Enterprise at Smithills School

Some of us are entrepreneurs, but all of us are enterprising!

Enterprise is an integral part of the curriculum and all students take part in the wide ranging activities and projects both within school and in the local community. The recent Ofsted report stated:

“ Through the enterprise programme there are many good and outstanding opportunities for students to engage in activities that contribute to their workplace and other skills. “ Ofsted  (Oct ) 2009

Enterprise in the Community
We believe that a young person’s enterprise learning journey should be gradual, building on previous experiences and challenging them on to the next stage of development. To that end our students demonstrate their leadership and creativity by staging the Junior Apprentices Award for over 400 pupils from year 6 in local Primary Schools. The year 6 pupils have to complete the challenges and make presentations to “Lord Sugar ” and his team to be the chosen apprentices. Once again the overall winners this year were St Paul’s (Astley Bridge) and the runners up were Devonshire Road. Students also organized the Bounceball Tournament for 150 year 5 pupils which involved five local schools competing in a lively and energetic game created by Smithills PE students. 

Many of our projects and activities involve our students working with outside groups from the young to the elderly. Projects such as ‘ Fruity Moments’, ‘Pretty Pots’, ‘Beads and Bangles’ involve making, doing, putting plans into action, costing, accounts and producing saleable items with Primary School pupils, and activities such as Pensioners’ Christmas Party’, ‘Make do and Mend’, ‘Knit one Purl one’, ‘World War II Afternoon’, and one just started  ‘Community Cookery Workshops’ are with all generations who pass on their skills and knowledge to the young.

Enterprise in the Curriculum
Throughout the academic year all students attend “year group” conferences where the elements of being enterprising are central to the conference theme. Year 7 concentrate on team building, recognizing skills and talents, allocating responsibilities, developing leadership qualities and using their initiative. Year 8 and Year 10 have specific enterprise themes: These were specifically written to cover the essential parts of enterprise and all 300 Year 10 students attend a two day business conference at the Holiday Inn. Year 9 students have the EuroTrading Conference where they run ‘paper bakeries’ and trade in Euros. Year 11 students have their final conference which deals with ‘presentation’ both for, and in work.  Year 11 are also involved with Young Enterprise, as well as many of the projects in and out of school.  

Local employers and personnel from various organisations attend all the conferences and work with our students.

Enterprise Challenges
Two year groups take part in ‘social enterprise’ activities to raise funds for charitable causes and students decide who or what cause receives their support.  Each of the 10 forms in the year group competes for the Enterprise Challenge Cup (Year 8) and the £10 Challenge Cup (Year 10) by raising as much money as they can. This always proves to be an exciting time, with many mini-enterprise events being set up to generate funds. For example, Henna Hands; Hair cuts and Nails (we have our own Hair and Beauty Salon); Carwash; Photofriends, Game stalls, etc.

 Year 9 take part in the ‘Young Dragons’ event.  Each form sends its best idea to the Dragons’ Den where the successful entries are given the funds to run their business. The theme this year was ‘School and students’ and presentations and products included an ‘emergency stationery pack’; a ‘quick’ calculator, and ‘fruity fools’ (smoothies)  to name a few. The winning presentation and product was by ‘Sanas’ who designed and produced a range of sportswear for Smithills School. These designs will hopefully be used for the new House system to be started in September 2010.

Students organize and run whole school events: the Fashion Show; Dance and Drama performances as well as talent shows. They take responsibility for the marketing, the staging, ticketing, refreshments, lighting, music, etc and show their leadership, communication and creativity through the successful events that they run.
 

Enterprise Competitions
A number of students took part in the national Mosaic Enterprise Challenge and one group were runners-up winning £2000. These four students have taken their entrepreneurial skills a step further by using £1000 of the winnings to create and develop a digital recognition system for the school canteen.  Another group of students entered the Audi design a Car Competition and were shortlisted with their design for a car for mothers with young children.

Smithills Enterprise – Printzone
This year, also, has seen the development of Printzone, a student run printing business. With an initial investment of £10,000 to purchase the industrial printing machine and the necessary software to run it, a group of six students started the business and established themselves as reliable and efficient producers of quality canvas prints. Part way through the year another group of six students took over the business to allow the other students to concentrate on their final year studies. This is a rolling programme of trainees who have expanded the business to a profitable level and will continue to produce a sustainable enterprise project. Printzone produces canvas prints for ‘Modern Weddings’, a photography company as well as work for ‘Impression Print’, Smithills Sports Centre, Bolton 6th Form College and the general public.

Throughout the school, both students and staff are constantly using enterprise in its many and varying forms.  One member of staff produces and presents enterprise materials which are paid for by other schools; one department, in particular, is constantly using enterprise in its catering and marketing activities (recipe books); another uses its musical and performance talents to great success (world champion Brass Band).  In addition, the students are constantly coming up with new and imaginative ideas to benefit not only school, but also the local community. 

Smithills is an enterprising school in every sense, and we are proud of what we have achieved. 

Some of us are entrepreneurs, but all of us are enterprising!