The challenge
The Enterprising Science programme was developed in two parts by EdComs. It was a response to BP’s desire to provide a major educational initiative that captures its core business and philosophy, and uses these to enhance the experiences and capabilities of young people.
To achieve BP’s aims, the programme needed to:
- inspire teachers and students
- reflect BP’s intention to provide educational material on the themes of energy and environment, leadership, and business skills
- meet identifiable curriculum needs in schools
- make use of BP’s core areas of expertise
- build BP’s licence to operate, both by building the skills of the future workforce and informing energy consumers.
Our approach
EdComs created a substantial cross-curricular programme comprising:
- the Trading Challenge in-school roadshow
- the Talk Science teacher-development day from the Science Museum’s learning team.
Trading Challenge is a high-impact, real-life maths workshop for 14–19s. It features:
- learning in a simulated oil-trading environment
- analysing and reacting to market news, and
- managing budgets in a fast-paced format.
The goal is for students to apply their maths and enterprise skills to make a virtual profit, as well as to work effectively as a team.
The programme was developed in close consultation with practising maths teachers. During the fast-paced sessions, students trade oil, analyse and react to market news, and manage budgets.
Key features:
- a session for up to 90 students requiring a cabaret-style table set-up
- mathematic and enterprise skills in action through a simulation of real-life trading
- functional skills, and personal learning and thinking skills, in a work-related context
- cross-curricular links between the role of mathematics and enterprise skills in the business world
- The opportunity for maths teachers to observe a successful resource in action, for future use in the classroom.
Outcomes
In its first two years, Enterprising Science successfully met its challenging roadshow targets in each year for the number of schools (more than 400) and students (more than 60,000) participating.
BP’s commitment to the programme was initially for three years, from autumn 2007. Owing to the programme’s success, reception and reach across the UK, this commitment has now been extended to 2012.
