Shaping Future-Ready Education at the Schools and Academies Show 2025

Two days and hundreds of conversations later, the Schools & Academies Show at the NEC, Birmingham left us energised and inspired. The event brought together MAT senior leaders, headteachers, education ministers, and innovators, all committed to shaping the future of education.

Celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week

This year’s event coincided with Global Entrepreneurship Week, making it a particularly fitting time for us to champion entrepreneurial education. As schools look for fresh ways to prepare pupils for a shifting, unpredictable future, entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly vital skill set. It encourages creativity, resilience, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving, qualities that young people need to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.

Our Basics of Business: Beginner to Boss programme is designed to help students develop these skills. It gives learners the confidence, knowledge, and practical experience to explore entrepreneurship. Throughout the event, it was clear that leaders across the country are eager to introduce this kind of learning, and we were thrilled to see just how much interest and enthusiasm the programme generated.

Conversations That Sparked Possibility

Across the two days, Paul Herman, Lauren Smithie, Lucy Urwin, and Emma Waine connected with leaders, ministers, school heads, directors, and teachers. Each conversation reinforcing just how vital it is to equip young people with accessible, engaging ways to build real-world skills and entrepreneurial thinking.

We also had the chance to hear from several inspiring keynote speakers. A recurring theme throughout their sessions was the growing importance of digital literacy and financial literacy in preparing young people for the future world of work. With financial literacy now becoming a statutory requirement for all primary schools, and being strengthened in secondary education across the UK, it’s clear that the system is moving toward what today’s learners truly need.

These conversations underscored a shared belief: if we want young people to thrive in a rapidly changing world, we must equip them with the skills, confidence, and opportunities to navigate it with independence, creativity, and purpose.

Looking Ahead

We left the Schools & Academies Show more motivated than ever to continue building meaningful partnerships with schools and MATs across the UK. The appetite for innovative, future-focused learning is growing, and we are excited to play a role in supporting leaders who are shaping what education looks like for the next generation.

As we continue these conversations, we look forward to collaborating with more educators who share our commitment to empowering pupils with the confidence, creativity, and capability to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

If you’d like to explore how the Young Entrepreneurs Academy can support the learners in your school or if you know a young person who’d thrive with entrepreneurial learning, we’d love to connect. Get in touch to find out more.

Get In Touch