JUNIOR BUSINESS GAME @ ST DUNSTAN'S PRIMARY SCHOOL

55 Year 6 Pupils from St Dunstan's Primary School formed 10 teams and  took part in a SATRO Junior Business Game on 24th June.  These groups consisted of mixed ability and friendship groups to emulate the real working world.

Judging from the pupil's feedback, they had a superb day which definitely opened their eyes to the world of business.  And, how important teamwork and communication are in an effective organisation.

The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and learnt about the hard work and skills involved in the business world, with one commenting,

 " I learnt that in life, jobs can be a bit stressful and there are lots of decisions to be made."

another said,

"I learnt how to write a cheque and how to deal with something when I am given a deadline."

Careers Speed Dating at The Ashcombe School

120 students, from a range of different year groups at The Ashcombe School got to meet a huge variety of business professionals on Monday 23rd June during a frantic 1 ½ hours of Careers Speed Dating. We had web designers, lawyers, a psychologist, an accountant, a wing commander, a police officer, an attorney, a copy writer, to name just a few, all of whom were passionate & enthusiastic about their chosen careers.

The students were put into small groups and had 5 minutes to quiz their business volunteer, who was only allowed to answer yes or no thereby requiring the students to try & guess their profession. A further 5 minutes of frantic questioning followed to ascertain exactly what they did for a living and how they had got where they were. A whistle sounded and another willing volunteer from a different profession presented themselves for questioning.

It was fast, frenetic and enormous fun. What was clear from the feedback was that it had really changed the students perception of what the future holds for them & makes it seem less daunting.

A teacher commented,

"The students have been unanimously positive about the careers event this morning.  They were struck by the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the passion in which they spoke about their jobs.  They also noted how the majority of jobs were ones they had never considered before as a potential career.  I cannot praise the team highly enough for organising this event and I will definitely be staging a similar event in the future."

PUPILS AT THE CHANDLER FACE A CHALLENGE

180 pupils at The Chandler Primary School enjoyed a novel way of applying their mathematical skills on Friday 20th June.  In a Fun Maths workshop they were challenged to complete as many puzzles as possible within a time limit.  Working with a partner or in groups of three, the children tested their knowledge of addition, subtraction, sequencing, shape recognition, logical and lateral thinking.  They also learnt the importance of carefully reading instructions and understanding a task before tackling the problem. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learnt more about the importance of maths, with one commenting, 

"I thought it was going to be the usual boring maths, but it was really fun. I didn't know maths was as good as this."


Another said, "We got so many puzzles done, and I liked that it was challenging."

COLLABORATION & TEAMWORK AT CRANLEIGH PREP

90 year six students (ten & eleven year olds) from Coombe Hill Junior School had a hugely enjoyable day  running their own companies. The students took part in a ‘SATRO Business Game’ - a business simulation game, organised by SATRO, a not for profit charity who offer opportunities to enhance relationships between schools and businesses, on 17th June. 

SATRO's business volunteers alongside class teachers were at hand to offer advice and encouragement to the young entrepreneurs. As the students’ fledgling companies emerged, they produced prototypes and competed for stationery orders from the discerning buyers.  Bank accounts were opened and accountants wrestled with the intricacies of cash flow, whilst sales managers were intent on winning orders and marketing managers were busy promoting their companies.  The Game threw the students some real challenges along the way - as the businesses settled down to regular trading, they were faced with paper shortages and one off, time limited opportunities!  The students gained some valuable hands on learning with some companies forging ahead, taking a clear lead.

Later in the day, in a quest to win the best presentation award, the students prepared a short performance, outlining what they had learnt throughout the day. Competition is always tough and the judges faced a challenging job selecting the winner. 

SATRO SHOW THE FUN SIDE OF SCIENCE

On Tuesday 17th June 2014, yet another faithful band of SATRO's Volunteers headed towards the Holy Family Primary School in Weybridge. The whole school, consisting of over 120 pupils took part in a Discovery Science Workshop Day. Each year group took part in different activities including Control Monitoring, Data Logging, The Gravity Egg Drop Challenge and Floating and Sinking. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learnt lots of new concepts.

This workshop was very kindly part funded by Cllr Mary Angell.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS EXCEL

Seventy Year 6 Pupils from both St John's and King Athelstan Primary Schools in Kingston formed 11 teams and  took part in a SATRO Junior Business Game on 18th June.  These groups consisted of mixed ability and friendship groups to emulate the real working world.

Judging from the pupil's feedback, they had a superb day which definitely opened their eyes to the world of business.  And, how important teamwork and communication are in an effective organisation.

This event was very kindly part funded by The Kingston Rotary Club. 

SATRO SUMMER SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2014

Today our blogger is out at SATRO's Summer Science Festival 2014, taking place just down the road from the office at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford. The Festival, which has been taking place for 17 years, is a unique celebration of the breadth of science, engineering and innovation going on regionally. This year, the Festival has very kindly been sponsored by CBSbulter and is supported by The Skills Show, European Social Fund and the National Careers Service. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook where our Social Media Coordinator is updating the sites with real time posts and photographs of the Festival!