In anticipation of Norwich School's "Dragon's Den" starting on Thursday 30 November Ms Dean, teacher of Business Enterprise, tells us about the fast-approaching event and her experiences of it.



"The Highlight of the year for Norwich School’s Business Enterprise department is undoubtedly our Dragon’s Den event. For our teachers it marks the stage of the year where we settle into the rhythm of teaching; for our Lower 6th pupils it marks the stage where they begin to feel secure in their knowledge of a brand-new subject and for the wonderful pupils of Mile Cross Primary School, I imagine it marks the successful integration into becoming Year 6. Of course, for all of us, it is a welcome opportunity to step out of the classroom, try something different, see new faces and talk about business and enterprise. In recent years, however, we have focused on the many other benefits this partnership event brings.

This year, Dragon’s Den begins with Day 1 on the 29th of November. We welcome the full Year 6 cohort, their classroom teachers and teaching assistants and the Deputy Head, with whom we organise the event. Pupils form companies, working with their friends; they each decide on a role they would like to take on within the company and they then think of an exciting start-up business idea. Throughout the afternoon, facilitated by our Lower 6 experts, they work out the details of what their product will look like, what it will cost, how they will market it and to whom. Our teachers hold information sessions about marketing, finance, operations and what it takes to be an entrepreneur. The excitement and buzz of this first afternoon is palpable. On Day 2, we bring in the scary dragons!

The excitement heightens as Mile Cross pupils pitch their business ideas to leaders from the Norwich business community, and these dragons decide whether to invest. Our sixth form pupils are there to provide moral support and give tips on effective presentation skills. Everyone has a great time. It is enjoyable, exciting and something different. But we need to investigate the real, practical benefits of running this event, for both teachers and pupils.

As a teacher, each year, I am in awe of the confidence, maturity, creativity and work ethic of the primary pupils that take part: I am reminded never to underestimate a determined 10-year-old. I take inspiration from their ability to work quickly in groups as they listen, share and discuss. It reminds me to explicitly incorporate these group-work skills into my secondary school lessons. As they bounce ideas off each other, allowing their creativity to take them off on tangents, I am reminded to allow time and space in my teaching practice to veer off to discuss the weird, wonderful, surreal and interesting: a deviation from the script often allows for real learning. As they stand up to present to a room full of both friends and strangers and they show such courage and maturity, I am reminded that presenting is a daunting task for older pupils also.

As I lead sessions from the front, I have to switch from being a sixth-form teacher to becoming a primary-school teacher: I am forced to re-evaluate my practice. I am out of my comfort zone and so are the children. It reminds me that the young adults that occupy the seats in my classroom were, not long ago, in primary school. It is easy to fall into the trap of assuming older pupils are very grown-up: they, too, are still children."