Students in Y12 pitch Dragons' Den style
Students in Y12 at The Weald had a chance to pitch business ideas, Dragons' Den style, to a panel of experts.
Teacher, Ashley Godfrey said “Teaching legislation and law to the students became rather dry & boring. I decided to create a project that would spice this up and enthuse them to go home and research the topic further. The development and growth of the project wouldn't have been possible with the participation of my outstanding Year 12 class.”
“The projects and pitches were a roaring success with all students pitching to the Dragons. We had guest dragons from industry and school all offering a wealth of expertise and knowledge. The students have developed great life skills and presentational skills as well as grasping a greater depth of knowledge in their chosen legislative area. All we can do now is build on this success and their ideas and develop them further.”
Mr Godfrey said he wanted to thank the exceptional Dragons – Rhett Vallally, Morgan Rees, Patrick Perks, Peter Woodman and Caroline Hitchcock for their knowledge and support on the day, they all made exceptional Dragons.
Rhett Vallally (Manager Britannia Hotels Limited) said: "It was nice to see the students enjoying the activity; they all looked very smart and well pre-prepared. The students created some fantastic business ideas and solutions that would aid industry in many different ways.
I enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to play a Dragon, a very enjoyable, well ran and well invigilated day. Well done to The Weald School Sixth Form students for their professional-ism and conduct. "Sixth Form head Tom Backshall said: "The Dragon's Den event gave students the opportunity to experience first-hand the type of pressure that they are likely to face in the workplace in the future. Having to develop and then present an idea to a panel of experts really did take students out of their comfort zone.
The feedback they received from the Dragon was constructive and helpful. A valuable experience for all involved. "Student Kimberly Skinner commented: "Before my pitch I was overwhelmed with nerves but determined to succeed. The last13weeks have been an emotional roller-coaster there have been times when I have felt like giving up but I remained resilient and now I feel like the hard work and determination, not to mention the late nights, have finally paid off.
"Student Jack Banner said: "At the beginning of the exercise I thought that it would be a really exciting project to do as we don't ever do things like this but then during it I began to realise how serious it was and it started to build pressure on us. I'm really glad that Mr Godfrey organised such an event as it has given me further knowledge in legislation, teamwork and business. I feel the activity has aided my business studies course as well as my ability to talk to professional people which is vital for university course interviews and job interviews. The afternoon was really fun and nerve wrecking. The Dragons were amazing because there was a good mix of internal and external people."