Teachers

Why Primary School?

Primary School provides a great opportunity for change creation. The combination of having one teacher with a constant and familiar relationship with pupils, close parental and community contact with the schools, combined with the open minds of 11 and 12 year olds make it the ideal time to introduce new concepts. The competitive elements of education which are so evident at second level have not yet kicked in and pupils view each other as equals.

Radical Societal Change

There is a superb opportunity for nationwide adoption of an initiative that will change lives forever.  There are 4,200 primary schools on the island of Ireland with over 170,000 pupils in senior classes. There has never been a nationwide entrepreneurship programme with a real connection to entrepreneurs. But this is something we can impact today.

What does JEP cost? Who pays?

The Junior Entrepreneur Programme is available free of charge to every primary school in every county on the island of Ireland. JEP is a not-for-profit initiative, it is underwritten by Tweak.com and is further supported by local delivery partners in several counties  Our key objective is to ensure that every primary school pupil in Ireland has the opportunity to access to entrepreneurial learning.

An Academically Approved Approach

JEP has been developed in collaboration with Mary Immaculate College of Education in Limerick. The programme materials have also been reviewed and welcomed by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). Every step of the programme mirrors strands of the primary curriculum and the links are clearly set out in the Teacher’s Guide. This means the pupils are learning new life skills while covering their core subjects in a fun and engaging way.

Mary Immaculate College has also developed a summer course, closely linked to JEP, called ‘Learning’s the Business: Entrepreneurship in Senior Primary Classes.’ This 20-hour summer course, entitles primary teachers who successfully complete it to 3 EPV days.

How To Get Involved

Register online now to participate in this year’s programme. The new, improved registration process is much more user-friendly! Click the CREATE ACCOUNT button to record your details and register your class. You will need the names of class pupils and their dates of birth to complete this step. When you have successfully registered your class, you will get access to all the programme resources and you will receive a copy of the JEP Classroom Kit. We strongly recommend that you complete the Online Teacher Orientation if this is your time delivering JEP.

The Support You’ll have 

Schools that sign up for the Junior Entrepreneur Programme will have the opportunity to take part in something truly innovative and exciting and will be supported throughout. In addition to a comprehensive classroom kit, teachers will be supported every step of the way by; online teacher orientation; weekly webinars; online and telephone support from the JEP project manager. Once signed up, participating teachers will have access to online orientation before they start the programme. This will include a walk-through the administrative requirements as well as a step-by-step guide to running the programme.

JEP Classroom Kit

The JEP Classroom Kit is provided to every class participating in the programme. This kit includes a step-by-step Teacher’s Guide to the programme and contains all the tools that participating teachers will need to successfully facilitate the JEP in their classroom. The guide combines instructions for fun team building and brainstorming games along with activity sheets and posters for each lesson. The JEP Classroom Kit has been designed to foster the imagination of participating pupils and provide real focus to their new endeavour.

The JEP Classroom kit is available in a number localised editions;

• Republic of Ireland – English Language
• Republic of Ireland – Irish Language
• Northern Ireland
• United Kingdom

Kits are provided to participating classes following sign-up.

JEP Teacher Orientation

Once registered online, participating teachers can access the password protected teachers area. We continuously update our orientation on the basis of feedback from participating teachers and also curriculum updates. The links between JEP and the primary school curriculum are clearly highlighted and sample JEP projects are available. The orientation programme is designed with interactive learning assessment which will give the participating teacher the confidence to successfully carry out the programme in their class.

What are the learning benefits?

The principles of the Primary School Curriculum and utilises an integrated teaching and project-based approach to teach many strands of the curriculum. JEP is a very meaningful way of teaching aspects of literacy including oral language development, reading and comprehension as well as writing purposefully.

This innovative programme helps participating pupils to develop a number of skills including presentation, literacy, writing, drawing, technology, financial skills, consumer awareness, storytelling, listening skills, creative thinking, problem-solving, collaborative skills and team work. Participating pupils engage in real-life applications of their mathematical skills as they undertake data collection, problem solving, and presentation of data and profit and loss. The JEP programme is most closely aligned with English, Mathematics and Social, Personal & Health Education (SPHE/PSHE) Curriculum in Ireland and the Personal Development & Mutual Understanding (PD&MU) in Northern Ireland, encouraging children to make decisions, negotiate, resolve conflict and connect with the wider world. Depending on the focus of the project, there may also be a strong focus on Arts Education, History, Geography or Science. There is also potential to link with Physical Education through the team building games. JEP instills a new interest and focus on learning and teaches invaluable skills in a real-life context that motivates and inspires the pupils.

Teacher and Pupil Recognition

Teachers who complete the JEP online orientation and deliver JEP in the classroom are awarded a certificate in recognition of their achievement. Pupils who complete the programme receive a certificate of achievement. Participating schools receive the JEP school flag and JEP wall plaque to mark their participation in the programme.

Registration and Sign Up

To sign up for JEP, you need to record your details register your class, click here

Step 5

Teams

Pupils learn about their talents and skills and those of their classmates.

Step 6

Create

Pupils turn their idea into a reality by designing, producing, costing, creating, marketing and selling their product/service at a fun showcase day.

Step 7

Showcase

Pupils evaluate the project and reflect on their achievements.

Reminds me why I’m teaching

Graham Ball, a 5th Class teacher at Killeshin NS in Carlow has delivered JEP several times and believes it will be a part of the childrens’ lives forever.

Sense of excitement

Leanora Doyle, a 6th Class Scoil Chaoimhin Naofa, Glendalough, Laragh, Co. Wicklow talks about the sense of excitement and team spirit created during the programme.

A role for every child

Emer Dermody, a 6^th Class Teacher at Scoil Shinchill, Co. Offaly says that children involved in the JEP project are better prepared for transition year.

Appreciate local entrepreneurs

Pat Clifford, a 4^th,5^th & 6^th Class Teacher at St. Joseph’s National School, Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry believes that JEP has allowed pupils to meet and understand the impat of local entrepreneurs in the community.

Maths easier in real life

Triona O’Lone, a  6th Class Teacher at Scoil Bhride in Clara, Co. Offaly found that working on the project made some subjects more real for pupils.

Reinforces curriculum work

Deirdre Conneely, a 4^th 5^th & 6^th Class Teacher at Lurga National School in Galway explains how JEP has reinforced subject learning in the classroom.

Preparing pupils for life

Mary Aspell, a 5^th & 6^th Class Teacher, at Scoil Naomh Uile, Moorneen, Cleggan, Co. Galway talks about preparing pupils for life.

Energy for Learning

Dr Jacquie Campbell. Principal at St. Andrew’s College Junior School reflects  the Junior Entrepreneur Programme.