Ever heard a little movie franchise called Star Wars? Maybe James Bond rings a bell? What do you they both have in common? Pinewood Studios.
The legendary film studio continues to be the place for blockbuster shoots in the UK. But it turns out, if you'd like to work there you need to know a lot more numbers than just 007.
The studio has recently launched a project to demonstrate to students how relevant their maths lessons are to future jobs.
Working with England’s careers education body and Academies Enterprise Trust, their main aim is to design a new approach to careers education.
Around 14,000 young people across the 21 secondary schools run by the trust will take part in maths lessons co-designed by their teachers and the team at Pinewood Studios.
The lessons will give the students an insight into the types of jobs on offer in creative industries, and put the lessons into context of jobs to support how they learn and understand maths.
So, what exactly will it cover?
From this month children in Year 7 will learn about statistical analysis by looking at how production companies commission a new series of a TV programme and interpret social media data, viewing figures and audience analysis.
For 12 and 13 year olds in Year 8, lessons will cover things like ratio and proportion, and how production designers, art directors and prop makers make the magical worlds of their favourite films come to reality.
In Year 8, it’ll be more about commercial management, focusing on revenue and occupancy rates of the studios, and Year 10 will learn how to build a 3D set from a 2D technical drawing for an upcoming historical drama.
The project has been brought together by the national body for careers education and The Careers & Enterprise Company, who aim to bring the working world to life and make it part of an everyday classroom.
Oli de Botton, chief executive at The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “Supporting young people to take their best next step in life has never been more important. High quality, high impact careers education should be a fundamental part of every young person’s journey through school.
“Helping young people connect what they are learning now to where they will be in the future is an important part of school life. The innovative collaboration between Pinewood Studios and the incredible teachers at the Academies Enterprise Trust is doing just that.
“It means thousands of young people will learn about new industries and new career options, and at the same time understand the importance of maths to their future options.”
Kathryn Maidment, senior community & education outreach manager at the Pinewood Group added: “Every young person across the country needs the best possible careers education so they can take on the future.
“The work that many businesses in the creative sector are doing to contribute to this new approach to careers education is delivering real results. As we rebuild from the pandemic, collaborations like this are absolutely vital for the next generation.”
