On Tuesday 20th May 2025, Maths4Girls and Macquarie Group hosted an inspiring Virtual Assembly aimed at encouraging more girls to explore the power and potential of studying maths beyond GCSE. The event welcomed students aged 11–14 from across the UK and gave them the opportunity to hear directly from three trailblazing women at Macquarie who use maths daily in diverse, high-impact roles.

Why Maths4Girls Matters

Maths4Girls connects students with relatable, real-world role models who show how mathematical skills can lead to exciting, meaningful careers. In a world where the gender gap in STEM persists, initiatives like this are essential. Maths4Girls doesn’t just break down stereotypes—it empowers girls to imagine themselves in industries where women are still underrepresented.

Real Stories, Real Impact

The Virtual Assembly featured three brilliant women, each offering unique insight into how maths drives their careers and shapes the industries they work in:

Kimberley McDonald – Associate Director

Kimberley spoke about leading global financial projects and how AI is transforming the way they work. She encouraged students to stay confident, curious, and to embrace diverse interests—like drama and maths—as part of creating a unique career path.

Bex Kimberley – Senior Projects & Change Manager, Financial Crime Risk

Bex shared her journey from aspiring pop star to a leader in financial crime risk projects, where she protects systems across the world. She highlighted how mathematical reasoning underpins her work and enables her to respond to fast-evolving threats.

Varsha Balraj – Data Analyst

Varsha described her transition from studying engineering and biology to working in tech. From cancer research to financial data, she applies her analytical mindset to uncover trends and deliver insights that drive decision-making across global markets.

Together, these women showcased the breadth of careers that use maths every day—from safeguarding systems to analysing markets and driving innovation.

What Students Learned

The session gave students insight into how maths is applied in a wide range of careers—from financial crime risk and artificial intelligence to global data analysis. Each speaker shared how mathematical thinking plays a central role in their day-to-day work.

Bex Kimberley explained how her perspective on maths changed when she started using it in practical settings:

“As soon as I started applying it to a real-world scenario, I found it really interesting—and I was much better at it than I ever was in a school setting.”

Kimberley McDonald encouraged students to see maths not just as an academic subject, but as a long-term advantage.

“Keep pursuing it to the highest level of you can - because it truly is a superpower on your CV and opens a lot of doors.”

https://youtu.be/-M91wMtvjek?si=fTQ9gdlbLOPakQd1

Varsha Balraj spoke about how Maths has empowered her:

https://youtu.be/UfP70kNBH44?si=1zQVGqNCVhjlA7FL

By hearing directly from professionals working across tech, finance, and data, students were shown the relevance of maths beyond the classroom and introduced to examples of women succeeding in fields where female representation is still growing.

Join the Movement

This event highlighted the power of representation, relevance, and real-world connection. Maths4Girls continues to offer free sessions that connect young people with role models across finance, tech, healthcare, engineering, and more.

📺 Watch the full video via our resource centre.

👉 Educators and industry professionals: Help us inspire the next generation—sign up here.

At F4S, we know that representation matters—especially when students are exploring their place in the world of work. That’s why we’ve launched new accessibility settings: a new way for users to self-identify with a disability, neurodivergent condition, or long-term health condition so they can be more meaningfully matched with individuals who value lived experience.

What Are The New Accessibility Settings? 💻

These settings are now available in your F4S profile, allowing you to indicate whether you live with a disability or condition, including mental health, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and more. These settings are entirely optional, private by default, and can be updated at any time.

The purpose? To help educators connect with volunteers whose backgrounds reflect their students’ experiences. If a teacher is working with a student who is visually impaired, neurodivergent, or living with a chronic illness, for example, they can now request to hear from someone who truly understands that journey. This can make for a richer, more empowering session—one where students not only learn about careers, but also feel seen.

When setting up or editing your profile, you can now choose from a range of accessibility preferences based on needs related to:

• Chronic Illness 
• Physical Disability/ Mobility Issues 
• Neurodivergent
• Visual Impairment
• Deaf/Profoundly Deaf
• Hearing Loss
• Learning Difficulties
• Mental Health
• Other

Adjusting the accessibility settings is:

1️⃣ Voluntary
2️⃣ Customisable at any time
3️⃣ Private by default

And don’t worry—this information stays private by default. You control who sees it. You can update accordingly when it suits you.

