VIEWS & OPINION


65% of 15-year-olds worry about what job


they will do as adults Comment by NATALIE MARSHALL, Head of Innovation and Learning, Future First


The UK has a social mobility problem which has worsened in recent years. Today, those from better-off backgrounds are almost 80 per cent more likely to secure a professional job than their working class peers, and top professions are dominated by the 7% of the population who have been privately educated. Bringing former students back into


schools as speakers and careers support can provide students with access to employer encounters and relatable role


models, broadening students’ horizons, raising their aspirations and helping them to fulfil their potential. Since Future First’s inception ten years ago, an increasing number


of schools are recognising the value alumni can offer their school community. In the last decade we have worked with 1,200 schools, signing up more than a quarter of a million alumni. Recent Future First/Teacher Tapp polling reveals however that there is still a way to go. More than half of all state school teachers (53%) told us they do not engage former students at all, compared to just 16% of teachers working in independent schools. In addition, nearly three quarters (72%) of teachers working in schools serving the most deprived areas do not involve alumni in school life. Despite progress, independent and schools in the most affluent areas are still racing ahead, bringing back alumni as careers advisors, mentors and providing current students with access to world of work opportunities. This year we also commissioned YouGov to survey young people


aged between 6 and 15 about their perceptions of their future and job prospects. Findings showed that young people are concerned about their futures with 65% of 15-year-olds worried about what job they will get. This anxiety increases as young people progress through the school system with less than half of 15-year-olds (47%) agreeing ‘people like them’ will be successful in life, compared to 74% at age six. A third of young people polled did not know someone in a job they would like to do and 71% agreed it would be helpful to meet students who went to their school, highlighting the need to involve volunteers like alumni in school life. Using former students as relatable role models and meaningful


social capital is simple and effective. 81% of young people attending our alumni events last year told us that meeting former students showed them that ‘people like me’ can be successful with 73% reporting they felt more confident about being successful in the future as a result. Future First wants every student to realise their potential regardless


of their background, and for every state school to use their alumni to help provide the support students need to reach this potential. However, time constraints can limit a school’s ability to engage alumni as much as they would like. Squeezed budgets and increasing work pressure can hinder a school’s ability to sustain an active and thriving alumni network. This is where Future First steps in. We support state schools and


colleges to build, engage and activate a thriving community of alumni and supporters, offering advice and practical support. In doing so, we provide access to relatable role models to the students most in need of support.


uwww.futurefirst.org.uk November 2019


The value of creativity: how can schools combat the decline in students


studying the arts? Comment by ADAM BAINBRIDGE, Head of Art at Brampton College


Numbers of young people selecting arts subjects at GCSE and A level are falling: in 2019 there has been a 6.5% decrease in students enrolled on creative subjects. Many attribute this partly to the controversial English Baccalaureate system which measures secondary schools based on numbers of pupils studying maths, English, a modern foreign language, science, and either geography or history at GCSE – excluding all creative subjects. The EBacc has


contributed to certain subjects being considered more academically rigorous while ‘softer’ subjects (usually the creative arts) are placed lower in the hierarchy. Universities have taken steps to address this problematic perception


of arts subjects. Russell Group universities have scrapped their list of ‘facilitating subjects’ (recommended A levels for pupils to secure a university place), following criticism that it was squeezing arts and technical subjects out of schools. However, this isn’t enough to protect creativity within education.


During my career, I’ve noticed that many people have fixed prejudices about the subject which must be challenged to see positive changes. It’s key to overcome the assumption that someone’s creative


potential is measured by technical ability alone. It’s limiting to believe that if a person is ‘not good’ at drawing, they aren’t creative. People can be innovative via a range of unconventional processes– succeeding in a creative subject is about how a student thinks rather than what they can do. The World Economic Forum reports that by 2020, the three most


sought-after skills will be complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity – all competences students learn when studying art and photography. Creative thinking means taking an idea from its starting point, developing it into a fully realised outcome and overcoming the many inevitable challenges that will arise. Students must learn resilience so they can adapt to challenges. Creating meaningful coursework encourages young people to


generate new possibilities, think laterally and make convincing connections between themes. So-called ‘soft skills’ are what all employers want – Brampton art


students have entered varied careers including architecture, graphic design, engineering and filmmaking.


How can schools challenge perceptions? Art needs to be taught in an inclusive manner nurturing of all abilities to combat narrow perceptions of creativity – it’s more than an innate skill, it’s a practice to be enhanced. Many of my students have received an A or A*, despite lacking experience in ‘traditional’ art skills. It’s this rigid thinking which means too many students miss the


opportunity to gain valuable skills and practise a discipline that brings so much enjoyment. To become art advocates, schools must overcome fixed mindsets by


ensuring lessons focus on meaningful creative processes, rather than honing technical skills. Learning to overcome problems imaginatively fosters more transferable skills than learning portrait drawing. Teaching art inclusively will promote the value of the subject beyond the school gates to parents and students.


www.education-today.co.uk 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48