The African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” expresses the universal truth that the responsibility for child-rearing rests with the broader community and not just the parents. Yet within many schools, this adage is neglected. Parents are perceived as being prone to unhelpful interventions, previous generations of students are abandoned, and local businesses are ignored.

On Friday 21st October, educators of all kinds are encouraged to head to Ipswich for the Suffolk Festival of Learning, an event aiming to connect business with education, and to provide all education professionals with influential and inspirational speakers, workshops and CPD. The first event of its kind in the region, this gathering boasts 1000 delegates from all sectors of education on board for a day of keynote presentations and workshops.

Teaching entrepreneurship as an academic subject has been a hot topic for years. Well-known business leaders such as Richard Branson have called for schools to “come up to date” and devote more time to entrepreneurship, and the Government has backed various initiatives and entrepreneurial competitions in schools.

An exciting and engaging experiential learning resource is being used by teachers to get pupils ‘work ready’. Schools are promoting the employability of their pupils by using Northgate business simulations, where pupils learn about understanding profit and loss, making business decisions, and working as a team all within a risk-free environment.

People everywhere are fast recognising that the ‘Values Revolution’ has truly arrived, and is re-shaping many aspects of our lives as well as our families, schools, businesses and other public and private organisations around us. Savvy teachers will want to ensure they are preparing their young citizens well, and providing quality guidance that creates the foundations for their success now and in the future.

Schools should be immensely positive, inspiring places. Debra Jamieson, sales & marketing director at UK POS, gives her top tips on how to make the most of making a good impression.

Everyone knows that first impressions count. Businesses and retailers invest significant money in making sure that the first customer touchpoint is memorable for all the right reasons. With education providers both competing for students and trying to impress Ofsted, they also need to present a professional and enticing image right from the outset. There are a number of simple lessons that education establishments can learn from the private sector in order to give parents, visitors, existing and potential students the best possible experience.

College, university, apprenticeships, full-time work… with many school-leavers unsure about what to do after their secondary school education, it’s important for teachers to consider each option carefully so that they might offer advice when needed. As we’ve seen in recent months, a lot of business professionals are encouraging entrepreneurialism in young people. Established entrepreneur and financial education specialist Daniel Britton gives his five main reasons why this way of thinking should be encouraged.

Teachers are in a great position to spot and nurture entrepreneurial talent. The life stories of successful entrepreneurs often reveal that they struggled with traditional education, but occasionally there was someone who believed in them, before they believed in themselves. Despite the uncertain economic climate, reluctant bank lending and unpredictable business outlook – now is exactly the right time for budding young entrepreneurs to start a business.