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Ofsted Survey Inspection Programme

Business and Enterprise Education Report – 7th February 2008

Achievement and standards

Students’ achievement in enterprise education is good.

• Students are developing good enterprise skills and this is reflected in their growing self-confidence and enthusiasm for taking on new challenges.
• Students are developing a good understanding of personal finance.
• The good range of business enterprise activities helps most students develop a reasonable understanding of basic business concepts. The extra-curricular enterprise activities and competitions have helped some students gain an excellent understanding of entrepreneurial activities.
• The great majority of students have good attitudes to learning. Many speak with great enthusiasm about the enterprise activities they have undertaken and are keen to have more. A team of Year 11 students who reached the national finals of an enterprise competition had clearly gained a great deal in terms of their personal development, as well as developing their business skills and understanding.

Quality of teaching and learning of business education

The quality of teaching and learning in enterprise education is good.

• Evaluations of the personal development learning days involving enterprise education indicate that they are well organised and generally very well received by students. Interviews with students confirmed that they valued these experiences.
• Vocational and applied examination courses have recently been introduced in several subjects. These are well taught and make appropriate references to business.
• The work experience programme for all Year 10 students is well organised and there is good follow-up when students return from their placements.

Quality of curriculum

The quality of the curriculum for enterprise education is good with some outstanding features.

• Much has been done to enhance the provision for enterprise education as part of work-related learning for all students in the last two years and there is now a strong and coherent programme for all year groups.
• Enterprise education is developed through personal learning days, where the normal timetable is suspended for a whole year group, through charity work and through a range of subjects.
• There are excellent extra-curricular opportunities for students to gain further experience of enterprise by taking part in local and national competitions and undertaking challenges organised by local businesses.
• All students in Year 10 undertake two weeks of work experience and the evaluations of this indicate that it is very well received. Approximately thirty students in each of Years 10 and 11 take part in college based vocational courses with extended work experience programmes. All Year 10 students have ‘mock’ employment interviews with employers and other personnel from outside of the school.
• Good support is provided by the local Education Business Partnership (EBP) to develop links with local businesses and involve employers in enterprise activities. Opportunities are also provided for teachers to undertake short-term placements with local employers to develop curriculum materials.

Leadership and management of business education

The leadership and management of enterprise education are good.

• You and your senior managers have a strong commitment to developing enterprise education as part of work-related learning for all students and very good progress has been made since the school was inspected in 2006.
• Enterprise education is effectively coordinated across the school and there is good cooperation with external agencies such as the local EBP.
• A useful audit of work-related learning, including enterprise education, has been carried out and the school keeps a detailed log of enterprise activities.

Inclusion

The promotion of inclusion in enterprise education is good.

• There is a comprehensive programme of enterprise education for all students and additional extra-curricular activities are available to all students.
• Enterprise education is used effectively to give additional opportunities for gifted and talented students and to provide support for students with additional needs or who are disaffected.