"Learning to be Enterprising" - Views of OFSTED

Ofsted's Report

Ofsted published their evaluation of enterprise learning under the title "Learning to be Enterprising" in August 2004. A copy of their report can be downloaded from the Ofsted website. It argues that enterprise learning can be effective in motivating pupils and that enterprise education has implications for teaching and learning styles.

Ofsted concluded that, in the more successful schools:

• senior management were strongly committed to enterprise education and there was a clear structure for the support of enterprise learning across the school
• there was a clear and commonly understood definition of enterprise learning that was understood by staff, pupils and other stake holders
• desired learning outcomes from enterprise activity were identified in terms of pupils' enterprise knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes
• there were effective systems for assessing enterprise learning
• enterprise activities were planned as part of a coherent curriculum for work related learning
• there were robust systems for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of enterprise learning which focused on the skills, knowledge and understanding that pupils were gaining rather than on the delivery of activities.