Here’s how you can adjust your profile:

1. Log in to your volunteer account.
2. Navigate to the profile settings section.
3. Update the “Profile Settings” by ticking Yes or No in the relevant box.

This new disability feature is entirely optional, but it enables teachers who have students with disabilities in their classrooms to invite role models with similar hidden disabilities to speak to their students so they can appreciate the potential roles they might hold in the future.  

Why It Matters 🤔

Too often, students with disabilities or additional needs don’t see themselves represented in career talks or role models. But we know from experience that hearing from someone who’s “been there” can be transformational.

These accessibility settings help bridge that gap, making it easier for schools to find speakers whose lived experiences can resonate deeply. These aren’t just career talks—they’re moments that can reshape ambition, spark confidence, and break down barriers. 🚀

Let's Build a Platform Where Everyone Belongs 🏡

At F4S, our volunteer community is full of diverse and inspiring people who have a unique perspective on the working world and finding your place as someone with a disability. We want to give you the opportunity to share this with the next generation and break down stereotypes.

Got feedback? Want to help us improve? Email us at contact@founders4schools.org.uk- we’d love to hear from you! 😊

We’re so excited you’ve booked a Career Acceleration Session with F4S!

Together, we’re working to inspire young people everywhere and show them the full range of career possibilities available to them. We can’t wait for your students to meet our incredible volunteers and be inspired by their stories.

Before your session, we’ve put together a quick briefing to help you feel confident and prepared. It includes everything you need to know to make the most of your session.

Once a volunteer has accepted your request for a session! 

Head to your dashboard, https://f4s.app.digitalboost.org.uk/dashboard

On your Dashboard, you’ll now see your session under ‘Mentoring’. It will show you the date, time, and volunteer for your session as well as the all-important ‘join session button’ - but you won’t need to use that until the day!

How to best prepare your students for a Career Acceleration Session?

At F4S, we’re committed to helping you deliver high-quality, impactful employer encounters that truly benefit your students.

With the upcoming changes to the Gatsby Benchmarks taking effect from September 2025, there will be a renewed focus on the quality of these experiences. In line with Benchmark 5: Encounters with Employers and Employees, educators will need to place greater emphasis on what makes an encounter meaningful—including the importance of variety, student preparation, and fostering a real understanding of the world of work.

We’re here to support you every step of the way to ensure your employer encounters are not only compliant, but truly transformative for your students.

Before the session, there are a few simple but important steps you can take to help your students get the most out of the experience:

1. Set the context and purpose
   Explain why you’ve organised the Career Acceleration Session. This could be in response to specific questions your students have asked about career pathways, a way to connect curriculum learning to real-world applications, or to show how your subject links to a wide range of future careers.
2. Introduce the volunteer
   Give students a brief overview of who they’ll be meeting. Share a little about the volunteer’s background, their career journey, and what they’ll be discussing. This helps students feel more prepared and engaged.
3. Encourage questions
   Ask students to think in advance about what they might want to ask. Prompt them to consider what they’re curious about—whether it’s the speaker’s role, career path, industry, or skills required.

By taking a few minutes to prepare students beforehand, you’ll help ensure the session is meaningful, engaging, and impactful.

What Will Volunteers Cover in a Career Acceleration Session?

Each Career Acceleration Session is unique—our volunteers will tailor their talk based on the information you provided when booking, as well as the interests and questions of your students. However, there are a few key areas we encourage all volunteers to cover to ensure a rich and engaging experience:

• Their current role – what it involves and why they chose it
• What they enjoy most about their job
• Their career journey – how they got to where they are today
• Challenges they've faced – and how they’ve overcome them
• What they thought they’d be doing when they were 12
• How a particular school subject has helped them succeed in their career

Volunteers will also make sure to respond to any student questions submitted in advance, and every session ends with a live Q&A to give students the chance to ask anything else they’re curious about.

These sessions are designed to inspire, inform, and help students see the real-world possibilities ahead of them.

