BUSINESS EDUCATION


Susan Turner on how the Britvic Learning Zone programme


is helping schools give their students a better understanding of business


S


CHOOL-LEAVERS’ READINESS for the workplace remains a hot topic for British businesses, some of which say they can sometimes struggle to find candidates with the right aptitude and ability. In the current economic climate, it


is true that instilling a culture of enterprise must be a priority in our classrooms as well as our boardrooms. It is also true that UK school children suffer from no lack of appetite when it comes to learning about innovation and business. Research from The Aldridge Foundation involving


1,000 primary and secondary school teachers in July last year shows that the vast majority recognise the value of educating children about enterprise and the world of work. Indeed, more than 90 per cent of the teachers believe this should even become a formal part of the national curriculum. However, if we are to equip pupils with the specific


pieces of practical knowledge so desired by their future bosses, we – the business community – need to do our bit and support teachers. For while 80 per cent of teachers in the research above think that pupils taught entrepreneurial skills are better prepared for life, only 30 per cent say they would know how to teach them. As a result of this, seven in 10 feel they would benefit from formal teacher training courses on how business and enterprise works. There is, however, a much simpler and perhaps


more effective alternative to packing teachers off on special training courses. That is to make the transition between school and work smoother by creating closer, two-way relationships between schools and businesses.


In the zone


Talking business: Students brainstorm ideas during one of Britvic’s Enterprise Days at Bexley Grammar School in Kent


At Britvic we have been aiming to do exactly this. As a company with a strong British heritage that has been going for more than 160 years, we have long recognised the shared value of investing in the communities in which we operate. Earlier this term, we expanded our Learning Zone


programme to include new centres in Norwich and Leeds, alongside our original centre in Beckton, east London. The Learning Zone idea is based on a programme created by the British Soft Drinks Association but also chimed with requests by teachers


Moral support: Teacher Support Network Sacked in a term?


The government has confirmed new procedures


for dealing with underperforming teachers. Julian Stanley considers the impact this could have


IT SEEMS we have a problem. Schools across the country are awash with bad teachers, who heads and governors are unable to get rid of. The situation is so terrible that the government has been forced to step in with new plans to fire teachers within a term, rather than take a year as current legislation allows. Or so the latest headlines would have us believe. The new plans unveiled by the government


include: • Simpler, less prescriptive appraisal regulations. • Removing the three-hour limit on observing a teacher in the classroom


• A requirement to assess teachers every year against the new Teachers’ Standards


• Allowing poorly performing teachers to be removed in about a term


• An optional new model policy for performance and capability.


• Scrapping more than 50 pages of guidance. Of course, it is not all bad. Depending on the


readers’ perspective, the new Teachers’ Standards could include criteria relating to the health and wellbeing of teachers, which might incentivise improvements to staff wellbeing and effectiveness. From our point of view, more could be done,


such as explicit guidance about the ways in which teachers can care for their own health and wellbeing and how employers can facilitate this. However, our main concern relates to the decision


to allow poorly performing teachers to be removed in a term. In particular, we are worried about the


impact of labelling teachers as underperforming too quickly. Through our work, we have found that many


teachers who have been labelled as “bad” are simply lacking skills, experience and opportunities for CPD. With advice from one of our trained coaches, these teachers have often been able to identify how they can take a pro-active role in improving their skills and gaining the confidence to seek support. Many can go on to have very successful, rewarding careers in education. We are also concerned that the cause of


underperformance may not be as clearly definable as some might think. We know from the nearly 2,500 calls and emails that we received last year on this issue that some teachers are concerned about a lack of support and mentoring. We also know from the 20,000 calls and emails


we received in 2011 from people who felt they were being victimised by a colleague, manager, pupil, parent or governor, that some teachers are struggling to thrive in the climate of fear or bullying that can occur when a manager or head takes charge who has not been sufficiently trained. Of course underperformance should and must


be addressed. Children deserve the best teachers available, but this is a uniquely challenging profession, and there will be teachers that find these demands too hard to deal with at some point in their career and who will need help to address performance issues or indeed support to change their careers with dignity, rather than being labelled. Dismissing anyone in eight to 12 weeks might


be challenging in any organisation, but in teaching it may lead to unfairness. Is a term really long enough to tell if the underperformance is a blip in a teacher’s overall performance or a deep-seated problem? Moreover, with reports that two in five (38 per


cent) teachers are leaving the profession within five years of training, and an education system faced with cuts, pension disputes and structural changes, perhaps the real cause for concern is how we will attract, recruit and retain the next generation of teachers to the profession.


• Julian Stanley is chief executive of the Teacher Support Network. Visit www.teachersupport.info or call 08000 562 561 (England), 08000 855088 (Wales).


in neighbouring schools who were keen to get a better understanding of how a business on their doorstep works and gather potential classroom material for lessons on enterprise and innovation. The Learning Zone programme focuses on giving


teachers an insider’s insight into how a multi-national corporation operates – from how new drink concepts are created to making, testing, packaging and marketing them. The day involves talks from top people within the business and a tour of the factory floor charting the


journey of some of our best known drinks. We have also created a virtual classroom, with learning resources that can teachers can use afterwards. The experience is brought to life for pupils during


special Enterprise Days organised by schools. Young people taking part in our Enterprise Challenge are tasked with thinking like a real entrepreneur for a day. Through a brief to create a brand new drink, pupils are given the opportunity to think about ingredients, suppliers, production budgets, consumer audiences, and creative ways of inspiring them to buy their product. As well as giving a taste of what business can be


like, the day also opens young people’s eyes to a range of potential career opportunities that they may not have considered. It also provides a chance for them to apply skills from other subjects, like maths, science, art and literacy, to a real life business challenge. But our relationship with schools has also benefited


Britvic as a business and employer. Not only do our partnerships give us the chance to get to know our communities better, they also give our senior management team the opportunity to apply and develop skills acquired in the corporate world to business challenges being addressed in the education sector. For example, as part of their training and


development, a group of Britvic’s future leaders – joined by Britvic CEO Paul Moody – spend a day at a local school. Once there, they were tasked with applying their business acumen to a real business problem. In a recent case, for example, this has meant helping to create a business strategy that addressed a school’s sense of feeling isolated and at arm’s length from the community. Although only a single example, the project has


proved a strong model and one we are planning to build on in the future. For while the school gained top level strategic expertise, our company gains a rounded and motivated workforce proud to work for a company that cares about its people and communities. The business community has both a role and


responsibility to play in creating a new wave of UK enterprise and innovation. But doing so not only plays to companies’ strengths, but can also tangibly enhance them.


SecEd • Susan Turner is head of corporate affairs at Britvic.


Further information For more on the Learning Zone programme, visit www.britviclearningzone.com and for details on the education resources, visit http://www.britvic.com/en/ sitecore/content/BritvicUK/Educational-resources.aspx


FOR BETTER CHILD HEALTH SCHOOL NURSES MORE


A properly resourced school nursing service is required to help schools meet the government’s health and wellbeing objectives.


Research published in the British Journal of School Nursing (BJSN) shows that more school nurses are needed to meet these objectives and ensure school children receive the health care and support they deserve. Therefore


the BJSN has launched a campaign to increase the number of school nurses.


For more information on the campaign visit


http://moreschoolnurses.co.uk Support the campaign or send us your views at:


bjsn@markallengroup.com 14


SCHOOL NURSES FOR BETTER CHILD HEALTH


MORE


SecEd • January 26 2012


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