Enterprise

Of the 4.7 million UK enterprises, only 15% are led by women. Women in the USA are twice as likely to be entrepreneurially active as women in the UK . There are roughly 680,000 majority women-owned businesses in the UK generating around £45 billion to Gross Value Added. When women represent 30% of the Board of Directors the profitability of a company increases threefold. At the current rate of progress it will be a further 60 years before women in the UK achieve parity on company boards (Commission for Equality and Human Rights, 2009)

Promoting enterprise and entrepreneurial thinking challenges girls to be creative, independent and resourceful. In a recent article, the HR function of Glaxo Smith Kline highlighted the following key skills in their graduate recruitment; performance with integrity, entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, a sense of urgency to get things done and a passion for achievement.

At Surbiton High School, a motivating enrichment programme seeks to develop a spirit of entrepreneurial flair through a variety of business and social enterprise activities. Each academic year, Surbiton Year 11 girls work alongside boys from Hampton School on the Entrepreneurs in Action project which seeks to promote 'Twentieth Century Skills for Twentieth Century Business' with highly trained coaches and prolific speakers leading a two day conference, culminating in a Trade Fair. 'Classroom to Boardroom' brings boys and girls in Year 12 from the two schools together to solve real business challenges and involves a visit to the 2012 Olympic venue. In July 2011, there will be a similar combined project for girls in Year 10. The school is very successful in supporting Young Enterprise in the Sixth Form, recently accredited as a national Centre of Excellence. During Activity Week, the whole of Year 9 participates in a Dragon's Den day in which syndicate companies pitch their ideas to enhance the experience of tourists visiting the Paralympic and Olympic Games. The annual Enterprise Week in November brings together a variety of events and presentations to promote creativity, collaboration and risk-taking.

This academic year the School has worked closely with a global social enterprise organisation called Free the Children and girls across year groups are working on different activities to develop ideas and raise monies to support educational projects in Kenya and Sierra Lionne. Recently, a Surbiton student received global recognition for her innovation and leadership in the context of social enterprise.

http://www.freethechildren.com/

http://www.young-enterprise.org.uk/