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Words for Work: Dream Big

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Together schools and local businesses support primary aged pupils to develop their literacy skills, raise aspirations and challenge stereotypes.

About the programme

Words for Work: Dream Big develops literacy skills, raises aspirations and challenges stereotypes for children in Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2. It is completely free for schools to take part.

Through a variety of interactive play, book talk and building the programme helps children develop their oracy skills. It also helps young children imagine their futures, and how they will use the skills they are learning at school when they are older.

At the end of each programme, pupils get to further develop their oracy skills when they meet business volunteers either at their workplace, online or a visit to the classroom.

Pupils explore four different texts in detail, learning about the

Schools will receive:

  • A collection of literacy teaching resources, linked to the national curriculum
  • A collection of props, equipment and resources to bring books alive in the classroom and help children to imagine their futures
  • A training workshop led by the National Literacy Trust
  • A parent packs and certificates for children to bring home
Key Stage 1 students imagining their futures

Dream Big

For this Key Stage 1 programme, children learn about being an engineer, an architect, an artist, a journalist, a scientist, a shop assistant, a chef and a doctor. Communication skills and learning through play are at the heart of this early-careers programme so in addition to being sent wonderful picture books and literacy activities that focus on each of these careers, schools will also receive role-play resources and small world play equipment to create six workplaces in the classroom.

Dream Big for STEM

For this Key Stage 1 programme, children learn all about possible STEM careers such as being an architect, an engineer, a robotics engineer, a mathematician, a computer coder, a scientist, a doctor and a marine biologist. Communication skills and learning through play are at the heart of this early-careers programme so in addition to being sent fantastic picture books and literacy activities that focus on each of these careers, schools will also receive role-play resources and small world play equipment to create six STEM workplaces in the classroom.

Dream Big for Engineering

For this Lower Key Stage 2 programme, pupils aged 7-8 are introduced to the world of engineering careers by building their vital literacy skills and challenging early gender stereotypes that may influence their later education and career decisions. The Dream Big for Engineering programme explores four different subsectors of engineering through brilliant story books and engaging role-play and design resources. Each book has two planned and resourced lessons to support children with their reading and writing, and a design challenge to become an engineer in the classroom.

DB engineering

Opportunities for 2024/2025

We invite schools to apply for a space on our programmes for this academic year. This page will be updated with more opportunities as they arise.

Participation is fully funded and comes with resources including books, lesson plans, lesson resources, role-play and play equipment, all for you to keep.

If you are an organisation interested in supporting careers-related learning in primary schools we would love to hear from you.

For any queries, contact us at wfw@literacytrust.org.uk

Why primary?

  • 97% of teachers said that introducing children to the world of work can be very influential in broadening aspirations and bringing learning to life.

  • Providing children with a real life, authentic experience of the workplace allows them to draw better links between their current and future imagined lives.

  • Gender stereotyping exists from the age of seven. We aim to help reduce gender-specific ideas about certain jobs by introducing pupils to a variety of careers.

  • Less than 1% of children have heard about jobs through people from the world of work coming to their school.

Success stories