Interesting Practice

Key Facts

The Scottish Inventors Challenge (P4-P7) Led by YES trainers and business volunteers. The young people were organised into teams to create a new product based on either the telephone or the television, and had to come up with a product name, logo and slogan as well as an advert to sell it to the public.

How it developed

Arkleston Primary participate in a range of inter-disciplinary enterprise activities and work across year groups to involve all of the pupils.

When YES made an approach to involve us in the piloting of their new primary enterprise learning activities, we were interested to see how we could use them to compliment what we already do.

What pupils gained

• Participating in collaborative enterprise activities leading to enhanced communication and teamwork skills
• Developing entrepreneurial skills that contribute to the success of the activity.
• Developing the skills and attributes that will be needed for learning, life and work.
• Gaining understanding of the relevance of their current cross-curricular learning to future opportunities.
• Given the opportunity to use enterprise activities to make informed choices about their lives and learning.
• Practical experience of enterprise and business.
• Interaction with business volunteers.

Outcomes

Pupils who participated in the Inventor's Challenge demonstrated the following Attributes across the 2 capacities of CfE:

• Enthusiasm and motivation for learning
• Determination to reach high standards of achievement
• Openness to new thinking and idea
• Ambition
• An enterprising attitude
• Self-reliance

Pupils who participated in the Inventor's Challenge demonstrated the following Capabilities across the 2 capacities of CfE:

• Literacy, numeracy and communication skills
• Think creatively and independently
• Learn independently and a part of a group
• Make reasoned evaluations
• Link and apply different types of learning in new situations
• Relate to others and manage themselves
• Develop and communicate their own beliefs and view of the world
• Achieve success in different areas of activity
• Make informed choices and decisions
• Communicate in different ways in different settings
• Work in partnership and in teams
• Take the initiative and lead
• Create and develop
• Solve problems

Sustainability

Aspects of the activity can be sustained using the YES resources as a basis, Arklestone are keen to continue a relationship that involves YES staff and the business volunteers that complement the delivery. There is an understanding that in order for the relationship to flourish and for resources to be further developed, funding support is required.

Cost

YES provided the pilot activity for free, this included resources and staffing.

Partners

None, other than YES business volunteers and Renfrewshire council.

Support

YES delivered the Inventors challenge sessions using our own staff and business volunteers.

A session was also held with the teachers as part of their professional development and as an introduction to what YES was aiming to do.

Contact details

Arkleston Primary School
Cockels Loan
Renfrew
PA4 0EL

Telephone: 0141 886 5473

Other useful information

• Arkleston Website
• Arkleston in the news

Detailed Feedback from the school

Staff have fed back that the Inventor's Challenge was fantastic and the best part of the Enterprise Programme. They felt that the support from business and working through the thinking process from beginning to end was of great benefit to the children, allowing them to evaluate the skills they have in specific areas and therefore where their strengths lie.

The P1-3 materials were fine, but for us were not as useful because staff already have these approaches embedded. For a school beginning their enterprise journey the materials would be very useful.

On another note, our P7 children won a Social Enterprise Award in Edinburgh a few weeks ago for their intergenerational links project. We will be continuing to look at how we focus on taking forward the 'Developing Scotland's Young Workforce' agenda. I have been working at authority level this session to look at this.

As you know, for us as a school it is about continuing to develop an awareness of character strengths and how these can then be used.

Carolyn Johnston, Head Teacher, Arkleston Primary School