Bury St Edmunds school Howard Community Academy takes part in Young Enterprise Week with BBC Dragons’ Den-style activities
Pupils have taken part in Dragons’ Den-inspired activities that saw them create, pitch and sell their own products, raising over £100.
More than 180 students at Howard Community Academy, an Anglian Learning School in Bury St Edmunds, took part in Young Enterprise Week, which aims to spark entrepreneurial spirit and creativity across schools.
Each class designed and created their own product to sell, including plants, homemade snow-themed sweets, cupcakes, friendship bracelets made from recycled T-shirt material, fortune tellers, stress balls and handcrafted jewellery.
The budding entrepreneurs pitched their products Dragons’ Den style, with a team of buyers from each class exhibiting them.
Other pupils, as well as parents and carers, cast their votes, and the afternoon ended with an opportunity for customers (relatives!) to purchase the products, raising £137.15.
Alison Weir, headteacher at Howard Community Academy, said Young Enterprise Week had encouraged their pupils to develop practical business skills, as well as critical thinking, problem-solving and adaptability.
She added: “We’re delighted about the success of our recent Young Enterprise Week. Providing real-life experiences like this where students can explore their futures clearly expresses our four values: nurture, community, experience and aspiration.
“This is just one of the many career-focused initiatives taking place at Howard Community Academy. We have also participated in a Year 2 Skills Escalator Day with West Suffolk College, and have integrated financial education into the school’s PHSE (personal, health, social and economic) curriculum.
“Providing students with career guidance from a young age will nurture students in becoming lifelong learners who will make a positive impact on society.”
Pupils were delighted at spending the day as young business leaders, and when asked to summarise their time, they said: “It was amazing, with lots of great creativity.”
They added: “Fabulous! I loved seeing all the things we made.”
