So on Facebook and Twitter I have been seeing posts with requests for ideas for enterprise day, so I thought I would share a few of mine, in the hope that I might inspire someone.
1) Ideas for ks3 and ks4
I have run this, over the years, with year 7s, 8,s 9s and 10s and it just needs a few tweaks to go from being suitable for ks3 to ks4. For ks5 I do something different which is below.
Before the day
Students will be put into random groups to mix them up a bit, they will meet as a team ahead of time - I usually find some tutorial or PSHE time to talk to them.
They are to elect a leader of their team, this person is given a lanyard to keep. I bought some in bulk from eBay and Amazon. Status and management is the key to the whole day running smoothly. These lanyard wearers (now easily identifiable) will be how you get information to the groups on the day.
The groups are then given a theme and some basic instructions (I will put this all on the free stuff page). They will need to collect junk for the next few weeks read for the last week of term.
On the day
Assemble all students in a large space. Give each team a desk and a box of instructions. In the middle of the room put lots of junk and craft bits so they can create. Lanyard wearers should have made sure their team has brought plenty of junk too.
In each box is a packet of wrapped sweets (like Haribo) and they have a day to come up with packaging for the sweets, a presentation and decoration for their table.
Staff
Normally I have 3 volunteers in the main hall with me and one in a computer room supervising students who want to print something off or research something for their presentation. I rotate staff around so they don't get bored.
Breaks
Make sure there are plenty of breaks and a decent time for lunch - after lunch the teams should be ready to show their tables and present.
Judging
In the past I have asked the mayor and they are surprisingly willing to judge days like this. Photo op for the mayor and a buzz for the kids. Have a decent prize, and every team gets something; best teamwork, best attitude, best table and so on....
Tidy up
Leave at least an hour to tidy up, then tell them they can eat the sweets and take the packaging home. Lanyard wearers are responsible for ensuring their area is squared away before end of day bell.
Variations
Themes: jungle, under the sea, north pole, Hollywood etc
International: Mexico, Holland, Spain, France etc
2) Ideas for KS5
I have found that if you phone companies up and ask them to come in and spend a day with your sixth formers mostly they say "no thanks". However, if you continue eventually one amazing company will say "yes". My brief to them is to come along, present to the groups about their company then set them a question. The sixth formers are then sent in teams to investigate the question and come up with a presentation.
For example I had PJS sports cars ask "Why do women not buy Lotus cars?" They came along with some Lotus cars that they allowed the students to sit in and take selfies and gave away some awesome prizes at the end. Can I just say thank you PJS Sports cars for a wonderful day!
