Business &Enterprise
Beacon Hill School and Business and Enterprise College is a school for pupils aged between 2 and 19 years who are experiencing severe learning disabilities,profound and multiple learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder.
We are in our 6th year of specialism. This is a brief description of our current Enterprise activity.
Key Stage 3
All pupils have a double period per week dedicated to enterprise. There is a 3 year rolling programme/curriculum map linked to the enterprise skills.
Topics include:mini enterprise,preparing an event within budget;road safety/independent travel skills;coping with change;problem solving activities.
This term students are preparing a film to support the understanding of writing their contribution to annual education review. This helps them to develop choice making skills,speaking up for themselves,self assessment skills and communication.
Key Stage 4
A whole day a week is timetabled for Enterprise activities. The focus moves more towards the world of work with all students,including those with a profound learning disability,experiencing a work placement.
We are currently extending our school cafe service and have our own school garden which works closely with a local organic farm.
Other initiatives this term include a soap making business,where we are working with a business ambassador through the EBP. We are developing a Beacon Hill brand with students and are developing our sales outlets.
In addition to work based business activities we continue to develop independent travel skills.
Key Stage 5
Again enterprise is given dedicated time within the curriculum. A variety of mini-enterprise activities of a make and sell nature are experienced. Students also focus on enterprise skills through the preparation of an electronic record of achievement which records achievement and is taken to subsequent placements.
Work experience continues for all students and person centred reviews identify skills identify skills required and choices made in a personalised way.
One of the favourite activities in the 16-19 provision is the Beacon Hill Film Club. For a number of years a variety of students have worked with Arpeggio Films on fantasy and docudrama productions. 2 of these productions have been nominated for national film awards. Close working with our business partner,Arpeggio Films,has led to the formation this year of our Beacon Hill Film Project with students taking on both board membership skilled film maker (including editing and sound production) and actor roles.
We continue to be involved in new film projects with organisations like Skills for People and Creative Partnerships.
Primary
Enterprise is currently delivered through whole theme training days such as our very popular annual Jobs Day when we work with a wide variety of business partners.
Cross Curricular Enterprise
All subjects across the curriculum are mapped across key stages in school. We are in the process of focusing specific skills (such as Personal Learning and Thinking Skills and Enterprise Skills) to specific topics within the curriculum map as part of our curricular review process.