Business Enterprise Bulletin - Issue 10 · Business Enterprise Bulletin, which ... Dylan said:...

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BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN

Science

2 issue ten BUSINESSENTERPRISEBULLETIN

W elcome to the tenth issue of the Business Enterprise Bulletin, which highlights recent enterprising events and successes across the authority.

This includes the launch of Interaction 3, a challenge run by leading architectural practice Keppie Design and the launch of Enterprising Stars, an innovative enterprise initiative designed for pupils with additional support needs. This edition has a particular focus on STEM – Science, Technology, Enterprise and Maths, and all the wonderful events taking place in our schools, in partnership with local companies and Ayrshire College which are helping to inspire our young people.

ContentsEnterprising Stars 2

Girls Get into STEM 3

Out of This World 4

Houstoun Calling 4

Interaction 2 5

KESS Sience Project 5

Interaction 3 6

Grange Maths on Tour 7

Loudoun Leads the Way 8

Not All Superheroes Have Capes 8

Me2U 9

Annanhill STEMS 10

Water, Water Everywhere 12

Success is on the Horizon 13

Schools in Brief 14

Enterprising STARS

The Enterprising Stars challenge, which launched recently, has been specially created for pupils with additional support needs (ASN), and is one of the first initiatives of its kind in Scotland.

The Council is committed to providing pupils with the same experiences as their mainstream counterparts.Park School competed in last year’s Sir Tom Hunter challenge creating an innovative ID badge with a pen holder incorporated into the design. The team’s excellent pitch to the panel of ‘dragons’ encouraged organisers to develop an initiative just for special schools and supported learning centres. Schools and local supported learning centres attended the launch to sign up for the initiative and they have from now until Friday 22 April to come up with a winning product. The initiative is being supported by Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire and local businesses including, Munro Architects, Kilmarnock Removals, QTS, the Galleon Centre and the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce who were all on hand to help. The businesses will provide expert advice and guidance throughout the initiative and will help with judging on the day.Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning said: “As one of the first in Scotland, this new enterprise initiative has been organised for our pupils with additional support needs. Our young people have the same skills as mainstream pupils and these skills can be developed through enterprise events. We want this experience to be meaningful and with the support of local businesses we can help break down barriers and address inequalities.“I can’t wait to see what fantastic ideas the teams come up with. I am sure that they will be very impressive.”Judging will take place on Friday 22 April with prizes for the best product or service, best trade stand, best presentation, best company name and best logo.

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Girls get into STEM at Ayrshire CollegeOver fifty pupils from East Ayrshire schools participated in an event at Ayrshire College which provided an insight into the opportunities available for young women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

The College’s ‘Developing the Young Workforce’ team worked in partnership with the Council to encourage more girls and women to consider a career in traditionally male-dominated sectors.The S2 pupils from Auchinleck, Grange and Stewarton Academies took part in activities across the Engineering and Science, Automotive Vehicles and Computing departments at the Kilmarnock campus.The pupils took part in interactive workshops and chatted with the lecturers about careers in STEM industries. A number of the pupils said after the event that the workshops had been a real eye-opener, and they were now going to think seriously about a career in STEM.Jenny Thomas, from Stewarton Academy said: “I know I want to do something technical. I’m not sure what yet, but this event has been great, I’ve enjoyed trying out the different areas available.”Abbie Fleming, from Grange Academy said: “I loved seeing around the garage area at the College. My dad’s a mechanic and I’ll be following in his footsteps.” Martyn Hendry, STEM co-ordinator for the Council, said: “What we’re trying to do is raise the whole profile within the STEM subjects for young people. This event is aimed specifically at girls that are going to be leaving school in the next few years and highlighting the exciting career opportunities that are available in the STEM industry.“We are hoping to inspire young people to think about choosing science and maths subjects at school and start preparing for an exciting and rewarding career in the STEM sector.”Marla Baird, Equality and Inclusion Manager at Ayrshire College, said: “The event is really important because we know females are underrepresented in the STEM areas. It helps to make them think more widely about their career choices.”


Ayrshire to host out of this world opportunityThe Ayrshire College Foundation has announced that for the first time ever, Ayrshire school pupils and college students will have the chance to work alongside NASA leaders and Astronaut Michael Foale CBE, on the Mission Discovery programme.

