Kibworth Mead Academy students smash 'Dragon's Den' style competition – Leicestershire Live

The learners had to come up with a business concept and present it to local entrepreneurs
A local academy has come up with a great exercise to help students prepare for what life might be like as an entrepreneur.
Kibworth Mead Academy held a 'Dragon's Den' style competition called 'Enterprise' for its Year 7, 8 and 9 students. The learners were tasked with coming up with a concept and creating a business plan to present.
Local business owners came into school as 'Dragons' along with parents to watch the students' presentations. A fantastic range of ideas was brought to the table from a funky bucket hat company to clever hearing-aids that can translate for people who can't speak or understand English.
Poppy, a Year 9 pupil, whose group came up with a customised jewellery business, said: "Every week in our enterprise lessons we would be given the opportunity to work on developing a business. This includes branding, costs, market research and location.
"My group’s business was a cultural jewellery shop called Divine. We then had to present our presentation to our class where the teacher would decide on which group went through to the next round. Incredibly, my group got through!
"We moved on to the final round where entrepreneurs from outside the school came to judge. We had to perform our presentation again, but this time in front of the judges and the parents who came to watch. Once all the groups had presented their PowerPoints, the judges went away to decide on the winner.
"My group came an amazing second! We were so proud of ourselves and grateful for the opportunity we were given. I learned so much about what it takes to create a business and got a newfound respect for all business owners.
"It was such a practical way to learn about businesses and was much more engaging than normal lessons. Thank you to everyone that made this experience amazing."
Speaking about why the school held the competition, Katie Rees, Head of Year 10, said: "It allows students to develop skills like teamwork, communication and presentation skills. All students learn in different ways and this sort of task was enjoyed by all students.
"This has had a huge impact on our students, including those more vulnerable, as they have been able to present in front of their classmates, and in some cases, get through to the final and present to judges and others who they don’t know.
"Parents have said how immensely proud they are of their children and how they have noticed their growing confidence. It was an absolute pleasure to watch all year groups and how proud they were to show off what they had created.
"Many of these students will go on to work in a business in some capacity, either owning one or working for someone. Enterprise lessons provide students with knowledge of marketing, pricing strategies, interest rates, how to borrow money, and other really important financial lessons that may not be covered in other areas."
Katie says that the competition has also given the students a helping hand in deciding what GCSEs they could take on.
She added: "It gives them a taste of what Business and Economics GCSEs are like. Therefore, they can make an informed decision when selecting their options. In more general terms, it gives them more confidence when presenting and working in teams. In Enterprise lessons they also learn to evaluate and analyse so this helps with other subjects too.
"I expect a few of them to go on to own their own business and become very successful, and when they do I hope they look back and think it started in Enterprise!"
Kibworth Mead is holding an open evening for Year 6 parents and pupils on September 7 and tours of the school in September. To book a place, visit the website.

source

Leave a Comment