Reach Out does Business and Enterprise 2015
Using recycled materials and following a design brief for different age groups and genders, each school had to work together to produce a new toy with a budget of 50 Polar Pounds. Toys would be judged on Design, Negotiation, Construction and Marketing.
Overall we had 17 different toys designed, made, and accompanied with billboards, jingle advertisements and catalogue entries. Toys ranged from doll-houses, trains, story-books, to rockets. We were thoroughly impressed with some of the outstanding and innovative creations, not to mention the great negotiators we had in the room.
The Reach Out team followed-up with individual school visits in the following weeks to assess marketing campaigns.
Winning prizes were delivered to Our Lady, Beeston Fields and Halam CofE School.
Aims
The aim of the project was to encourage pupils to developing business skills by challenging their creativity through design. Groups had to demonstrate team work, financial budgeting and marketing, culminating in a pitch that had to demonstrate good communication.
Our previous Business events have been well received with spaces filling very quickly. Attending heads and teachers commented on the organisation of the event saying that it gave pupils the opportunity to think differently about resources, money and communication.
Beneficiaries include the attending children and staff. The event also had a follow up session where children had to adapt their learning and practice back at school. Some participating schools asked their group to redeliver their pitches in assemblies, exponentially reaching out to the wider school community.
Background
Following on from a popular event in 2014, we focused on competitive entrepreneurship. Children did not only have to design and construct a prototype, but flesh out a draft marketing campaign.
This was our second Business and Enterprise event. We hope to continue running this provision on an annual basis.
Resources
Staff including teachers, support staff and NGHS students.
Resources included a large bank of recycled materials.
Financial support is provided by HSBC.
Impact
The day and follow-up sessions in schools were a huge success. We were able to see how children had developed in their creative thinking and entrepreneurial delivery. All our feedback has been positive including:
"Absolutely super day last Thursday. The children got a great deal from it. The idea of selling the resources had them being much less wasteful and they slipped into the art of bartering very quickly. We had a brilliant time." - Mr Armitage, Head at Gunthorpe Primary School
Pupil Involvement
The event reached 102 pupils in Year 4 and 5 from 16 Nottingham city and county schools.
Frequency
Business and Enterprise will be delivered again next year with a focus on a different task.
