Ysgol Hiraddug is a community school in the village of Dyserth, which lies at the North-Eastern end of the Vale of Clwyd. The school was opened in 1951 to replace the former National School which had been established as far back as 1863.
There are 189 full-time pupils on roll and a further 25 children who attend the nursery class on a part-time basis, five mornings per week.
Around 22% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school identifies 21% of pupils as having ALN.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
School leaders recognise the importance of providing opportunities for pupils to develop life skills. The school’s curriculum aims to reflect the four purposes of Curriculum for Wales; specifically enabling pupils to become enterprising and creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work. Learning experiences incorporate opportunities for pupils to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding through enterprise.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
Pupils in Year 6 create businesses with the aim of making a profit. Each project requires pupils to complete a five-point business plan, including creating a name, logo and ethos, conducting market research, analysing trends, researching and developing a product. Pupils create a company email and apply for a small loan from the school Parent Teacher Association (PTA). They work with the school finance officer to create a bank account. For each project, pupils work as teams within the company. These teams allow pupils to recognise and improve their skills, for example in managing finances, marketing and social media, design and sales. Every decision made during the project is purely pupil-led. This improves learner confidence, supports them to take risks and to be proactive. The first business pupils created was a clothing brand called ‘Life’s Not a Rehearsal’ (LNR), the motto reflecting a continuous learning company. The company sold hoodies and t-shirts both in school and through an online platform, selling their products as far as Edinburgh and London. Another project saw the creation of ‘Shake Shack Hiraddug’ (SSH), which sold a variety of shakes within school. Both businesses yielded impressive profits. Pupils shared the profits between school investment and local charitable donations.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The enterprise projects enable pupils to effectively develop a wide variety of skills, such as collaboration, communication and independence. There is a direct impact on standards in the classroom, as pupils transfer their financial literacy and digital skills. Pupils improve their budgeting skills and their understanding of profit and loss as well as learning to be accountable. They enhance their digital and creative skills by designing logos, websites, and social media pages. Pupils benefit from opportunities to reflect on their learning and progress during weekly ‘board meetings’ where they present the company data and discuss how they could improve their products, efficiency, customer service and profits. The school uses these projects to develop learners’ ethical awareness, for example, through discussing, debating and deciding how to spend the profits. Learners produce compelling arguments for spending money on themselves or the school or donating to a charity or other worthwhile cause. For instance, they decide to allocate their profits to funding school trips or buying learning resources for classes.
How have you shared your good practice?
The school’s entrepreneurial practice has been shared with cluster schools, who have visited Ysgol Hiraddug to see first-hand how the projects have been approached. Whilst working as part of a cluster school-partnership programme, the enterprise activities have been identified as a strength and the school is able to support other schools in the area.
