network for high school teachers

Northumberland Enterprise Learning Network (NELN)

We are a network of high schools across Northumberland, and  we share good practice through activities such as networking with schools and businesses, effective use of funding, brokers regarding the use of outside agencies , CPD training for staff and working in each other's schools.

We have developed a bank of Key Stage 4 enterprise resources including staff training and lesson plans.  See the network's website at www.neln.org.uk

NELN members use the meetings to share good practice and learn about approaches and resources that others have found to work well.  

Selected comments are shown below:

• "It gives me tried and tested ideas to use in my school"
• "Enterprise is being incorporated more and more into different lessons"
• "You can avoid the pitfalls as you learn from what others have done"
• "The students are only getting the good stuff"
• "Students need to learn how-to enterprise so that they are able to apply it inside or outside school"

The Northumberland Enterprise Learning Network (NELN) arose from the experiences of schools involved in a DfES Enterprise Education Pathfinder and Tynedale Virtual College.

NELN is closely linked with the Northumberland Enterprise Learning Partnership and through them to the SSAT (Specialist Schools and Academies Trust) which promotes best practice in the field of enterprise education in schools http://www.enterprisevillage.org.uk/

NELN has recently ‘gone international’ by linking up with Borders Education Authority in Scotland, and holding joint CPD days sharing and exchanging best practice. The first of these took place at The Alnwick Garden in early December 2009, and the second CPD day 'Enterprising Leadership – Skills for Students, Skills for You', took place at Kelso Racecourse in March 2010.