As a Mathematics Teacher and Careers Lead at Plashet School for Girls in East London, I’m always looking for meaningful ways to connect our students’ learning to the world beyond the classroom. Working with a diverse, multilingual cohort, I see every day how powerful it is when young people are given the space to explore ideas, build confidence and imagine their future. The Big Ideas Programme has become one of the most impactful ways we achieve that.

Why I Chose to Deliver the Programme

I first signed up for the Big Ideas Programme because I wanted our Year 8 students to experience real‑world problem‑solving early in their school journey. Sustainability, enterprise and innovation are not just abstract concepts — they’re the issues shaping the world our students will inherit.

The programme offered something we don’t always have time for in a traditional classroom:

• space for creativity
• opportunities for teamwork
• a chance for students to see how their learning links to real careers and industries

I hoped it would build their confidence and help them understand that their ideas genuinely matter.

How We Brought It to Life

We deliver the programme through a full Big Ideas Day, bringing all 300 Year 8 students together in one hall. It’s a huge undertaking, but the energy in the room is incredible.

Students work in teams to explore sustainability challenges, research solutions and develop a final concept to pitch. The structured resources from Solutions for the Planet guide them through each stage, which makes it manageable even at this scale.

One of my favourite moments each year is watching quieter students step forward during the final presentations. Seeing them speak with confidence about ideas they’ve shaped with their peers is always a highlight.

What I Saw Change in My Students

The impact on pupils is immediate and visible. They:

• grow in confidence when presenting
• learn to collaborate and communicate effectively
• develop leadership skills
• gain a deeper understanding of sustainability and the role they can play

This year, one of our teams went on to win both the regional and national finals. They’re now exploring how to take their idea further — something they never imagined at the start of the programme.

What It Meant for Me and the School

For me as a teacher, the programme has reinforced how important it is to embed enterprise and sustainability within STEM and careers education. It strengthens the link between what students learn in lessons and how those skills are used in real life.

It has also supported our wider careers provision by helping students understand different pathways and engage with employers in a meaningful way.

The Ripple Effects Beyond the Classroom

The programme has opened doors far beyond the Big Ideas Day itself.

Through our partnership with Solutions for the Planet and Tarmac, one of the mentors arranged a visit to a Tarmac extraction site. Our students were able to go out on a ship, see the extraction process first‑hand and meet female engineers working in the industry. For many of them, it was a once‑in‑a‑lifetime experience.

Students have also visited Parliament, taken part in the Lion’s Lair event and accessed work experience opportunities with Cadent. These experiences have broadened their horizons and helped them see themselves in careers they may never have considered.

One student was so inspired that she is now interested in pursuing environmental law — a powerful reminder of how transformative these opportunities can be.