How to Make the Most of Your Career Acceleration Session

To ensure your session runs smoothly and has the biggest impact, here are a few quick tips to help you prepare:

1. Add the session to your calendar
   Click the calendar icon when you receive your session confirmation and select your preferred online calendar to add it automatically.
2. Reach out to your volunteer in advance
   We recommend sending a quick message to introduce yourself before the session. This is a great opportunity to:
   • Share any specific topics you’d like them to cover
   • Let them know about any additional needs or context about your students
   • Ask any questions you or your students might already have
3. Get your tech ready
   If your session is virtual, make sure your setup allows the volunteer to be seen and heard by all students. Test your equipment and connection in advance so everything runs smoothly on the day.
4. Prepare for in-person visits
   If your session is happening in-person, be sure to provide the volunteer with:
   • Clear instructions on where to go when they arrive
   • Details of what they may need to bring
   • Contact information in case they need help finding the location
5. Encourage questions!
   These sessions are a fantastic opportunity for students to hear directly from someone in the world of work. Encourage them to ask questions—they’ll get more from the session, and it helps make the experience more interactive and meaningful.
   

By taking a few simple steps in advance, you’ll help create a memorable and inspiring session for your students.

After Your Session…

Take time to reflect with your students
Once your session with the volunteer has finished, it's important to give students the chance to reflect on what they’ve learned. We recommend setting aside 15–20 minutes during your next lesson or tutorial for this. You can guide the reflection using some of the following questions:

• What’s one thing you learned today that surprised you?
• What did you find most interesting about the volunteer’s career or journey?
• What skills or qualities did the speaker have that seemed important in their role?
• What could you start doing now to explore a career like the one discussed?
• What transferable skills (e.g. communication, problem-solving, teamwork) did the speaker use?
• Has this session changed your thinking about your future? If so, how?
• What would you like to learn more about after this session?
  

Leave feedback for your volunteer
Feedback helps our volunteers continue to improve and ensures future sessions are even more impactful. Don’t forget to take a few minutes to share your thoughts after the session.

Want to connect again?
If your students found the session particularly inspiring, feel free to message the volunteer to request a follow-up session.

Book another session!
There’s no limit to the number of volunteers you can connect with. Explore our platform and book another session to keep the inspiration going.

Each month, we showcase outstanding volunteers who are making an impact on the futures of students. This month, meet Alex Williams, who is doing his PhD in AI and Music at Queen Mary University of London. We selected Alex as he has received wonderful feedback from our schools and has scored high on our rating system. His dedication to helping the younger generation through his involvement in speaking at recent virtual assemblies and volunteering his time is the reason we wanted to highlight his work with F4S! 🙂

Alex's current position is as an academic researcher with multi-disciplinary experience in areas of computer science, engineering, and music technology. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, computational creativity, and music information retrieval.

In April, Alex spoke at one of our virtual assemblies about his career and how he developed an interest in Artificial Intelligence. 

You can find the full replay on your dashboard in the resource centre! 💻

Our London Regional Coordinator, Adriana Ennab, said: 

"Alex Williams was a standout speaker who brought warmth, insight, and authenticity to the session. He challenged the idea that STEM and creativity are separate, showing how following your passions can lead to unexpected and fulfilling career paths. What made Alex especially memorable was his ability to connect with students and speak honestly about his journey. As he put it: “There isn't that much of a separation between the creative industry and STEM… Don’t give up on your passions—I wouldn't be where I am if I had neglected my interests.”

Having Alex as part of the session made it feel not only inspiring but deeply relevant to how young people think about their future. He’s a brilliant example of what it looks like to bring your full self to your work.  

We were thrilled to have him join us. "

During his conversation with F4S, he shared insights on the importance of finding a career that blends your personal passion with technical skills. He encouraged students to be ambitious and that they don't need formal music training to explore music technology. The field of AI music is growing, and there are lots of exciting opportunities in the field.

The overall message from Alex to students is to explore interdisciplinary paths that combine creativity and innovation. 🚀

Thank you for taking the time to speak at our virtual assembly, Alex! We look forward to seeing the wonderful work you do at F4S. 🙂

Want to connect with Alex? Find his profile here! ✨

A key takeaway from recent events and industry discussions is the vital role of inclusion in preparing the next generation of talent. As part of its ongoing commitment to inclusive education, F4S has introduced a new disability-inclusive feature designed to better connect educators and students with mentors who have lived experience with disability.

