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 Rotherham
Ready is a National Radio Hit
Rotherham’s enterprising youngsters have been on national
radio, showing just how much the Rotherham Ready Enterprise Education
Programme has already helped to transform learning for those as
young as four.
Herringthorpe Junior School Headteacher Jane Fearnley and Rotherham
Ready Project Manager Mike Garnock-Jones were interviewed by Libby
Purves on BBC Radio 4’s The Learning Curve on Monday 9 October.
As part of the report, BBC reporter Jill Hopkins spoke to children
from Herringthorpe Junior School about their enterprise projects.
The children had designed and created a range of saleable souvenirs
from their trip to Northumberland. “We had to make a
diagram and then we had to make a prototype and see if everyone
liked it and would buy it,” said one pupil. “If
you sell something that everyone will buy then you make a profit.” What
did they think were the ingredients of success? “You
need to be determined and work as a team.” And what
did they like about it? “It’s good fun talking
to each other and having ideas.”
Libby Purves commented, “This is much more than business
studies isn’t it?”
“It’s about having fun and also about developing the key skills that
are embedded in enterprise education,” said Jane Fearnley, Headteacher
of Herringthorpe Junior School. “I don’t think it’s just
about money for us and about business links. It really is about developing those
skills within our children to be confident learners, to communicate well and
to solve problems. And we’re finding now through working through enterprise
projects that they can work very well in a team and they know their own strengths….
We’re giving them skills for the 21st Century.”
Backed by £1.4 million of funding from Yorkshire Forward,
Rotherham Ready involves all Rotherham schools and colleges, together
with a large range of business partners, and aims to engage all
children in Rotherham from four to 19 in developing an insight
into the world of work and the enterprising skills they will need
to shape their future.
The programme has already attracted significant interest nationally.
Rotherham was recently visited by HM Treasury Officials researching
best examples of Enterprise Education in the UK. The visit by the
Treasury team showcased enterprise education activity across the
borough from primary all the way through to business start up.
The Treasury team visit followed on from an awards ceremony in
11 Downing Street when ten Rotherham schools and one college were
awarded the Warwick University Enterprise Education Award – scooping
three national firsts. Rotherham Ready also took centre stage in
the Independent’s Education Supplement on 14 September.
Nearly 3,000 local young people have already got involved in the
Rotherham Ready initiative which sees those aged four to 19 benefit
from a range of business enterprise experiences. The project will
make Rotherham the first area in the country to offer enterprise
learning to all students in primary, secondary and further education.
“You’re really trying to flag up Rotherham as a
kind of centre and capital of all this,” noted Libby
Purves. “Definitely!” said Mike Garnock-Jones,
Project Manager. “Through the key objectives we are clearly
becoming a regional centre of excellence.”
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