Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's most recent policy is on the teaching of enterprise education in schools.

Financial capability is a key component of successful entrepreneurship and in 2014 financial literacy was made statutory within the citizenship national curriculum. Pupils are now taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk. We have also strengthened the national curriculum for mathematics to give pupils the necessary mathematics knowledge and skills they need to make important financial decisions.

The computing curriculum should prepare pupils to apply existing digital technologies confidently and effectively. It will also provide them with the fundamental knowledge and skills for the next stage of their education and life.

Schools are free to cover enterprise and entrepreneurship education within their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. PSHE is compulsory in independent schools, and although it is not a mandatory subject in maintained schools or academies, schools are encouraged to teach it as part of their duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers have the freedom to design lessons in PSHE that meet their pupils’ needs and are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations, such as subject associations.

The careers statutory guidance, originally published in 2015 and updated in 2018, requires schools in England to provide opportunities for pupils to develop entrepreneurial skills for self-employment. This should help pupils gain the confidence to compete in the labour market by providing opportunities to gain the practical know-how and attributes that are relevant for employment.

The department funds the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to provide support to secondary schools and colleges and make links to employers, to increase young people’s exposure to the world of work. There are more than 4,000 schools and colleges in the CEC’s Enterprise Adviser Network, working with business volunteers to strengthen employer links. The result is 3.3 million young people now having regular encounters with employers, many of whom are entrepreneurs.

While it is for schools to decide how best to provide entrepreneurship education, we know that contact with entrepreneurs and businesses is essential. Modern careers guidance is as much about inspiration and aspiration as about advice.