‘Before University’ provision : enterprise education through the school curriculum

Abstract

In this chapter the authors focus on enterprise education students experience before university. We consider the current state of play in English secondary schools, where a national programme situates enterprise as an extra-curricular, competitive activity. We question this narrow and counter-productive approach and provide evidence from a 2017 research project in which we worked with secondary educators and school leaders to explore policy and identify practices which teachers could enact through the curriculum. Our experience highlights that it is fruitful to create a space for debate about enterprise provision before university, and work with schools to develop enterprise in nuanced ways which can enhance subject learning and better reflect how enterprise works in practice.