Despite recently being judged as “outstanding” by Government inspectors, the Jarrow school faces closure as part of a major shake-up in borough special schools.

Five sixth form students from Oriel School, in Maidenbower, raised more than £6,000 for St Catherine’s Hospice by organising a dinner, dance, and auction at the Felbridge Hotel, in East Grinstead, on July 21.

The Oriel Enterprise team; Connor Jones, 18, David Major, 18, Yahia Abu, 17, Jess Dawson, 17, and Mohammed Yussef, 17, invited influential businessmen from the town as well as the chamber of commerce to the night, which they called ‘The Event.’

Connor said: “The evening was really successful.

The bank at Vigo Village School in Erskine Road will be run and used by pupils, with support from NatWest as part of it’s national MoneySense scheme to improve children’s financial knowledge.

Students who successfully applied for a position at the bank have been given cashier training, and those with accounts can pay money in regularly and receive statements.

Youngsters built an entire town out of lego during Horton Primary School’s business and enterprise week.

Brick by brick, they designed schools, hospitals, houses and even a few pubs with the help of Team Building Workshops, from Stockport.

Headteacher Jane Leo said: “It was amazing and it really helped them think about what makes a community.

“They had to consider where people are going to live, go to school, police stations and the church which is a big part of our community.”

As part of the business week, pupils also came up with original inventions to present to a panel in a Dragon’s Den format. Mixed groups were also given £10 and told to double their money in a challenge similar to those dished out by Sir Alan Sugar in the Apprentice.

Kay McIntosh, of Kinellar Primary, Graham Still, of Kemnay Primary, and Kim Hall, Sandra Ewen and Nicole Jeffrey, of Ellon Academy, all received certificates at the Scottish Parliament.

Ms Ewen, who has taught business studies and economics for three years, regularly invites business leaders to Ellon Academy to give the pupils real-life examples of the world of work.

She recently organised an event which helped link the school with local businesses and inform pupils about job opportunities. She said: “The enterprising activities we have involved the pupils in have served to make them much more forward-thinking and positive about the future.

“They have been able to see the value in going straight into employment to receive on-the-job training. Bringing external speakers into the classroom also makes my job more enjoyable and the pupils do feed off of the enthusiasm you have in the classroom. My aim is to give my pupils every opportunity to succeed in their future careers.”

Aberdeenshire Council’s education, learning and leisure committee chairman councillor Richard Stroud said it was good to see that their hard work had been acknowledged.

The Young Enterprise Humber Sub-Region company programme reached its climax at the ceremony, held at the Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort, near Broughton, on Thursday.

The programme allows secondary school pupils and college students from across the region to set up their own companies, create a product and attempt to make a profit.

North Lincolnshire’s sole representative in the eight-team final was the Man About A Dog company, of John Leggott College, who designed and sold plant pots.

The team missed out on the prestigious title of Company Of The Year, but scooped awards for Best North Lincolnshire Company, Outstanding Northern Lincolnshire Company and Best Company Presentation.

Man About A Dog managing director, Emily Skill, 17, said: “I am very pleased.

“We have had a lot of fun doing it. “It has been a good experience. “Our business teacher gave us the idea because we were stuck for one for a while, so we came out with this and developed it.”

The business, administration and finance diploma student said taking part in Young Enterprise would help her in the future.

A limited number of places are available for research students to attend a 4 day residential training course, which provides opportunities for networking with research students and staff across the North West. The course will be of value to those seeking to learn more about enterprise, both inside and outside of academia.

Education Minister Caitriona Ruane, representatives from the Department of Education and the Joint Business Council, representing employers’ organisations on both sides of the border were among the special guests at the event.

Since last September, hundreds of pupils from five primary and five post-primary schools in Northern Ireland have worked in close collaboration with ten partner schools across the border as part of the successful Dissolving Boundaries programme.

It has been spearheaded by the School of Education at the University of Ulster and the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, to facilitate cross-cultural educational linkages between the participating schools .

Now in its tenth year, the current phase of Dissolving Boundaries – jointly funded by the Departments of Education in Belfast and Dublin – used ICT to encourage enterprise and create mutual understanding through collaborative curricular work using both virtual and real contact between the pupils north and south of the border.

For the past eight months, the pupils have been using ICT to research and develop their business ideas and get a good understanding of what makes a successful entrepreneur. Some schools even took the project step further and produced goods for sale on both sides of the border.

Pupils from primary and post-primary schools on both sides of the borders showcased their entrepreneurial skills today during a unique cross border event at the University of Ulster’s Jordanstown campus.
Speaking at the event the Minister said: “I am always very keen to develop and support opportunities for our pupils and teachers to engage across both the education systems on the island. The Dissolving Boundaries programme does just that, making use of the latest communications methods to help young people work together right across Ireland.

By focussing on enterprise in their projects, the participants are gaining an excellent insight into the world of business and developing valuable skills for later life.

“I commend the University of Ulster and National University of Ireland who, with the support of IBEC and the CBI, have worked hard to deliver the programme.”

So I’ve always been curious about this idea—can we teach entrepreneurship? Many seem to think so, as shown by the fever to support entrepreneurship by young people, as well as the poor and marginalized across the world. It started with Muhammad Yunus and microfinance, and now translates into a wide range if initiatives supporting entrepreneurship in the developing and developed world. In the global South, initiatives to promote youth entrepreneurship particularly hits at the heart of building resilience, promoting inclusivity among the unemployed, while also promoting more robust economic growth.

But the same question keeps plaguing me amongst the growing enthusiasm for this idea. Can anyone really be an entrepreneur? Can entrepreneurship be taught? Can young people’s aspirations for employment or better livelihoods be met via entrepreneurship? Amongst the growing enthusiasm for supporting entrepreneurship is a paralleled skepticism, arguing that not all of the poor, marginalized, or excluded can in fact be entrepreneurs.

Recent studies have shown that the social-cultural-political context within a country must foster the environment and the capacity for entrepreneurship. Indeed, there are skills and motivations necessary for success. Theories of motivation and entrepreneurship argue that in the early stages of child development, people learn curiosity, creativity and independence that increase the likelihood of engaging in innovative activity (Nafziger 2004). Society may consciously nurture imagination and self-resilience through child rearing and schooling, particularly among those with a high need to achieve. The skills and motivation needed for creative destruction, where a new, more efficient idea outcompetes an old one must be built. A study of 21 nations found that training and a strong education base is needed to convert a market opportunity into a commercial enterprise (Reynolds 2000). Not only is a talent pool necessary, but also functional skill in marketing, finance, product development, managing risk, and building a team is hugely important (Lal 2005).

So clearly a good educational landscape, strong competition, and skills foster entrepreneurship. Yet this begs the question, particularly in resource poor areas—can entrepreneurs be made?

Well done to all, and good luck to all at the next stage! Particular thanks go to Mrs. Kerry Lowe from KGV’s Business Department, as the Link Teacher for the company- they succeeded despite the lack of external business adviser support.