By highlighting role models from diverse backgrounds, F4S is helping shift inclusion from a “nice to have” to a “must have” for schools striving to meet today’s diversity and accessibility standards.

What’s new?

Educators can now update their matching preferences—for themselves or their students—to prioritise connections with volunteers who have disclosed specific conditions. This helps ensure that career conversations are not only more relatable but also empowering.

Representation Matters

Students often need to see people who share their experiences to truly believe they can succeed in STEM or other career fields. By proactively matching disabled volunteers with educators, F4S ensures that young people can envision themselves thriving in roles and industries where they may not have otherwise felt welcome.While many school programs emphasise careers education, few systematically highlight opportunities for students with disabilities. F4S fills this gap by integrating a range of volunteer professionals with disabilities, thereby normalising disability in the workplace and demonstrating that it’s not a barrier to success.

Enhancing Educator and Parent Buy-In

When schools adopt the F4S platform, they aren’t just broadening career exposure for students; they’re also championing inclusivity. This alignment with legal mandates (such as the Equality Act), social expectations, and the wider push for equity in education positions F4S as a practical partner for modern schools.By tracking the engagement of volunteers with disabilities, F4S can quantify its impact. This data allows schools to show measurable improvements in students’ aspiration levels, self-confidence, and career clarity, particularly among those who identify as disabled or have special educational needs.

Elevating Mentorship to a Core Requirement

In today’s world, awareness of equitable access is no longer optional. Through its disability-inclusive matching, F4S demonstrates that mentorship programs aren’t just add-ons; they’re essential pillars of 21st-century careers education. By building programs around real-world representation, F4S helps shift mentorship from a “nice to do” extracurricular to a vital part of preparing all students for the future workforce.

Below are the core components that make F4S a standout partner for schools.

The Gatsby Benchmarks have long been considered the gold standard in careers education, with over 90% of schools and colleges across the UK embedding them into their practice. Since their launch in 2018, schools have made huge strides—nearly tripling their progress in helping young people explore careers, build vital skills, and reach their potential.

But as the world continues to change, so too must the tools we use to prepare students for the future.

What’s Changing?

From September 2025, the Gatsby Benchmarks are being updated to reflect the evolving landscape of education, technology, and the labour market. While the core eight benchmarks and their titles remain the same, new guidance and five additional themes have been introduced to ensure they remain fit for purpose over the next decade.

The five new themes sharpen the focus on key priorities:

1. Careers at the heart of education and leadership
2. Inclusion and impact for each and every young person
3. Meaningful and varied encounters and experiences
4. Focusing on the use of information and data
5. Engagement of parents and carers

At F4S, we’re here to support you through this transition—especially when it comes to Benchmark 5: Encounters with Employers and Employees.

What Does a “Meaningful” Encounter Look Like?

The updated guidance places much greater emphasis on the quality of employer encounters. It’s not just about ticking a box—it’s about giving students a real understanding of the world of work.

According to Gatsby, a meaningful encounter should:

• Have a clear purpose, shared with both the employer and the student
• Be underpinned by specific learning outcomes
• Include opportunities for two-way interaction between students and the employer
• Be followed by reflection time, helping students process what they’ve learned

How F4S Supports You to Meet These Expectations

We know how busy school and college life can be—so we’ve designed our platform to make it as easy as possible for you to deliver high-quality, impactful encounters that meet the new Benchmark 5 guidance.

Here’s how we do it:

✔️ Pre-Session Briefings

Before each session, we provide guidance to both yourself and role models to ensure everyone is aligned on the learning objectives and purpose of the session.

✔️ Storytelling with Real Impact

Our role models don’t just talk about what they do—they share personal stories about how they got there, why their work matters, and what they’ve learned along the way. This brings context and authenticity to every session.

✔️ Two-Way Interaction

Students get the chance to ask questions and engage directly with the speaker, creating a dynamic exchange that helps deepen understanding and spark curiosity.

✔️ Reflection Time

We encourage you to dedicate time after each session for students to reflect on what they’ve heard, what they’ve learned, and how it connects to their own goals and aspirations.

And the Best Part? It's All Free

Using our intelligent F4S platform, you can browse role models across 50+ job roles, filter by gender, industry, or subject area, and book sessions—either in person or virtually—at a time that works for you. Sessions typically last an hour and are completely free to schools and colleges.

