Year 9 students from Stratford Girls’ Grammar School have been harnessing their creative energy this week, with the opportunity to represent their school in the National Enterprise Challenge. The UK’s largest enterprise competition is part of The Inspirational Learning Group, who has worked with over 250,000 students since its inception in 2012.  

The retail partner for the 2020 competition is sports-nutrition brand Grenade. They have challenged students from across the UK to design a new flavour for their ‘Carb Killa’ range of protein bars. The successful entry, decided at a grand final in July, will be produced and taken to market by major retailers.  

A panel of ‘Dragon’s Den’ judges, made up of senior members of staff, listened to pitches from teams of Stratford Girl’s Grammar School students and scored them based on their understanding of the brief, originality of ideas, presentation skills and consideration of the health and well-being values behind the Grenade brand.   

The winning entry ultimately came from team ‘Yuzu Silk’, who will now take their yuzu fruit concept to the finals held at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, on 6th July.  

Yuzu originates from Asia and is a small citrus fruit similar in appearance to grapefruit. It is a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine where the distinctive zest and juice is used to add aroma and flavour. Yuzu can be found as an ingredient in many popular products including marmalade, cakes, miso soup and vinegar.  

Jo Pearson, Stratford Girls’ Grammar School Careers and Work Experience Coordinator, says, “We were delighted to offer our students the chance to take part in this competition and develop some of the key employability skills required for the world of work.  

“Every student that took part has benefited by raising their commercial awareness and furthering their time management, communication and organisational skills. Our winners showed great innovative thinking, problem solving and leadership qualities. We love the idea they have devised and wish them the best of luck for the finals.” 

The National Enterprise Challenge was just one of many exciting events to take place at Stratford Girls’ Grammar School during National Careers Week. Other activities included talks from guest speakers and STEM employers, World Book Day celebrations and an extensive Career Fair, featuring CV clinics, university zones and business representatives from the local community.