Portsmouth schoolchildren reveal their dream jobs as part of Aspirations Week workshops

The initiative is part of Aspirations Week which has been hosted by Wimborne Junior School. The aim has been to inspire children to think about what jobs they would like to have in the future.

During the week, pupils carried out activities and workshops looking at their future selves and discussing goal setting, resilience, potential barriers and the support available to help them achieve their potential. 

Year 6 pupil, Robbie Strain, 10, said: ‘Having aspirations gets you inspired. I want to join the navy and eventually become an admiral. I have set targets and this week completed the first one by joining the local navy sea cadets.’

The link between raising aspirations and school engagement is at the heart of Portsmouth City Council's ongoing 'Miss School, Miss Out' campaign. The council believes that with increased aspirations then children will appreciate the importance of attending school to ensure they get the career they want.

Year 5 pupil, Emma Freathy, 10, said: ‘I want to be an architect and so it is important to attend school to get the qualifications I need.’

Classmate, Imogene Stedman, also 10, added: ‘It is important to have aspirations and goals so you have targets of where you want to be. It gives people a determination in wanting to come to school.’

The council now hopes to roll the idea across the city in the coming year.

Councillor Suzy Horton, the council’s cabinet member for education, said: ‘A focus on aspiration is a key part of our ongoing school attendance drive across the city, and I'm delighted that Wimborne Junior School approached the topic in such a fun and inspirational way.’   

Wimborne Junior headteacher Carina Jacobs added: ‘During Aspirations Week we hopefully inspired the children to think about their futures and to helped them to understand the steps they can take to ensure their own success. Hopefully they will take this forward with them into secondary school and beyond.’