A group of Aycliffe school children have taken part in an innovative programme that challenges youngsters to run their own city. Enterprise City sees children take control of their own city, make rules and discover the consequences of individual and group decisions.
Aycliffe – based Enterprise England, the company that brought Enterprise City to the UK, have now made it possible for the schools in Co Durham to be the first to access this fantastic cross – curricular programme.
Pupils from St Mary’s school in Aycliffe, some pictured receiving a plaque, got a glimpse of the custom made city which after successful pilot events, now has a permanent home at the premises of Newton Aycliffe manufacturing company Ebac.
The city, which includes shops, a bank and a restaurant, is run by a Mayor while the bank issues loans and the city trades as children try to make a profit at the end of the day.
The Aycliffe school had already taken part in one of the pilot events and had no hesitation in incorporating the programme into their school year.
Gail Mason, the Year 6 teacher at St Mary’s, said: “We spent two weeks looking at what a city is and how it works and we looked at how business’s run.
There’s a lot of writing involved, a lot of maths and DT; it’s related to work life experiences and is very relevant. This has ultimately given the children an understanding of why education is important and how it’s used in later life. Hopefully it will improve their long term performance in school.”
St Mary’s took part in the programme thanks to the sponsorship from social housing provider Livin and national firm Bullock Construction , which has a regional office on Aycliffe Business Park .
Bullock regional director Duncan Williams said: “We feel extremely privileged, along side our client partner Livin, to be able to support a project that will allow, children from a very young age to sample real life future career paths .
“We cannot underestimate the long –term legacy that will be created through this project and I’m sure Newton Aycliffe and the surrounding communities will be full of budding professionals in 10 – 15 years time as a result of this scheme.”
Wayne Harris, executive director for Livin, added: “We are delighted to support the Enterprise City programme which plays a key role in helping young people understand the world of work and how they might play a role in society and making a local town operate.
“Working in partnership and supporting people to deliver these innovative programmes is key to helping us improve the lives of people living in our communities.”
Enterprise City is designed to meet the requirements of the British education system and incorporates Citizenship, Numeracy, Literacy and Art and Design into the curriculum in an adaptable and kinaesthetic way. It is now being rolled out to schools across Newton Aycliffe and the North East. Feedback from participating schools has so far been extremely positive.
For any schools or businesses who’d like to get involved with Enterprise City, call Dale Anderson on 07411 009487 or email dale@enterpriseengland.co.uk
