Vocational Specialist School
Enterprise Days
Cumberland School worked with the Newham Education Business Partnership (NEBP) to plan and organise three Enterprise Days this term. Year11 pupils participated on 11 October and Year 10 were divided over two days during National Enterprise Week in November.
The activities were designed to develop enterprise skills such as, teamwork, problem solving, decision making and financial management.
Pupils worked in small groups competing to win the contract as wedding planners. They had to decide upon a business name for themselves and plan the whole event. Pupils took on different roles and responsibilities during the day and learned the value of good teamwork.
At the end of the day each team had to get up on stage and make a presentation. Rob Pope and Meg Khan from the NEBP acted as judges and gave each team feedback on the way they had worked throughout the day and on their final presentation. The winning team was awarded prizes donated by the NEBP.
The three days were very successful. Feedback from pupils was extremely positive. Pupils found the event enjoyable but also recognised the important lessons to be learned and could identify skills they needed to develop. The event also generated the evidence pupils needed for a unit of the Certificate in Career Planning.
Mariyana from 10B has written her account of her day at the UBS Centre at the Entrepreneurship Master Class
We were welcomed warmly at the UBS building. The place and building gave the first impression of organisation and hard work. The day started at 9:30 with registration. Cumberland wasn’t the only school attending the programme, schools like Kingsford and St. Bonaventure’s were there too. Robin Budenberg is a worker for UBS who introduced the project. At about 9:50 we had a team building activity which included making a sculpture from a balloon. After having the chance to make our own sculpture we discussed what it means to be an entrepreneur. The meaning of entrepreneur is basically a person who is trying to make money from either a big international business or a little business that you run by yourself. Guest Speakers were from UBS and Jane Lewis, who runs her own business called ‘Future Pace Consulting’, talked to us about her own business and how not all things work from the first time. Before our break at 10:45 the staff from UBS introduced us to the Team Challenge we had to face which included making a youth centre and deciding on name, venue and activities that will happen there. After working on it for 50 minutes we had to present it to the whole group. Every group had their unique presentation and all presentations were very good in one way or another. At 12:30 we had our lunch. After that we went back to the groups we worked on the presentations with, and waited the judges to announce the winners. JYOTI, SOBIA and FATEHA from our school were included in the group who won first place for overall performance. MARIYANA, ELINA and ZAIN were the Cumberland pupils included in the group who received second prize. The day finished at 13:00 and we headed back to the school.
Certificate in Career Planning
Cumberland School is piloting a new qualification for all Key Stage 4 pupils. The qualification is called the Certificate in Career Planning and is awarded by ASDAN. This award can be achieved at Level 1 (GCSE equivalent grade D-G) or Level 2 (GCSE equivalent grade B).
In order to achieve the award pupils must complete three units of work. The three units are:
Self Development
In this unit pupils are required to review their progress with their tutor, produce an action plan and set targets for themselves. This work is completed as part of our regular programme of academic monitoring and target setting.
Pupils are also expected to participate in a work related activity. We plan our Enterprise Days to meet this criteria and pupils also have the opportunity to use their two week work experience placement as evidence.
Career Exploration
In this unit pupils are given the opportunity to explore the different career pathways available to them. This work is achieved through units in PSHE, use of our interactive careers databases and visits to local colleges and universities through our Aimhigher programme.
Pupils are expected to interview an appropriate person about the skills and qualities sought by employers. We plan our regular Building Opportunities and Skills Seminars (BOSS Days) to meet this requirement. Pupils are also able to discuss the issues with supervisors on work experience.
Finally, for this unit, the pupils must investigate the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees in the workplace. This is covered in a unit of work in PSHE. We are also piloting an Entry Level award for Health and Safety in the Workplace with the British Safety Council.
Career Management
The first task in this unit is for pupils to produce a CV, a letter of application and a completed application form for a job vacancy. This exercise is completed as part of the PSHE programme and during the BOSS Day.
Pupils must take part in an interview and feedback on how they could improve their performance. We organise mock interviews with local employers for all of our pupils so that they are able to meet this requirement.
The final part of the award requires pupils to explore issues of personal financial management. This work is completed as part of the PSHE programme.
It is hoped that this award will enable our pupils to be better prepared for the transition from school to work or training or further education. They will be more aware of the opportunities available to them and better able to manage their own progression.
Cumberland School recognises the value of a well planned, quality work experience for all pupils. Every Key Stage 4 pupil is given the opportunity of a two week work experience placement.
The school works closely with Trident, a national organisation, providing placements for young people. Pupils are able to make their choices from a wide selection online. This enables parent/carers to be involved in their child’s selections.
Pupils are prepared for their work experience during PSHE lessons. A BOSS Day involves them working with local employers to find out about employer expectations. Pupils follow a health and safety course before going on work experience.
All pupils are expected to complete a work experience handbook during the placement. The handbook forms a record of the experience and lists the skills acquired during the placement. All pupils are visited by a member of staff during the placement to check on progress. The work experience can provide some of the evidence required for the Certificate in Career Planning.
All pupils who satisfactorily complete their work experience receive a certificate which forms part of their Progress File.
