Young Enterprise at Malvern St James Girls’ School

We are constantly impressed by the range of activities and opportunities that our fabulous British boarding schools offer the young people they educate.

One which recently caught the eye is the Young Enterprise programme, which saw Year 12 girls at Malvern St James Girls’ School set up two companies with two very different aims and end products.

Dynamic’s product was a book entitled “The Little Book of You”, with segments on Food, The Body and The Mind. Each member of Dynamic researched relevant and unique content, approaching people who are experts in their field. Contributors included The Mindfulness Project, who supplied an article about Mindfulness and What-ifs; Olympic Gold Medallist Helen Glover, who wrote about Motivation, and BAFTA Travel Writer Steve Backshall, who wrote about Travel for the Mind.

From two stalls, one set up in the streets of Worcester and the other at a Trade Fair in Stratford-upon-Avon, the girls honed their communication skills while trying to attract and sell to the public. They sold enough books over the two days to cover their costs, so every additional sale now counts as profit. More meaningfully, they met a teacher who found the book so appealing, she asked Dynamic to give a talk in her school, making the members realise that The Little Book of You isn’t just a product, but a book to influence others.

Illuminate was set up by girls hoping to gain some business experience and to learn the “behind the scenes” work of a firm. They were certainly tested along the way but gained recognition in the end.

Having decided to keep the project local and use the brilliant resources of the Herefordshire countryside to make “Posh Squash”, two weeks prior to their first sales opportunity in Worcester, their supplier was unable to produce enough cordial. Forced to use their initiative and work effectively under pressure, they managed to find another supplier who could provide two delicious flavours of Posh Squash, Blackcurrant and Peppermint & Lime.

Both the Worcester and Stratford trade fairs went well, with the team attracting lots of customers with their flyers and free samples. Everyone seemed to like the name Posh Squash, and even those who didn’t make a purchase complimented the girls’ sales and marketing skills. Illuminate was even awarded a prize for best product at the Worcester fair, due to its professional branding and the fact that the judges could picture it in a high-end store.

Young Enterprise gave members of both companies invaluable experience of business in the real world. As Managing Directors, they recognised their responsibility for assigning tasks and surveying the progress of their company as a whole. They learned about the importance of communication and how interdependent they were as a group, so if one department did not work to a deadline, the rest of the group would be forced to wait, slowing down the company’s progress. Attending two fairs gave the girls the opportunity to reflect on what went well and what could be improved, enabling them to progress and not repeat mistakes

We think this was a fantastic opportunity for all involved and applaud this English boarding school for girls, for giving them the experience.

If you would like more information about this, or any of the other boarding schools in England we recommend, please do contact us.

Photos courtesy of Malvern St James’ Girls’ School