Entrepreneurship at Sevenoaks School
“We are educating the leaders of the future, and it is vitally important that we
ensure they understand their responsibility to contribute positively to society.”
What do you think makes a good entrepreneur?
I think that the key differential of a good entrepreneur
is their attitude. Good entrepreneurs are not the
people with all the answers on how to do things, but
they are tenacious individuals, committed to and
passionate about finding the way to make things
work. They are resourceful and tend to use their skills
to work together with other people and find solutions
that enable them to drive their activities forwards.
They are also risk-takers who overcome their fear
of failure.
Why should schools be integrating entrepreneurship
skills into their curriculum?
It is vital that schools prepare their students for the
future work environment, which is changing at an
ever-increasing rate, owing largely to the impact
of technological changes such as automation and
robotics. Educational institutions need to focus not on
preparing our students for specific jobs, but rather on
developing the skills that will be needed for success in
this rapidly changing environment.
Entrepreneurial skills are not only useful for starting
up a business. Universities and employers are looking
for students who possess entrepreneurial skills such
as creativity, proactivity, problem solving, digital
proficiency and resourcefulness.
What kind of changes have you seen in the
students at Sevenoaks this year as a result of the
entrepreneurial activities they have been working on?
Julie Redding is the school’s
first Head of Entrepreneurship.
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I have been supporting students with their initiatives
through our virtual Entrepreneurship Lab. I have seen
students developing and leading various activities
they are passionate about such as a TEDx youth
event and our first Business Plan competition. The
experience was a huge learning curve for the students
involved. It gave them experience in project and
event management, and required them to use their
problem-solving and communication skills, as well as
being flexible, resourceful and resilient. As a result the
students gained an understanding and experience of
how to run a public-facing event, with all the logistical
challenges involved. It was an experience I believe will
be hugely beneficial for them in their future.
What plans do you have to increase the profile
of entrepreneurship at Sevenoaks over the next
few years?
We will continue the focus on developing
entrepreneurial skills, hoping to make this an area
that flows throughout the curriculum. We plan
to create more opportunities for contact with
external organisations and expose students to more
opportunities to learn about the workplace and
provide work-related training.
We will also continue to use our Service and
Fundraising activities as a vehicle for developing
entrepreneurial skills amongst our students as well as
a means to put an increased focus on the importance
of social impact and responsibility in business. We are
also trialling an online business simulation that allows
students to gain business experience, whilst taking
risks in a safe environment.
Is social entrepreneurship more important than ever?
Social entrepreneurship is extremely important. We
are educating the leaders of the future, and should
ensure that they understand their responsibility to
contribute positively to society, and the impact their
decisions and choices will make. Our young people
will control the businesses of the future and so it
is vitally important that they behave ethically and
responsibly. We want them to realise that business
and social impact should go hand in hand, and not
be seen separately, and incentivise them to look for
sustainable creative solutions to today’s global issues.
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2016-2017
Interview by Alison Roberts
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