Ednews Reporters Zarqa and Misbah went along to Ilkley Grammar School on the 21st June 2011, where ninety pupils from Year 9 became young entrepreneurs for the day as part of the schools three- day Enterprise Education scheme. This is an element in the school’s work-related curriculum and was led by staff from the Bradford Education Business Partnership, part of Bradford Council.

The girls and boys from the school which has been established since 1607 had their various skills put to the test as they engaged in numerous group-based activities during the morning session such as job charades and puzzles and made hard decisions in relation to living and working within a budget or who to “save” in a role-playing exercise.

Competition increased as teams were awarded points for successful solving of problems using their budding business brains. Prizes were given by a panel of judges from Education Bradford.

 

In the second half of the busy day pupils were involved in a project on a larger scale, where they were challenged to produce their very own 3D ideal community model. The community had to meet various criteria to meet the basic needs of its citizens whilst also being cost efficient. This meant the pupils’ numeracy skills; creativity and intellectual abilities were all put to the test.

 

The comments from the pupils themselves reflected what was a very progressive and productive day and their enthusiasm and curiosity made the day a solid success.

As the day drew to a close, Zarqa and Misbah questioned various groups of youngsters to hear what they had to say.

 

How did you find today and the activities you were involved in?

“I learnt the importance of

 Prioritising different needs”

 " Definitely better than normal lessons"

         " The activities were great and taught me that it's not just about leaving school,
 but in the wider world there is a lot more to deal with"

 

When asked to summarise the day in one word pupils described the enterprising extravaganza as “fun”, “different “and “enjoyable”. Pupils also revealed that they enjoyed working in mixed groups with people they perhaps had not known so well before.

 

When the pupils were asked how the day had benefited them, they responded that it had definitely given them a deeper insight into the world of work and the importance of being well rounded citizens in order to have a good chance of surviving in the wider world of work.

Overall, the Enterprise Day was a significant success and benefited the students hugely. The day, which was the first of a three day programme hosted by the school, was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone… staff and pupils alike.

One pupil commented “It was fun and I definitely feel I can apply the skills I used today to other situations in the future”.

 

 

Zarqa Farouq