Three Wiltshire primary schools are set to benefit from self-belief workshops funded by the James Dyson Foundation and delivered by Bath-based education charity I Can & I Am.
The programme, aimed at helping children build confidence, resilience and a stronger sense of belonging, is taking place at schools close to Dyson’s headquarters in Malmesbury. Workshops began at Malmesbury Primary School in May, where 120 Year 5 and Year 6 pupils took part, with visits to Lea & Garsdon CE Primary School and St Joseph’s Primary School planned for the new school year.
The James Dyson Foundation supports engineering education, medical research and community initiatives local to Dyson’s Wiltshire base. Through its local community pledge, the Foundation is funding two days of workshops at each school.
I Can & I Am works with hundreds of primary, secondary, private and SEN schools across the South of England each year. Using its double-decker buses as mobile learning spaces, the charity delivers hands-on sessions designed to help children develop practical skills, self-belief and emotional resilience.
Research highlighted by the charity shows that self-belief can directly affect engagement, motivation, memory and long-term educational outcomes, making it an important focus for the next generation of engineers and scientists.
Juliet Charman from the James Dyson Foundation said, “The basis of being a great engineer is the ability to embrace mistakes and learn from failure. Believing in yourself and what you can achieve is essential to this. The James Dyson Foundation is delighted to provide funding for these workshops to help primary school children in our community grow their self-belief and confidence.”
Rebecca Burton, CEO of I Can & I Am, said, “We know, from the work we do in schools and from neuroscientific research, that how children feel about themselves is critical to learning outcomes. Self-belief isn’t just a ‘nice to have’.
“Our hands-on approach in our sessions aligns well with the spirit of experimentation at Dyson and we’re very grateful for the Foundation’s support that has enabled our work with pupils at these three primary schools.”
The sessions begin with pupils cooking pizzas together downstairs on the bus to encourage teamwork and achievement, before taking part in workshops upstairs focused on building their ‘balloons’ of self-belief.
To date, I Can & I Am has supported more than 35,000 young people through its workshops, alongside talks delivered nationwide by the charity’s founder James Shone to pupils, staff and parents.
