The groups pitched their ideas to a panel of judges, including teachers and senior Deloitte partners
Pupils from an Edinburgh secondary school put their business skills to the test last week in an attempt to win over judges in a Dragon’s Den style competition hosted by Deloitte.
Six ‘Pupil Action Groups’ (PAGs) from Craigmount High School, made up of pupils from S1 to S6, have been working throughout 2024 on proposals for the school to tackle major issues, including sustainability, mental health, equalities, equity, digital learning and children’s rights.
The groups pitched to a panel of judges, including teachers and senior Deloitte partners, at Deloitte’s new offices in Haymarket. They competed to secure support for their proposed initiatives, including the creation of a Mental Health Festival, the development of a school newspaper and the purchase of reusable water bottles.
Craigmount High School is one of Deloitte’s partner schools through its 5 Million Futures Programme, which helps people overcome barriers to education and employment.
Working with schools and charities, Deloitte mobilises its people through volunteering, fundraising and pro-bono work to build better futures for people throughout the UK.
On the day, the pupils that make up Craigmount’s Charities and Equity PAG were named the Most Impactful Group and the school’s Sustainability PAG was awarded Best Group Presentation.
Deloitte also presented an award for Most Effective Individual Presentation to Imaiyal (S2) from the Equalities PAG, who reflected on her group’s efforts to champion equality in Craigmount’s community. Their work involved holding a bake sale during Transgender Awareness Week and organising a dress down day to raise money during Women’s History Month.
Imaiyal said: “I’m really happy to be recognised for my hard work to help improve equality at my school.
“I had a really good time at the Deloitte offices for the Dragons’ Den competition and I enjoyed working with my school friends to figure out how we can solve these big problems.”
Lesley Smillie, Partner, Public Sector at Deloitte in Scotland, said: “We were really pleased to welcome pupils from Craigmount High to share their visions for the future.
“We were so impressed by the pupils’ presentations – it’s really encouraging to see their passion and enthusiasm to solve the various important issues we discussed.”
Alison Clark, Deputy Headteacher, Craigmount High, said: “I’m very proud of our Pupil Action Groups who have worked so hard this year to improve our school and community.
“I’d also like to thank our partners at Deloitte for hosting this competition, which has given our pupils the chance to develop and demonstrate their communication skills and teamwork. We look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”