Mission Discovery is a week-long educational programme developed by the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET) and is running for its third consecutive year in Scotland. Around 200 selected secondary school pupils and college students will start the opportunity of a lifetime on 13 June 2016.Prestwick Airport, bidding to become the UK’s first Spaceport, will host the space event in their Aviator Suite.The lucky participants will work in teams, aided by mentors, to develop their own space experiments – with the winners having their experiment built, launched to the International Space Station and carried out by an Astronaut in space.All three council areas in Ayrshire will each put forward 50 pupils for this amazing week-long adventure, while Ayrshire College will select 50 students from its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses.A major perk for the participants will be the chance to work with Michael Foale CBE. Michael is the most experienced British-born

astronaut in the history of human spaceflight and the first Briton to perform a spacewalk.This exceptional learning experience is like no other, with students learning all about space in the company of NASA leaders. ‘Mission Discovery’ is proven to enhance students’ scientific and technological skillset, while developing innovation and team work.Primary school pupils will also benefit from Mission Discovery coming to Ayrshire as they will take part in a unique competition to design a ‘Mission Patch’ for the Mission Discovery Ayrshire 2016 programme.Every primary school in Ayrshire will submit a design to be judged internally by each of the three local authority areas in Ayrshire. East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire will put those three winning designs forward to a neutral judging panel including ISSET and NASA staff who will select the overall winner.There is a huge incentive for the pupils to win the first stage of the competition, as each of the three schools to make the final shortlist will receive a visit from Astronaut Micheal Foale!A programme of public events will also run throughout the Mission Discovery Space Week. The Ayrshire College Foundation has launched a new website, http://www.ayrshirecollegefoundation.org.uk/, where more information on the event will be available.

Houston Calling…

Dylan Speir from Loudoun Academy returned at the end of last year from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, having had an ‘extraordinary’ experience.

Dylan, 16, was selected for the trip from hundreds of young people from across Scotland through the Scottish Space School programme. The star science student, now in sixth year, enjoyed a seven-day ‘learning journey’ to the Space Center in Houston.Dylan said: “It was far from just an ordinary trip, it was amazing, fantastic, spectacular, excellent and tremendous. To pick a highlight of the trip is impossible as I can honestly say I fully enjoyed every single second of it. “As, hopefully, a future pilot I really enjoyed the “wings over Houston” air show and found speaking to the pilots particularly inspirational. The behind the scenes tour of NASA was brilliant and its history was fascinating. “Although the activities were out of this world, it was the people that made the trip one that I’ll always treasure. Everyone we met in Texas, from astronauts to engineers to doctors couldn’t have made us feel more welcome or have been anymore inspirational. I couldn’t have done any of this without the space school and I’ll be forever grateful to those who gave me this chance of a lifetime.”Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning said: “A total of ten Scottish pupils were given the rare opportunity to meet with many of the astronauts, engineers and scientists working on the space programme at NASA.“They were selected from a shortlist of over 100 from all over Scotland who attended the Scottish Space School at Strathclyde University in June, following a rigorous selection process.“The week-long residential school featured a mix of space lectures, labs and workshops, delivered by leading academics and supported by NASA astronauts and engineers.“I am delighted that Dylan enjoyed this experience. It was a real ‘trip of a lifetime’ and he thoroughly deserves to be recognised for all his hard work and commitment to school life at Loudoun Academy.” Dylan will be studying aeronautical engineering at Strathclyde University when he finishes his sixth year.


Interaction 2 takes a front seat for challenge winners Winning Interaction 2 was just the beginning of an exciting journey for the enterprise team from Cumnock Academy.

In a recent visit to Character Joinery in Kilmarnock, the young people saw their ideas for the new Ayrshire College campus brought to life.

They were given a tour of the workshop by Director Kelvin Murray and shown a half-scale model of their modern seating area design, which will be housed within the top floor of the new Ayrshire College campus.

The team also chatted with Keppie Design’s Ryan Sylvester and Kelvin about the alterations that could be made to improve their initial concept for the final product.

15-year-old Aiden McGregor said: “I think it’s been a really good experience. We’ve learnt new design processes and how it’s done in the industry. It’s been great to see a smaller version of our idea that will be going into the College and we’re very pleased with what we’ve seen today.”

Kelvin Murray, Director at Character Joinery, said: “The pupils have done their own thing on an existing concept. To take something that works and put your own take on it is fantastic. After today’s discussions we’re going to take it to the next stage. The first design is never the finished product and I think they’ve noticed that. I’m sure the team will now go away and think about other ideas. It’s going to evolve again; which is what design is all about.”

KESS Science PrizeFormer Stewarton Academy pupil, Calum Sharp has scooped not one but two top prizes in recognition of his achievements in the field of physics.

