Year 12

BEST Day

The Autumn Term opened with the annual Business Enterprise and Skills Testing (BEST) Day. Following a keynote address on Risks, Failure and Resilience from entrepreneur Nadia Rae, the year group split into teams to complete a series of workshops designed to improve business skills and acumen: a presentation on body language, a team-building initiative and leadership session and two start-up challenges.

Schools Mace

Issy Plant and Rebecca McGinty made it to the Regional Finals of the English Speaking Union’s Schools’ Mace Competition. In their qualifying round, the girls debated in favour of the motion, ‘This house would weight votes such that the younger the voter, the more powerful their vote’. The Schools’ Mace is the oldest and largest debating competition for secondary schools in England and hones a student’s ability to persuade, influence and inspire in a fun, competitive environment.

Business Challenge

Continuing on the business theme, girls teamed up with their Boys’ Division counterparts for the Business Challenge. The teams came up with innovative ideas and backed them up with detailed business plans before pitching their concepts to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style panel of judges. The best four teams went through to the final, which was won by NAPEE, a company offering scented biodegradable nappies available for delivery as a monthly subscription.