The Award Levels
The School Enterprise Challenge is made up of 3 Award Levels:
Bronze - Silver - Gold
Bronze - Silver - Gold
All new business teams start on the Bronze Level.
Once they have achieved that they can progress to the Silver Level and then once they have achieved that onto the Gold Level.
It usually takes one academic (school) year to achieve each Award Level. All teams that meet the Achievement Criteria for their level will receive official Certificates of Achievement (for the school as well as for the students and teachers involved).
Bronze Level
All new teams start on this level. It is also suitable for very young learners (pre-primary and primary).
On this level, students get to discover the exciting world of entrepreneurship. They will be introduced to the basic concepts through the educational materials (Business Guides and Informative Videos).
The students will come up with their own innovative business idea, write a business plan and launch and run the business!
Silver Level
This level is only available to teams that have achieved the Bronze Level (previously received the Bronze Level Certificate).
On this level, students have two options:
Option 1: Continue with the business which they set up on the Bronze Level, and develop it further.
Option 2: Start a completely new business, based on the learnings from the Bronze Level, and do it better!
In both cases, we encourage you to involve more students and give every team member the opportunity to rotate roles in the business team.
The educational materials will guide the students step by step to write a more detailed Business Plan and Annual Report!
Gold Level
This level is only available to teams that have:
Achieved the Silver Level (previously received the Silver Level Certificate) and are running a profitable school business
Achieved the Gold Level (previously received the Gold Level Certificate - please note there is currently no level beyond the Gold Level)
On this level, students will grow their business from the Silver Level even further. We recommend encouraging students from multiple year groups to be part of the business team, with more experienced members mentoring young ones. You will also reach out to other schools who are also operating a school business and share your experiences with each other (provide feedback and discuss best practices).
Two key features of this level are:
Business activities are integrated into the school timetable (given a regular, dedicated time slot)
Sales are made outside of the school grounds (not just to fellow students, teachers and parents)
How can we achieve our Award Level?
In order to achieve your Award Level (and thus receive your Certificates of Achievement) your team must submit all 3 completed documents (Business Idea, Business Plan and Annual Report) and the submissions must meet the official Achievement Criteria.
We highly recommend that you check out the Achievement Criteria early on in your participation so that you are aware of exactly what is required to achieve your Certificate of Achievement at the end of the year.
Can we skip an Award Level?
No. The Award Levels are designed to build on each other so it is important to do complete them in order. As you can see from the descriptions above, there is a gradual increase in complexity as well as requirements as participants progress up through the levels.
What happens after the Gold Level?
There is currently no level beyond the Gold Level. Teams which have already achieved the Gold Level are welcome to register again on the Gold Level to continue growing their business.
Alternatively, if they would like to start a completely new business or have recruited new student members which are new to the School Enterprise Challenge, they may prefer to register on either the Bronze Level or the Silver Level.
Can we have multiple business teams taking part on different Award Levels at our school?
Yes, absolutely! Many schools around the world do this. Schools usually start with just one business team and then over time they set up new business teams to involve more students. All new business teams start on the Bronze Level.