Book a Role Model and Bring Careers to Life

As careers education continues to evolve, we’re committed to supporting you every step of the way. Our mission is to help you create experiences that are not only meaningful, but truly transformative.

Give your students a real-world connection to what they’re learning. Book a role model today and bring your lessons to life.

When Careers Advisor Chinyere Nnaukwu-Kalu Nkwocha began planning a careers event for Year 12 students at Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School, she reached out to F4S to see how we could support. From the very first conversation, our Regional Coordinator Helen Morris worked closely with Chinyere, making the process seamless—helping to secure inspiring speakers, shape the event format, and ensure students gained real-world insights with ease.

Providing Students with Real-World Role Models

The result? A fantastic 'Meet with Industry' event that gave students the opportunity to connect with professionals from a range of fields and explore a variety of career pathways. Speakers included Daniel Nti Boakye, a Software Testing Developer at Wessex Group, and David Ukwu, a Petroleum Engineering graduate with a Master’s in AI. Their stories resonated with students—especially during the speed networking sessions, where some students even secured work experience opportunities on the spot.

At F4S, we’re passionate about bridging the gap between education and industry, whether virtually or in person. This event was a perfect example of the power of real-world connections—where industry professionals helped students think bigger and stay open-minded about their futures.

“The event was a success. The students enjoyed networking with individuals from various industries and were able to secure some work experience placements. They thoroughly enjoyed it.”

— Ms. Nnaukwu-Kalu Nkwocha, Careers Advisor

We’re proud to have supported Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School and can’t wait to help more schools create these kinds of impactful experiences—showing students just how many exciting paths are ahead of them.

Want to inspire your students like Chinyere?

We were pleased to see that the interim report acknowledges many of the key points F4S raised in our call for evidence.

The Current System Is Not Working for Everyone

• A persistent attainment gap remains between socio-economically disadvantaged young people and their peers.
• Young people with SEND continue to make insufficient progress compared to their non-SEND peers.

The review will consider how we can positively impact outcomes for these groups using the levers at our disposal while remaining mindful of the broader challenges facing the sector.

We Need a Greater Focus on Applied Knowledge and Practical Skills

Reports consistently highlight that young people and their parents want a greater focus on applied knowledge and practical skills that will prepare them for life and work. Key areas of interest include financial education, careers knowledge, AI, and politics and governance.

Polling data shows that:

• 34% of Key Stage 4 learners and 43% of their parents would have liked more emphasis on finance and budgeting.
• 32% of Key Stage 4 learners and 36% of their parents wanted more time dedicated to employment and interview skills.

The curriculum review will assess whether these areas are sufficiently covered within subjects and explore how content can remain relevant to help young people thrive in a rapidly changing world. This may involve further embedding these critical skills across different parts of the curriculum.

Current evidence suggests that too many young people are not acquiring the essential knowledge and skills they need. As a result, by the time they leave formal education, they may not be fully prepared for the demands of life and work.

What This Means For F4S?

• We will continue to champion programmes that support students from low-income backgrounds and young people with SEND.
• We will ensure that every student encounter includes real-world skills and applied knowledge that prepares them for the future.
• We will explore the development of new programmes, with a particular focus on financial education and artificial intelligence.

🔗 Read our full response here

Not everyone knows what they want to be when they grow up, and that's why it's essential for young people to hear stories of challenges and change when figuring out their future...

👋 Meet Freya, our amazing University Ambassador who has shared her story with the F4S community and wants to use her experiences to provide guidance to the younger generation.

We asked her a few questions about her motivation to volunteer and why she chose F4S. Here’s what she said ⬇️

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how long you've been volunteering with F4S…

⭐ “I started my Master’s in Data Science at the London School of Economics last autumn and soon after joined F4S as a university ambassador for the London region. I was born and raised in Germany, completed my undergraduate degree in Economics at the University of Heidelberg, and spent two years working in management consulting at Boston Consulting Group in Munich before moving to the UK.

I’m deeply passionate about data science and AI, particularly how rapid technological advancements are shaping business, daily life, and education. Outside of academics and work, I enjoy sports—especially running, boxing, and snowboarding—and love exploring London’s diverse music scene with friends on the weekends.”

Q: What made you decide to volunteer with F4S?

