Question 1

Is the School Enterprise Challenge 2026 open?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The programme is currently open for registrations.

For teachers and school head teachers: Click here to create an account.
For students and parents: Please speak to your school's administration and encourage them to register for the programme.

Question 2

Is it free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Taking part in the School Enterprise Challenge is completely free. You can register, access the ElevatED platform, download all the resources and enter the competitions without paying a fee.

Question 3

Who can join?

Accepted Answer

The programme is open to all schools (pre‑primary, primary, secondary and technical/vocational colleges) from any country. Universities are not eligible. A teacher or headteacher registers the school and can create one or more student business teams.

Question 4

What age groups can take part?

Accepted Answer

The programme works for learners from pre‑primary up to the end of secondary. You can involve one class, several classes or a mix of ages; older students can mentor younger ones, and a school business can be “handed down” to new students each year.

Question 5

How much time does it take?

Accepted Answer

Most teams spend around 1-2 hours per week on the programme. The ideal is to run it over 4-6 months, so students have enough time to move from idea, to plan, to launching and improving their business and get the most benefit. You can fit those 1-2 hours into lesson time, an after‑school club, project days or even school holidays - whatever works best for your timetable.

Question 6

What support is included?

Accepted Answer

Once you register on ElevatED, you get step‑by‑step online guidance, downloadable lesson plans and activities, examples of real school businesses, and ideas on how to link the programme to different subjects. You also join a global online community of teachers.

On top of this, our team offers live support throughout the journey:

Weekly question and answer sessions
Supportive responses to your emails and WhatsApp messages
Follow‑up and reminders at each stage, from registration to Business Idea to Annual Report

All participating students, teachers and principals can receive certificates, and teams have the chance to win cash prizes to support their school business and community.

Question 7

What do students actually do?

Accepted Answer

Students follow 7 milestones but 3 simple stages: Idea → Plan → Launch.

They:

Work in teams to come up with a real business idea for their school
Develop a Business Plan (looking at their customers, competitors, finances, marketing)
Launch and run the business, selling a real product or service and making real money for their school or a cause they choose

Question 8

What is the timeline to participate?

Accepted Answer

We offer two clear timelines so you can choose the one that best fits your school calendar.

Timeline 1 - May/June start

Registration: May-June 2026
Submit Business Idea: 23 July 2026
Submit Business Plan: 27 August 2026
Submit Annual Report: 30 November 2026
Certificates issued: March 2027
Prizes and awards: April 2027

This option works well for schools whose academic year starts earlier in the calendar year.

Timeline 2 - August/September start

Registration: August-September 2026
Submit Business Idea: 6 October 2026
Submit Business Plan: 17 November 2026
Submit Annual Report: 16 February 2027
Certificates issued: March 2027
Prizes and awards: April 2027

This option works well for schools that start a new school year around August or September.
In both timelines, teams follow the same three stages (Business Idea, Business Plan, Annual Report), can earn certificates for students and teachers, and can enter global competitions for cash prizes.

Question 9

Can our school have more than one school business team?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Your school can form multiple school business teams, allowing for greater student involvement and promoting entrepreneurship among a wider group of students. Each team can explore different business ideas or aspects of entrepreneurship, offering students diverse opportunities to enhance their skills and unleash their creativity.

Teachers should create a new team (not new account) each year, even if they had previously run the same business on a previous year.

Question 10

I'm a teenage student, and my school doesn't want to take part. Do you have any alternatives?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We encourage you to check out our sister programme, the Enterprise Adventure, which is for teenagers aged 13 to 19 to learn about how to create their own business individually.

Question 11

Do you offer financial assistance?

Accepted Answer

Aside from our prizes, we do not offer financial assistance or visas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the School Enterprise Challenge 2026 open?

Is it free?

Who can join?

What age groups can take part?

How much time does it take?

What support is included?

What do students actually do?

What is the timeline to participate?

Can our school have more than one school business team?

I'm a teenage student, and my school doesn't want to take part. Do you have any alternatives?

Do you offer financial assistance?

Interested?
Check out our
Information Pack

Ready to start?
Check out our
Getting Started Guide

Teach A Man To Fish

THE SCHOOL ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE IS PROUD TO WORK WITH...

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the School Enterprise Challenge 2026 open?

Is it free?

Who can join?

What age groups can take part?

How much time does it take?

What support is included?

What do students actually do?

What is the timeline to participate?

Can our school have more than one school business team?

I'm a teenage student, and my school doesn't want to take part. Do you have any alternatives?

Do you offer financial assistance?

Interested? Check out our Information Pack

Ready to start? Check out our Getting Started Guide

Teach A Man To Fish

THE SCHOOL ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE IS PROUD TO WORK WITH...

Interested?
Check out our
Information Pack

Ready to start?
Check out our
Getting Started Guide