community First Responder
March 24 Year 6
It was great to welcome back David Cundell, a Community First Responder, for another visit to our school. Thank you for sharing your role as a volunteer and for teaching our Year 6 children some valuable life-saving skills. This was a great way to complement our Science unit on the circulatory system.
Cleveland Fire Brigade
March 24 Year 3
Our Year 3 children had a great morning meeting Cleveland Fire Brigade and their Education Coordinator who discussed the different roles available in the fire service. Our visitors also talked about the skills which they learned in school and use in their job today, what a day in their working life is like and what they enjoy the most about their role working in the fire service. To end the session, we visited their fire truck for a tour and were excited to hear their sirens as they drove out of our school carpark!
Mrs Gillespie - High Tunstall Secondary School
Thank you to Mrs Gillespie from High Tunstall, who delivered a fantastic heart dissection lesson to our Year 6 children. Children had the opportunity to see, first-hand, the different parts of the heart, including all four chambers. It was brilliant to see the character our children displayed when engaging in this activity.
NERAP Lego Engineering STEM Careers - North East Aspiration Partnership
March 24 Year 5 PB
Year 5 children completed a Lego engineering workshop with Sean from NERAP. They were guided through potential courses, options, and careers as well as considering how engineering is vital to creating the world we live in. Children received their design briefs and equipment and worked in teams to design and develop their Lego vehicles before they went head-to-head in a final competition - all while considering some typical challenges engineers must overcome when meeting a design brief's specification.
Paula McMahon Civil Engineer – Sir Robert McAlpine
March 24 Year 1
It was wonderful to welcome Paula McMahon back into school following her first visit with us last year. Paula, from Sir Robert McAlpine, worked with our Year 1 children. The children enjoyed learning about her role as a civil engineer through story telling. Her books are aimed at inspiring and encouraging young girls (and boys) in engineering and STEM subjects.
Aviation Adventures: Careers in the Sky
March 24 Year 4
Year 4 children were excited to virtually welcome three aviation professionals into their classroom. The children got to meet a Pilot for EasyJet, an Aviation Engineer and a Design and Development Engineer for Virgin Atlantic. The volunteers talked about their roles touching on what they do, the subjects they use in their jobs and enjoyed at school, and what they enjoy most about their careers.
ESH Get into STEM Water
Our Year 4 classes enjoyed a visit from Lucy, Rachel and Aley from ESH construction where they reinforced their learning around the water cycle. The children enjoyed time in our Bousfield Learning Suite and completed a range of tasks with our visitors.
It was wonderful to welcome Beth Cairns back into school following her first visit with us in February. Beth, Tees Valley Collaborative Trust Careers Co-Ordinator, worked with our Year 4 children. The children took part in an interactive listening and presentation skills workshop, linked to careers. It was a fun, introductory session and the children enjoyed taking part in the games with Beth.
He lives on Earth. He works on Mars! Space Engineer
May 24 Year
Our Year 5 children virtually welcomed Nasa Engineer, Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, into their classrooms. Ashitey lives on Earth but he works 33 million miles away on Mars. The children found out about the amazing zero-gravity Mars helicopter and the Mars Rover Robotic Arm, as well as hearing about Ashitey’s inspiring story from Ghana to the UK to NASA. Both classes enjoyed taking part in his engineering design challenge where they were asked to design their own rover inspired by nature.
Maritime Adventures
In collaboration with Maritime UK, and in celebration of the International Day for Women in Maritime, our Year 4 children virtually welcomed a number of maritime professionals into their classroom. The children had the opportunity to learn about jobs at sea from an all-female panel of maritime professionals through a fun and interactive game called, ‘What’s My Line?’ They got to meet a Deck Officer, a Boat Builder and a Port Manager. The volunteers talked further about their jobs, touching on what they do, the subjects they use in their roles/the subjects they enjoyed at school and what they enjoy most about their careers. Our children had lots of great questions that they wanted to ask each professional. This experience allowed us to challenge stereotypes, expand our horizons and learn about the diverse and exciting world of maritime careers.
TVCA Business Breakfast
June 24 Teesworks Skills Academy
We were invited to a Business Engagement Breakfast event at Teesworks Skills Academy where our children had the opportunity to share their personal aspirations and talk about some of our employee encounters.
June 24 Year 5 BC
It was great to be able to welcome Sean Mitchell back into school for his second visit with our Year 5 children. Mr Collinson’s class completed a Lego engineering workshop; Sean guided them through potential courses, options, and careers as well as considering how engineering is vital to creating the world we live in. Children received their design briefs and equipment and worked in teams to design and develop their Lego vehicles before they went head-to-head in a final competition.
Aviation Adventures
June 24 Year 4
As part of Women’s Engineering Week, our Year 4 children took part in a virtual event aimed at igniting interest in aviation careers among young minds. The children delved into the world of aviation careers, hearing from an aerospace engineer, apprentice engineer, lead engineer and a design engineer. The session challenged stereotypes around females in aviation and supported aspirations regardless of gender or background to see the possibilities if they wish to enter the sector in the future.
June 24 Year 5 & 6
Earlier in the year, Geoff Scott from Moat Homes visited our aspiring builders, architects and designers and set them a challenge. A really big thank you to Geoff who visited us in our assembly and awarded one very lucky winner with an Amazon voucher. Well done to the winner of this very generous prize.
Northumbria University Ambassador – Harry Brodie
June 24 Year 5
Our Year 5 children have really enjoyed working with Harry Brodie, Outreach Coordinator, from Northumbria University. On the morning, children answered a variety of maths questions from the worlds of Harry Potter, Roald Dahl and David Walliams. It was a race against the clock on the afternoon where the children had to break free from the English Escape Room. It was brilliant to hear about the range of subjects available to study. Thank you, Harry!
Natwest – Money Sense
July 24 Year 1
It was wonderful to welcome Samantha Reeve back into school following her first visit with us last year. Thank you to Samantha and Jacqueline Sharp from NatWest who worked with our Year 1 children today and supported them with a 'Super Smoothie' workshop. Children were given a budget and a choice of ingredients to choose from. They loved spending their budget to create their smoothies.
PwC Primary Insight Day - Newcastle
July 24 Year 5/6
A busy day at the office!
Some of our Year 5 children had the opportunity to visit the PwC Newcastle offices. They were warmly welcomed by volunteers who discussed a range of roles within their organisation and developed their skills in listening, team-work and problem solving. They got a tour of the office and were treated to a delicious lunch with views of the city. Thank you, PwC, for opening our children’s minds to the world of possibilities out there.
Impact Review
2023-2024
Impact review of Aspire2Be experiences against each Gatsby Benchmark (GB1-8).
Experience
GB1
GB2
GB3
GB4
GB5
GB6
GB7
GB8
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November 23 Whole school & Year 4
May 24 Year 5
May 24 Year 4