Calum has been recognised by Kilmarnock Engineering and Science Society (KESS) with an Advanced Higher Physics award at a special ceremony held at Ayrshire College. Although Calum was a Stewarton pupil, he studied for his advanced higher at St Joseph’s Academy under the tutorship of UK award winning physics teacher, Colin Barbour. He achieved 94% in his exam, making him the top advanced higher physics student in Scotland and is now studying Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde University. In addition to the KESS award, Calum visited the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh to receive the Higgs Prize for Physics. The Higgs Prize was established in recognition of the impact Nobel Physics Prize winner Professor Higgs’ work has had on modern day physics and to inspire Scotland’s best young physicists. As part of the Higgs Prize, Calum will visit the internationally renowned CERN research facility in Switzerland. He will take part in a summer school and participate in a specially designed programme of events. KESS President Suzanne Flynn said: “KESS is delighted to award our first Advanced Higher Physics prize to Calum and very proud that he has won the national prize.”Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning said: “Calum’s achievements to date have been exceptional. To be named as the top advanced higher physics student in Scotland is a reflection of his own commitment to his studies but also to Colin Barbour’s dedication to his students. “We are all incredibly proud of Calum; he has a very bright future ahead of him.”


Interaction 3 Enterprising EducationInteraction 3 launched last October with young people from all nine secondary schools and Park School gathering at St Joseph’s Academy to hear the exciting new design brief.

Interaction, which is an enterprise education challenge, is delivered in partnership with leading architectural practice Keppie Design.

Last year Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of the Council committed to continuing with Interaction. At the launch he announced funding of £100,000 to allow the young people to continue to benefit from this practical learning initiative.

Councillor Reid said: “As part of our schools business and enterprise programme, Interaction has a key role to play. It teaches creative, team-orientated skills with real outcomes. Our young people work closely with Business Enterprise partners and learn skills essential to their future success in the workplace.

“I had the great job of announcing that each team has been pledged £10,000 to develop a design solution based on a brief created by David Ross from Keppie Design. As part of Interaction 3, the young people will work with design mentors and cost consultants, from within the Council, to help keep their project on track and get the best value for the budget available. For the first time, this year the young people will be project managing and managing the finances for the project.”

Under the working title ‘Shed for the Head’ – the young people have been challenged to design a contemporary shed which can be either internal or external.

David Ross said: “It’s an honour for Keppie to be able to collaborate with East Ayrshire Council in such a unique and innovative way. INTERACTION gives us the opportunity to talk to, and involve, pupils in looking creatively and imaginatively at the built environment around them. In this year’s challenge, that environment will be their own school or local community.”

At the launch event the teams took part in a design challenge and speed networking session. This allowed the young people to exchange creative ideas and speak to mentors about how to get their project off the ground.

At the end of the session Grange Academy’s team was named winner of the Launch Workshop exercise for their concept and design. The BriefINTERACTION 3 challenges East Ayrshire pupils to design a contemporary ‘Shed’ as an internal or external structure in which positive, forward-thinking ideas about the school or its local community can be considered and discussed. The ‘Shed for the Head’ should illustrate ideas about the school’s identity. The space should be inclusive and accessible to all and be able to be built for a budget of no more than £10,000.


Grange Maths on TourGrange Academy’s Maths Department hit the road at the end of last year with maths outings aimed at helping pupils unleash the power of maths.

The tour began in Livingston where an S2 class visited Sky Academy’s Skills Studio. The Skills Studio provides a learning experience linked to Curriculum for Excellence for young people, helping to build communication, creativity and team building skills. The young people created their own TV report on their class topic, ‘Money: trends in teenage spending’, using Sky’s state-of-the-art technology, including broadcast quality cameras, green screens and touch screen edit tables. Pupils loved the studio experience and left with a pen-drive wrist band loaded with their finished video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuKzZ8r6hWY

At the other end of the maths spectrum - four Advanced Higher pupils Andrew McCluskie, Izzy Faure, Karolina Myszkowskaz and Jack McConnell attended Strathclyde University, with their teachers, for the London Mathematical Society popular lectures. Professor Ruth King gave a lecture on the Statistics of Estimation, answering questions like “How could we use a few small pieces of data to accurately estimate the number of drug users in Scotland?”. While Dr Colva Roney-Dougal gave a lecture on the Mathematics of Connections, including a fascinating tangent into Bacon Numbers.

