Society has changed hugely in the past few decades, with new technology narrowing the gap between work and home life. As email, instant messaging and networking tools become more advanced, employees often find themselves finishing tasks after hours which would once be the sole domain of the office – a factor which has eaten into the active roles parents play in their children’s development.
A YouGov poll of 1,045 parents has indicated that many are concerned that they do not have the time to pass on practical skills to their children, especially those at primary school level. A rise in the number of ready meals and takeaway options in the market has seen a drop in home cooking, while the availability of cheap clothing means that replacing has overtaken mending when clothing becomes damaged.
In order to address these concerns, John Lewis has launched a free practical skills programme for primary school children entitled Bringing Skills to Life. The retailer intends to work with more than 1,000 primary schools nationwide this year, utilising curriculum-aligned lesson plans written by educational experts to hone the practical skills of young people.
Director of brand development at John Lewis, Christine Kasoulis, believes that this programme is an ideal way for the retailer to fulfil the social responsibility it feels towards its customers.
She says; “We take our role as an active member of the community seriously and our community strategy is focused on enhancing skills to create lasting change.
“Through each of our Bringing Skills to Life modules, we seek to provide a hands-on and inspiring platform to help build enthusiasm and knowledge of practical skills.”
The programme will specifically focus on skills highlighted as important by parents who participated in the YouGov poll. Cooking, for example, will feature heavily as 80 per cent of respondents cited the opinion that this is the most important developmental area for children.
The importance of imaginative storytelling and public speaking was also emphasised by the poll, so these skills will play a key role in the curriculum.
Eight schools across the country have already taken part in a trial of the Bringing Skills to Life programme, with teachers and pupils responding enthusiastically to the lessons on offer. Prospect Vale Primary School in Cheadle utilised both the hands-on approach and the dedicated website, johnlewis.com/skillsforlife, to engage pupils in the programme.
Year 3 teacher, Jan Novacki, says; “The lesson immediately engaged the pupils; they were really enthusiastic about learning new practical skills.
“They gained confidence and felt that they had really achieved something.
“The programme is a lovely means of helping children to embrace their imagination and develop new skills that they can use in their everyday lives now and in the future – it’s a useful curriculum linked tool for teachers too.”
Do you think that other retailers could follow John Lewis’ example by working in partnership with schools or is education the role of teachers and parents?
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