First Year students developed their collaborative and business skills during an Enterprise Day focused on the opportunities and challenges of staging a festival.

The pupils worked together in groups to come up with solutions to festival-associated issues such as avoiding waste (especially discarded tents), encouraging more environmental practices and upcycling festival materials to make new products.

They also looked at ways to identify key skills for employability using person specifications and job descriptions, and considered the importance of not stereotyping and avoiding gender bias.

Some impressive creativity came to the fore when the groups designed and made their own festival hats, using recycled materials. They costed the hats component by component and planned how they would market and package them as a product.

Each group then made a Dragons Den-style presentation in front of their House and then the whole First Year, with Headmaster Toby Seth and Careers and University Advisor Gillian Jones as their Dragons.

Both Dragons said they were impressed by the pupils’ hard work, with Mrs Jones adding: “There was some hard topics for the First Years to get to grips with but I thought they did so commendably!”

Dolman House were the overall winners on the day, which was organised by Economics and Business Studies teacher Robin Crewes. The groups were judged on the marketing of their product, environmental approach, presentation skills and ensuring everyone was involved.

Student comments included: “Making the hat was really fun and we were able to be creative.”

“We enjoyed all the activities because they made you active in teams”

“It was different from a normal day and it was fun.”

Head of Lower School, Sam Cheadle, said: “The buzz around the pupils was really positive and I am sure they got a great deal from the day.”

Head of Business and Economics, Gareth Shephard, added: “The whole event was a real pleasure to be part of and the students were so enthusiastic and committed to their enterprises - we certainly have some captains of industry for the future.”

For more pics of the day click here.