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English


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

Examples of enterprise learning in key stage 4

Case study 1

Year 10 English students were divided into groups and set the task of producing a display for a notice board in the school foyer on British entrepreneurs of the last 100 years. They were set a deadline but given a free hand on how they set about the task and arranged the display. The groups organised themselves to collect resources, carry out research and develop the display. Most groups used images as well as written text. Students stood by their displays at break time to publicise the event and answer questions. The displays ran concurrently with an Enterprise Week initiative taking place in the school, one of the objectives of which was to publicise great British entrepreneurs past and present. Students communicated well and demonstrated the ability to work effectively in small teams and individually. Some students were able to demonstrate good leadership and management skills.

Case study 2

All key stage 4 students in one school undertook an enterprise activity as part of their tutorial programme; some students also participated in a Young Enterprise activity after school. Both activities involved students making and then selling products at a special enterprise school fair, which aims to raise money for charitable causes. Towards the end of the activities, students reflected on what had taken place and produced either a written or oral report. This took place in GCSE English. The students prepared a five-minute presentation to describe their experiences. The conclusions focused on what they learned about the way they took on the challenge and their attempts to be successful entrepreneurs. Most accounts were very descriptive and showed understanding of the knowledge and skills required to be an enterprising person.

Case study 3

An English and drama group gave 10-minute presentations about their work experience placement. The teacher built on these experiences by giving the group the task of producing a drama about working life comparing past and present working practices. This consisted of several scenarios, set in a range of occupations, showing the changes in practices and attitudes that have taken place, eg the role of working women. The project went very well and it was decided that it would be repeated in the after-school drama club. This eventually became a production put on for parents and friends of the school with special invitations sent out to local employers who take students on work experience. Final rehearsals took place in front of year 10 students who would be going out on work experience the following year. Students not involved in the production were able to take on other ‘front of house’ tasks such as marketing, sales and budgeting.

Case study 4

GCSE English students produced a booklet giving their views on the local community and the facilities available for young people. Images were used to illustrate the booklet. First, they found out other students’ views through the use of surveys and interviews. They collated these, and then discussed the information, drawing out the main points. Discussion followed as to how the information was to be presented. There was also discussion about who should be the main audience. The booklet was put together using a mix of desktop publishing and cut-and-paste methods. A small group visited the local council to present the booklet to the chairperson. This provided a photo opportunity and resulted in a supportive article in the local evening newspaper. Later, local councillors and a council official representing leisure and recreation visited the group to give the council’s response to the students’ views and to discuss possible future council projects.

Case study 5

As part of their GCSE English and English literature course a year 10 class undertook a project which required each student to read and review a selection of novels targeted at the teenage market. They developed a questionnaire to use in a survey of the reading habits of other students in the school. Further work involved researching articles from educational journals, the internet and school library about the role of reading in a teenager’s development. The students were supported in their work by a school-based writer-in-residence. This led them to broaden their enquiry into censorship. The class collated their findings, giving opinions about current censorship laws, and presented them to a panel of experts consisting of a well-known author of teenage fiction, the town librarian and a bookseller. The panel gave the students feedback on their work. The students then went on to use the large amount of data collected to write a discursive essay for their GCSE assessed work.

Case study 6

Students in a year 11 English class were reading selections of text from Charles Dickens’ books when the topic of discussion focused on punishment in Victorian times and the difference between then and now. The teacher told the students about the 1874 public enquiry to find out people’s views on punishment and whether it was too severe or too lenient. From this the class decided to hold its own public enquiry. The students decided who would serve on the commission to hear the views of witnesses. Students role-played the witnesses, some of whom were for harsh punishments eg factory owners, prison governor, landowners and some of whom were against eg bishop, liberal MP, Charles Dickens. The commission decided what questions to ask and witnesses took the stand to answer them. The enquiry lasted for 45 minutes. The commission considered the evidence given and made a recommendation. The teacher debriefed the activity, after which the students wrote up their own views on capital punishment. The activity promoted communication skills and the ability to think on one's feet!

Case study 7

A small group of year 10 students undertook an extended work placement in a local company for half-day a week over a period of 20 weeks. One of the assignments they were given contributed to their portfolio of course work. During their placement the students were expected to work in several different locations and investigate the different ways in which workers communicated with each other. Examples came from many different areas and had different formats, eg memos, invoices, job plans, log books and the usual letters and reports. The students interviewed staff to find out their views on how well the workers communicated with each other and what might go wrong. Back in school the students wrote a draft report on their findings. This was discussed with the work experience placement supervisor before a final report was completed.

Case study 8

A year 11 English group were set the challenge of running a media centre and producing a newspaper in one day. Talks from a local radio news presenter and a local journalist were given about news collection and the delivery of news through different media. The newsroom was set up with IT equipment, radio and television, digital camera and desktop publishing software. Reporters were sent out in the early morning seeking out news stories and national and local radio stations and teletext were watched for breaking news stories. During the second part of the day articles were written and edited. The paper had many of the features of a national tabloid paper including radio and television guides and horoscopes. The students worked in small groups to produce the different sections. The paper was put together using desktop publishing software and first editions were on sale in the school before the end of the day. The students were under pressure to write articles within tight time schedules.