Teachers top of the role model tables


Role Model

It's good news for teachers, but not so much so for musicians, actors and TV personalities according to a recent survey conducted by Sky Sports Living for Sport. Despite growing up in an increasingly celebrity obsessed world, research shows they consider teachers to be their main role models.

Teachers received 31% of the vote, sweeping aside actors and TV presenters. Professional musicians filled one of the bottom places, with reality TV stars coming in last place with a meagre 2%. The surprising set of figures also revealed that more UK youth aspire to go on to higher education, than those who want to be famous, an actor or a professional musician.

A quarter of the young people interviewed said that they did not currently have a role model, with almost all of those admitting they would like to have one. The majority of young people (87%) who have a role model say this person helps them to feel more confident.

The survey results help to acknowledge the great benefits of the school visits conducted by the team of athlete mentors who support Sky Sports Living for Sport and the work being done by the teachers within participating schools.

Darren Campbell, Sky Sports Living for Sport Ambassador was quick to praise the results of the survey, saying: "My role as Ambassador for Sky Sports Living for Sport means that I am able to share my own life story with young people and show how the influence of positive role models has helped shape my career. When visiting schools I see the hard work that teachers put in and the dedication they have to help young people be the best they can be. Teachers are in effect the first role models young people come across in life, so it's fantastic to hear that pupils recognise the influence they can have on their lives."

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