EL CONCEPTO NUCLEAR
1) Una persona en el núcleo es espiritual. Esto habla de su relación con Dios
As a teenager, Kelly-Anne Ferguson dreamed of a career in forensic science, but doing her GCSEs was difficult and she didn’t get the grades that she needed. While Kelly-Anne was studying for A-Levels at a sixth-form college, her teachers recognised that she had outstanding academic talent. They encouraged her and this inspired Kelly-Anne to apply to university, even though nobody in her family had ever been themselves. Kelly-Anne received an offer from Oxford University.
‘I can’t believe I ever doubted it … the opportunities you have to do things at university are amazing, things that you might never consider doing otherwise.’
Kelly-Anne is now studying for a PhD in chemistry.
Social mobility is defined above, all else, by the aspiration that people have to succeed in life. It is often set at an early age. For some, aspiration comes naturally. For others, it needs nurturing. Without support, information and access to social networks, even those with the greatest talents may miss out.
There are two key points in life where young people most need support: First, in developing early aspirations and goals.
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Second, in translating those aspirations into decisions about specific career pathways. •
At both of these points the biggest influences on young people are their parents. Children naturally seek advice and guidance from those who care for them most. And parents want their children to do well in life. So ensuring that parents have the right support is critical in helping young people to make the informed choices that are right for them.
We have been given clear evidence by organisations like the Sutton Trust that the aspirations of parents are key to educational and occupational outcomes for their children.1 Of course, most
young people benefit from the natural support that comes from their parents, family and friends. For example:
Twice as many parents in professional occupations expect their children to go to university •
compared to parents from lower socio-economic groups (see figure 4a)
56% of children whose parents have a professional career also wish to have a professional •
career. By comparison, only 13% of children whose parents are in semi-skilled occupations would contemplate a professional career.2
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Figure 4a: Percentage of parents who think their children will go to university by socio- economic group3
Many other responses to our National Call for Evidence expressed concern that young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds have fewer social networks beyond their immediate circle, and that this in turn affects their desire and ability to chase professional jobs.
So parents are key, and in chapter 5 we suggest ways in which they can be better supported to help children aspire to a university place or a professional job. We have also been given evidence about the positive impact that inspirational mentors and role models can have on young people, particularly those from less advantaged backgrounds. We were told by the Brightside Trust that when young people meet successful professionals who come from similar backgrounds to them, they can provide living testimony of what can be achieved. icould also told us that the opportunity to experience work in a professional organisation can inspire young people, as creative
technology also can.
When designed in the right way, initiatives of this sort can open young people’s eyes and widen their horizons. We believe it is therefore right that where they can help to support young people and families, that the Government, professions and employers do so. Below we set out a number of ways of providing this support.
4.1 Reforming the Gifted and Talented programme
The Gifted and Talented programme focuses on (mainly 14–19-year-old) ‘gifted’ children who are academically bright, and ‘talented’ children who may excel at sport or other activities. Schools are expected to identify around 10% of school students as gifted or talented. Currently only 8% of primary school pupils are on the programme, compared to over 13.5% of those at secondary school.
The Panel believes that a programme of this sort could potentially be important in giving children from a wide variety of backgrounds the opportunity to realise their aspirations and aptitudes. However, the programme is not as effective as it could be. It is characterised by:
Lack of direction as to how resources should be spent •
Limited resources being too widely spread over numerous schools and pupils •
The Panel recognises that the programme is once again undergoing a period of transition. We believe that the Government should seize this moment to radically reform and rebrand the programme. We believe that it should become the umbrella programme which delivers a number of the recommendations set out in this chapter – particularly around mentoring, work tasters and soft skills. Rather than trying to identify gifted children and tagging them as such, the new programme – perhaps called ‘Raising Aspiration’ – should be open to all pupils who could benefit from help building up skills such as:
Oral and written communication skills and personal confidence •
Dealing with information, IT and technology •
Developing the right attitude to success. •
In addition, the new programme should provide the cohort of bright, disadvantaged students with new opportunities such as:
Early visits to universities, including with parents •
Face-to-face contact with professionals •
Short and structured work tasters in professional jobs •
Mentoring by young professionals and undergraduates •
Parental participation in programmes. •