Gaining inspiration from past pupils
As a part of the development of the careers programme at Harris Academy Rainham, staff were looking for new ways to raise the aspirations of students, whilst encouraging them to consider different career possibilities. The Careers department decided to connect with the academy’s alumni community and, with support from Future First, developed a series of different events.
Hannah Schapira, the Assistant Principal at the academy, looks back on the last year and the impact alumni engagement has had.
“Over the last year, we have explored quite a few different ways of working with our alumni, all of which have been a huge success. I think it is incredibly important for our students to hear former pupils talk about what they have done since leaving their school. It’s all very well us having career events with interesting guests and speakers from different parts of London, but the pupils won’t engage with them like they do with alumni.
“When a guest is a former pupil, what they say resonates with the children, they listen and engage more in the activities. You can see them thinking- ‘I can be this- I can become what this person has become- because we’re from the same background, from the same place’.
And that’s why working with our alumni has become such a strong focus in our efforts to raise student aspiration.”
Alumni Events
“Our first alumni event involved a group of former students that came to a careers evening. They generally spoke to pupils and their parents about what they do, what their pathway was like, and what they came up against on their journey.
“We’ve also done quite a few ‘Drop In’ sessions – where an alumni guest comes to the school to talk about different topics. We had one who had attended the Imperial College of London talk to Year 11s about university, and what it’s like to work in business. Another
came and spoke to a group and did a Q&A for those interested in attending a Russell Group University. Another former student came to talk about their experience at Oxford and attending an Oxbridge university. We also had a ‘Mock Interview’ day, where alumni members came in and interviewed pupils.
“The events have been a great success and alumni volunteers seem to get a great deal out of it too. A lot of them still live in the community and so they feel they are giving something back. They must enjoy it, as so many keep returning to do more!
“Our next event is going to be an apprenticeship focused assembly where alumni guests will come and talk about their experiences, which will take place in July. We also want to do more Drop Ins.
“It’s been great having Abby from Future First helping us, she always connects us with members of our alumni. I simply email her the details and what we are looking for, and she connects us with exactly the right people.”
A Positive Response
“There are always signs that the pupils have really listened to what the alumni have told them. For example, the students often stay behind after the session has ended. They approach the guests to ask more questions- and the feedback forms always demonstrate how useful each session has been.
“The pupils feel more confident and comfortable asking the alumni members questions. They feel like they are someone they know, someone from where they are from. We had an alumni guest here recently talking about teachers that inspired him – he didn’t realise the teacher he mentioned was actually still here. The students were so excited to hear someone had been inspired by a teacher that teaches them!
“We’ve also had pupils immediately apply to be part of the Target Oxbridge Programme after an alumni guest came in to talk about her journey. You could tell they were immediately inspired.
“Overall, connecting with our alumni has been so worthwhile, this year has really taken off. Future First have been brilliant and the membership has been invaluable.”
Contact us to discuss how we can support your school to work with former students.