⭐ "I decided to volunteer with F4S because I immediately connected with its mission. Looking back at my time in high school, I know I would have greatly benefited from hearing university students and industry professionals share insights about their careers. I was unsure about what to study and had no clear vision of what career path I wanted to take. Like many students, I relied heavily on my (grand)parents’ advice and some internet research—neither of which turned out to be the best sources for making an informed decision."

Q: What motivates you to be part of the F4S mission?

⭐ "My motivation for being part of the F4S mission is the hope that I can make a difference for students—whether by inspiring them to pursue a more technical or analytical career, alleviating their fears about choosing a maths-heavy course, or showing young women that data science and tech are not just male-dominated fields for introverts. To me, the most important thing is providing guidance. Even if a student realizes after hearing my perspective that data science isn’t for them, that’s still a win because they’ve gained clarity."

 Q: Is there any career advice you wish you had when you were younger?

⭐ "What do I wish I had known earlier? A lot! First and foremost, I wish someone had told me how much more flexible today’s job market is compared to a few decades ago. Yes, your degree shapes your career prospects, but if you’re hardworking and determined, you can pivot much more easily than people think. (For example, I have a former colleague at BCG who studied Greek and Latin and now works on digitalization projects!)

Secondly, I wish I hadn’t stressed so much about finishing university as quickly as possible or worrying obsessively about grades. Yes, academics matter, but in the long run, taking an extra semester or not having perfect grades won’t define your career. What truly matters is what you make of your time at university—broadening your perspective, engaging in societies, and getting to know yourself better. Studying is an incredible opportunity, and I wish I had appreciated that more."

Inspired by Freya's story? Join our volunteer community today and help shape the next generation’s future! Sign up here 🚀

We'd love to hear from you! 🙂

At F4S, we are passionate about connecting young students with industry leaders, particularly in fields where mathematics plays a central role. One of our recent highlights was our Virtual Assembly, featuring two senior women from Lloyd’s—Eleanor Bucks, Chief Investment Officer, and Uma Divekar, Senior Manager of Syndicate Capital. Their insights were nothing short of inspiring, and they left a lasting impression on the students who joined us from across the country.

A Day of Insight and Inspiration

During the assembly, Eleanor and Uma shared their career journeys, highlighting the key role maths plays in the finance and insurance sectors. Eleanor’s career, spanning over two decades, took her from Legal & General to Lloyd’s, while Uma brought her deep expertise in Syndicate Capital. Both leaders captivated students with stories of how maths is integral to success in their work, from solving complex problems to driving strategic decisions.

The leaders also discussed the vital skills needed to succeed—problem-solving, resilience, and adaptability—while emphasising how AI is shaping the future of their industries. Students were encouraged to embrace technology and refine their problem-solving and communication skills to stay ahead.

The Power of Problem-Solving and AI

A key takeaway from the session was the transformative impact of AI in finance and insurance. Eleanor and Uma shared examples of how AI is enhancing decision-making processes and transforming industries. By discussing the intersection of technology and mathematics, they inspired students to explore how these fields will continue to evolve and create exciting opportunities.

Both leaders stressed the importance of curiosity and continuous learning, encouraging students to embrace change and the possibilities that new technologies offer. Their experiences demonstrated that careers in finance and insurance are intellectually stimulating and full of potential for innovation and growth.

Inspiring the Future

This Virtual Assembly offered students the opportunity to engage with two powerful role models who showed them the exciting careers that can be achieved through a solid foundation in mathematics. Eleanor and Uma’s stories demonstrated the far-reaching impact of maths in finance, insurance, and beyond, and inspired students to think big about their own futures.

We are deeply grateful to Eleanor and Uma for their time, their insights, and their dedication to inspiring the next generation of leaders. Their stories show that with resilience, curiosity, and a passion for problem-solving, young people can achieve limitless success.

At F4S, we are committed to facilitating meaningful conversations between young people and professionals, sparking curiosity and building confidence. If you have a story like Eleanor’s or Uma’s, we would love for you to volunteer and help inspire the next generation. Together, we can break barriers and encourage young minds to explore new possibilities.

Teachers, if you'd like to bring inspiring leaders like Eleanor and Uma into your classroom, it's simple—get in touch today and let's empower the next generation!