: Careers Learning in the Primary Years Empowering Every Child
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Careers Learning in the Primary Years
Empowering Every Child
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by Cornwall Research School
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Tiffany Pope
Penpol Primary School
ELE for CRS & Primary Deputy Headteacher at Penpol Primary School, Hayle. Tiffany is the Pupil Premium Champion, Careers Lead, Curriculum Development Co-ordinator and Teaching and Learning advocate. Her main passion is developing effective, cohesive strategies that ensure the provision for the success of all children, is at the heart of everything that is implemented in the school.
In primary education, we often talk about building strong foundations — literacy, numeracy, social skills. But one of the most powerful foundations we can lay is aspiration.
At our school, we believe in the transformative power of careers education, as a standalone subject and also as a thread woven through every aspect of learning. National guidance, regional partnerships, and educational evidence all point toward the same conclusion: the earlier we introduce children to the world of work, the better their chances of long-term success — especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Why Careers Education in Primary?
Children begin to form ideas about their future lives as early as age 6. These early perceptions are shaped by what they see at home, in school, and in their communities. Without intentional exposure to a wide range of careers, many children rule out options before they even begin secondary school.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) highlights the importance of metacognition and self-regulation — teaching pupils to reflect on their learning and set goals. These strategies are not only academically valuable; they’re central to understanding aspirations, planning futures, and developing resilience.
Careers education provides a real-world context for these skills. By linking lessons to future opportunities, pupils begin to ask: What am I good at? What interests me? Where could this take me?
Our Careers Curriculum has been developed over three years and is based on three key places of research: The Careers Development Framework, which provides our key concepts, The Skills Builder Essential Skills Framework and resources from CIOS LEP run by Cornwall Council (Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Educational Partnership).
Using the Career Development Framework…
The Career Development Framework by the Career Development Institute (CDI) identifies six key areas of learning that are essential for career development at all ages, including in primary education.
Here are the six areas and what they mean in practice:
1. Grow throughout life Developing self-awareness, confidence, and a positive attitude to lifelong learning.
2. Explore possibilities Investigating the wide range of learning and work opportunities available.
3. Manage career Learning how to make decisions and adapt plans as life changes.
4. Create opportunities Being proactive in shaping your own future.
5. Balance life and work Understanding how to juggle personal, social, and work-related responsibilities.
6. See the big picture Understanding the wider world of work, economics, and society.
Each area is designed to be progressive — what a child learns in primary can be built upon in secondary and beyond. Together, these six areas help educators design a comprehensive careers education that’s age-appropriate, inclusive, and aspirational.
We have recently linked with our local secondary school, Hayle Academy and the other Primary setting serving our community, Bodriggy Academy. We have shared our curriculum and the key concepts, which are now being used in their settings. This provides a consistent educational link for all the primary children moving into secondary; building on their prior learning and experiences.
By teaching through these themes in a specific Careers Curriculum — from Year 1 to Year 6 — we embed career learning into the everyday language and experiences of our children.
Essential Skills for Lifelong Success
We also use the Skills Builder Essential Skills Framework to support personal development. These eight skills — Listening, Presenting, Creativity, Aiming High, Teamwork, Leadership, Problem Solving and Staying Positive — are critical for life beyond the classroom. The Skills Builder framework offers a clear progression path, helping us teach these competencies in a systematic, age-appropriate way. Children can rate their own strengths in each area and then identify areas they need to focus on individually.
Partnerships that Make it Possible
Cradle to Career
In the South West, we are fortunate to be part of a growing Cradle to Career (C2C) movement — a partnership approach that connects education, health, community organisations and families to create long-term, joined-up support for children.
We are just about to join a C2C partnership, led by the Reach Foundation, which takes a place-based approach to tackling entrenched inequalities. It recognises that improving outcomes starts in the early years and must continue seamlessly through primary and secondary education.
This partnership will enable us to: • Connect families with wraparound support • Bring in local role models and businesses to speak to pupils • Share data and strategies across schools • Focus collective resources on closing the attainment and aspiration gap
We are really excited to see how this shapes our provision in the years to come, work alongside our education partners in Hayle as well as the town council and community agencies that serve our local area.
Closing the Disadvantage Gap
The Social Mobility Commission’s South West Report paints a sobering picture. Cornwall has some of the worst education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in the country. By the end of secondary school, poorer children are an average of 20.7 months behind their peers. This gap doesn’t begin in Year 11 — it begins long before that.
Introducing structured, meaningful careers education in primary school is one of the most effective ways to raise aspiration, boost engagement, and build skills for the future. For disadvantaged children in particular, it can change the trajectory of their lives.
“A place-based approach to cradle-to-career support is vital for driving real change in areas where the social mobility gap is greatest.”
At its heart, careers education in primary school is about aspiration and inspiration. It shows every child — regardless of postcode or background — that the future is theirs to shape. By grounding this work in evidence, structure, and partnership, we can give every pupil the confidence to say, and believe, they can.
If anyone would like any further information about how to structure a primary careers curriculum don’t hesitate to get in touch: tpope@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk
