Year 6 Visit Creative Careers Event at Arts Centre Washington

Our Year 6 pupils recently enjoyed an inspiring visit to the Creative Careers Event at Arts Centre Washington, where they explored the exciting possibilities within the creative industries.

The event, supported by local organisations including Sunderland Culture, Music Connects Sunderland, and InspirEd, provided children with a valuable opportunity to meet and learn from professionals working across a range of creative careers. Pupils engaged enthusiastically, asking thoughtful questions and gaining insight into the different pathways available to them in the future.

The day began with a captivating keynote speech from local author Jo Gordon, followed by an engaging session with Hannah Graham ~ Story Teller. During her session, Hannah invited a volunteer to take part in a live illustration demonstration—selecting our very own William from a group of over 110 children. William thoroughly enjoyed this unique experience and was delighted to take home the finished artwork as a special keepsake.

Throughout the day, the children also participated in a range of workshops, working alongside professionals including an artist, a musician, a town planner and an animator. These hands-on sessions gave pupils the chance to experience different creative roles first-hand. The children thoroughly enjoyed the activities and valued the opportunity to ask questions about what these careers involve.

This experience strongly supports our PSHE curriculum and personal development offer, helping pupils to explore future aspirations, understand different career pathways and develop confidence in speaking to new people. The event also linked closely to our Skills Builder framework, particularly developing skills such as speaking, listening, creativity, problem-solving and staying positive.

The event was a fantastic opportunity to broaden pupils’ horizons, spark creativity, and help them begin to think about the many exciting opportunities that exist within the creative sector. We are incredibly proud of how our pupils represented the school and look forward to building on this experience within the classroom.

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone involved in organising and delivering this event—it was a truly memorable and inspiring day for our pupils.