Partnership working, ensuring use of best practice and sustainability
In September 2009, Youth Enterprise Services launched ‘The Enterprise Enhancement Fund’ for secondary schools in Yorkshire & Humber following an extensive piece of enterprise education research conducted in partnership with Dubit. ‘The State of Enterprise Education’ research published in July 2009 captured the views of teachers and identified a number of key factors to improve the delivery, funding and sustainability of enterprise education:
- Schools were keen to share good practice and resources
- 82% of the region’s schools wanted the enterprise element of the Schools Development Grant to be ring-fenced
- 70% of the region’s schools were developing and delivering enterprise activities themselves.
The State of Enterprise Education research highlighted the extent to which enterprise was being developed and delivered across the curriculum and how this varied enormously across the region’s schools. In short, it was acknowledged that one size enterprise projects do not fit all. From experience we know that the only way to bring about long term cultural change is if schools are at the heart of the enterprise education agenda, promoting an enterprising approach to teaching and learning. The premise of the Enterprise Enhancement Fund is to give schools the opportunity to further develop and take ownership of enterprise education within their school.
The Enterprise Enhancement Fund programme enabled schools to apply for up to £2,000 to enhance enterprise provision within their school. The funding was based on a 60/40% matched scheme and through an application process; schools had to demonstrate how they would utilise the funding to further develop sustainable enterprise education. The match funding process encouraged schools to invest more of the Schools Development Grant in enterprise as well as develop a ‘whole school’ approach.
The Enterprise Enhancement Fund remains an excellent mechanism to bolster enterprise in schools. During the 2009/10 academic year, the Fund achieved the following:
- Supported 84 schools in Yorkshire & Humber and over 10,000 students and 900 teachers.
- Demonstrated excellent value for money and a successful strategic investment for embedding enterprise in secondary education.
- In total £125,500 of funding invested by Yorkshire Forward through the Embedding Enterprise in Education Programme was matched pound for pound by the schools with a regional enterprise programme totalling £250,000.
- Gave ownership, choice and responsibility to schools to develop their enterprise education provision to meet their specific needs.
