Future-Ready: Preparing Our Children for Tomorrow’s Careers

Monday 2nd February 2026

This week, our school celebrated Career Week by encouraging children to think big about their futures. It began with “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up” Dress-Up Day. The day was voted in by our school council and children came as a variety of people such as vets, pilots paramedics, architects, detectives, explorers, teachers and designers.

Throughout the week, children enjoyed talks, activities and questions and answers led by inspiring professionals from a wide range of industries, helping them understand the opportunities available beyond the classroom. They learned about different types of careers, discussed the skills needed, completed activities about their interests, and took part in a careers quiz to see what they might be best suited to.

Mrs. Harfoot, a banking and leadership coach, offered the children some advice:

Careers evolve in unexpected ways — (taken from her own leadership panel) only one of five leaders was doing what they had always wanted to do. The rest had ended up there by taking all the opportunities that came their way.

Do what you love — it makes it so much easier to stay motivated.

Be brave in trying things out — it really helps you work out what you enjoy (and what you don’t)!

During Career Week, the children were lucky to hear from:

  • A Formula 1 event planner – working with F1 drivers
  • Bestselling author Minette Walters – sold over 30 million books the children enjoyed a talk on what an author does, how she is inspired and all you need is imagination. The children got to ask questions such as ‘do you ever get lonely being a writer’.
  • A police officer
  • A publisher — with a long and varied career from marketing children’s books to running global events for high-profile figures, later founding a publishing company to ensure books are accessible to everyone
  • A journalist — news editor at the Daily Express, overseeing teams and stories, alongside freelance travel journalism
  • Two AI industry professionals — one from Boston Consulting Group explaining how AI helps businesses solve problems and how humans teach computers; another from CME Group working in a global team using AI tools, teamwork and problem-solving
  • A project lawyer — specialising in farms and estates, explaining laws and rules that help us live and work together
  • Maddisons Estate Agents — running their own thriving agency and showing children how to start a business and help people buy and sell homes
  • A forensic scientist — explaining how to applications of principles and methods analysis evidence from crime scenes
  • A property investor — working in residential, hotels, student accommodation, offices, and labs
  • A leadership coach — in banking and leadership development
  • A football coach — coaching teams and explaining what it takes to become a footballer
  • A vet — working with animals and studying science
  • A GP — sharing about a career in medicine and helping people
  • A special needs teacher — explaining what it is like to work in education
  • A management consultant — explaining how consultants help organisations across sectors provide better outcomes for customers
  • A property investment specialist
  • A volunteer worker supporting youth within the church

We go beyond preparing children for secondary school – we’re preparing them for their whole future.