Enterprise and Creativity Week

Project overview

Boldon’s Enterprise and Creativity week has became an integral part of the school’s delivery of KS4 enterprise education, following the establishment of a working group in school, supported by TEDCO EiE, under South Tyneside’s Pathfinder status. The working group has full support of senior management and includes a number of key members of teaching staff, including a named Enterprise Champion. The Enterprise and Creativity Week provides an opportunity for students to build on enterprise activities and experiences, gained throughout the academic year, and forms an important part of the school’s statutory requirement to provide 5 days of enterprise activity in KS4.

Identified Needs

The Enterprise and Creativity Week gives pupils the opportunity to learn how to be enterprising and creative in all areas of their lives, helping them to identify their own personal skills and qualities, developing valuable employability skills. The programme of activity is supported by professional facilitators, all of whom have expertise in a particular field, thus enabling pupils to engage in ‘real life’ situations and events. The week supports development of enterprise capability coupled with positive development of levels of aspirations and self-review techniques. By the end of the week students will have greater understanding of the importance of identifying and developing enterprise and creativity skills, and how to implement them in a working environment. Activities see students developing ideas, sharing thoughts and discussing enterprise issues that affect them as young people. The week also supports delivery of aspects of professional development for all Yr10 teachers. During the week pupils and teachers will gain insight into alternative, fun and new teaching and learning styles, to support their development on both an academic and personal level.

Business Support

During the E&C week the Yr10 students and their form tutors worked with a variety of facilitators from different privet and public sector organizations - Natwest, Karen Gray Limited, South Tyneside Central Library Local Studies team, Dream Studios, Bede’s World, Shipley Art Gallery, Great North Forest, G.T. Rugby Coaching and South Tyneside Sports Development Team, Matrix Drug Action Team, Open Kitchen and Connexions.

Evaluation

All programmes of activity were evaluated during the week. Students completed end of session evaluations after each activity which identified the enterprise skills and qualities used during individual sessions, rated their enjoyment of, and asked for their opinions on what was delivered. Facilitator and teacher evaluations were also completed. Results of all evaluations were compiled by TEDCO and input into SPSS software (Statistical Package for Social Sciences).