Enterprise & Innovation
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The UK’s reputation for ideas, flair, talent and imagination comes from the combination of our rich cultural heritage and cutting-edge creative companies. At Francis Holland, we place great value on creativity, innovation and enterprise. Our belief that academic results come in the slipstream of co-curricular opportunities allows us to delve deeper than visiting speakers and brief encounters with inspirational entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs.
Years 7 and 8 are given the opportunity to take part in the £10 challenge, where they borrow £10 from the school (after signing an IOU!), and research, design and create a product to sell within 4 weeks. A playground takeover at the end of the 4 weeks enables them to practise their sales technique and sell their products to their peers. They then pay back the money with a donation to charity and keep the rest of the profit. This is an extremely popular scheme and over half of Year 7 took part this year.
Years 7-9 are also given a Dragon’s Den opportunity to pitch a product to sell at the Spring Fair where the girls are allowed to take up to six stalls.
Years 10-13 can take part in the GAIN (Girls Are Investors) investment challenge. Each participating team, consisting of 3-5 students, will be assigned a company (the stock) to research. Guided by industry experts and supported by an investment mentor during the school spring term (six online sessions), students will then advise on whether to buy, hold, or sell the stock as a potential investment opportunity.
Year 12 will can get involved in the Young Enterprise Company Challenge as one of their Enrichment Electives – working in a larger team, they have 12 weeks to research and develop a product. They’ll work with external business mentors and sell their products at Spitalfields market in February.
Sixth formers are also given the chance to present a TED talk – an ‘idea worth sharing’ as part of regular TEDx events we hold at the school as we have been awarded a TEDx licence for the last four years. This is very popular and you can see the talks given by the girls on the TEDx YouTube channel.
Awards
In June 2022, FHS were named winners of the first ever Muddy Stilettos Schools Awards, out of over 400 entrants, in the Empowering Young Entrepreneurs category. This sits alongside our Independent School Parent Innovation Award for an Outstanding New Initiative which we won in October 2021.
Social Enterprise
We recognise that social enterprise is likely to play a major role in future careers. Through our Sixth Form Volunteering Programme and our work with the Katherine Low Settlement, In-Deep Battersea and St Barnabas Primary School, we provide our pupils with ample opportunity to appreciate the benefits of ‘giving back’ time, and encourage them to support the vital work of charities and similar organisations. Our Annual Fund enables parents to purchase key items for our own community whilst making important donations to local organisations with whom we work closely. Social enterprise forms a major part of our FHS vision.
