CHILDREN at Chawson First School made the most of their last week of term with an Aspirations Week.

The youngsters took part in a number of activities designed to give them an idea of the world of work and the different jobs they might like to do when they grow up.

At the beginning of the week, the children were challenged to come to school dressed for the job they aspired to get, and the school filled up with everything from scientists, doctors, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, solicitors, teachers and dentists.

Several university students and apprentices came in to talk to the older children, one of whom makes prosthetics, while another is studying for an art course, talking about their work, and answering questions.

Trudy Purser from Chawson First School, said: “We wanted to end our successful year with a bang. We wanted the children to know and believe they were capable of anything. It’s just been a really really good week to finish on, hectic for us, but the children have loved it. I think there’s been a lot of thinking about what they’d like to do.

“They’re all excited because they’re moving on, and it’s given them something to really focus on. It’s been a really wonderful experience.”

Later in the week the school divided into mixed age groups and each group moved around the building to learn more about a different profession from engineering and health, to agriculture, the arts, and retail.

Finally a careers event was organised in the school hall, with parents and people from the local community coming in to run stalls where the pupils could ask them all about their jobs, ranging from local leisure centre employees and structural engineers, to a nurse who brought in a full scale model of a human body for the children to investigate.

Pupil Leah Harrison, said: “I enjoyed the activities in the different classes and I would like to be a carer or a nurse.”

Another pupil, Grace Osborne, added: “I thought it was all cool and liked mixing with the other children, and I’d like to be an artist or a teacher.”