And in October, the school’s Advanced Higher Maths students enjoyed their first every Halloween study day. There were some seriously geeky costumes including a lumberjack with carefully labelled axes, a natural ‘logarhythm’, two ‘vamPires’, a ruler and even a Mr Smith, the school’s resident maths geek. Four hours of Advanced Higher Maths revision was rounded off with a trip to Newmilns ski slope for some fun on the slopes.

Maths camp will fire up pupils for examsFollowing the success of last year’s inaugural Grange Maths camp, the Maths Department are taking a group of enthusiastic young mathematicians for a Higher and Advanced Higher revision weekend.More than 70 pupils signed up for this year’s camp which will be held in March at the Craigmore Centre, Aberfoyle.In addition to 15 hours of concentrated maths revision, the young people will be taking part in outdoor activities and fun maths quizzes.

Mr Smith said: “Last year was so much fun, lasting memories were made and having analysed the exam statistics it’s clear that Maths Camp had a significant impact on attainment. This March will be another phenomenal experience for all Grange Maths geeks!”


#LoudounAcademyleadsthewayLoudoun Academy is leading the way, becoming the first school in Scotland to deliver a Social Media Marketing for Business qualification.

The level 6 SQA customised qualification is highly innovative. Teachers have been working in partnership with local companies Giglets, who are delivering the course using an online learning platform called the Learning Cloud, and Early Bird Media who have developed the innovative learning content. During the course, pupils learn how to use social media for marketing purposes. They will create and manage a social media site; learn about business goals and the importance of effective market research; design and run a social media campaign and measure the benefits and shortfalls of social media marketing. The course includes a work placement which will help the young people to refine and hone the skills they have learned in the classroom. The young people are using Ipad technology to support their journey through learning and help them prepare for the world of work.

Not all superheroes have capesNot all superheroes have capes – that was the message from young people at East Ayrshire’s nineteenth annual youth conference held at Dumfries House.

Held during Youth Work Week, the year’s conference was split into two distinct age groups, from Primary 7 through to S2 and from third year upwards at secondary school. The focus for the day was mental health and Vibrant Communities joined forces with NHS Ayrshire and Arran: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and SEEME Scotland to deliver themed workshops for the young people.Through the workshops the young people discussed issues pertinent to them and developed the slogan ‘not all superheroes have capes’, to raise awareness of the hidden side of mental health problems.Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning, who was joined at the event by Provost Jim Todd, said: “The young people really enjoyed this year’s youth conference. It gave almost 150 young people a positive platform to talk in a safe setting about issues that affect them. “They talked openly about mental health issues and the importance of young people having a voice. Their views were very mature and it was heartening to see that they understood that mental health is often not visible or obvious to others. “I thought a real highlight of the event was hearing from our inspirational young people, including the Council’s Sports Mentors, Modern Apprentices and also students from Ayrshire College. They spoke from the heart about their own experiences and this had a positve impact on the gathered audience.”The event was organised by Vibrant Communities and was part-funded by CashBack for Communities: Youth Work Fund. Workshops were supported by Ayrshire College, Yipworld, Barnardos (East Ayrshire) and the Zone, Dalmellington.


UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP launches in cumnock

Me2U – a unique partnership project led by Cumnock Academy is changing the lives of local people.

The project was the brainchild of Teraessa Lopez, Principal Teacher of Art and Design. She saw an opportunity to bring volunteers into the school to the mutual benefit of both the school and the community.Ms Lopez started a working group bringing Job Centre Plus and Vibrant Communities round the table to see if this was possible. Job Centre Plus saw this as a fantastic opportunity to engage with people from the local community who are known to the Job Centre. Information sessions were held about the Me2U project and eleven individuals applied to take part attracted by the opportunity to increase their confidence and gather vital work experience within the school. Angus McVake, Head Teacher said: “This project started small, with an idea of attracting volunteers into the school. But the project has grown way beyond my expectations. Eleven people signed up to the project; many are parents or grandparents of young people from the school. We were actually only looking for eight participants but the enthusiasm and commitment shown by our team of volunteers have been exceptional and we just had to accept all 11!”The Me2U team have been provided with uniforms and will be working closely with mentors during school time. Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning officially launched Me2U. She said: “From December until March the team will be working within the school two days each week and will also be working towards achieving four SVQ modules through Ayrshire College.

“This project is very simple in its premise – bring volunteers into the school for the benefit of all but it has expanded already. All the partners can see the benefit of such a scheme.”Heather Ralston, Engagement Officer and Community Tutor from Ayrshire College, is working with participants on Personal Development, Customer Care and Problem Solving at the Boswell Centre in Auchinleck. These units will allow learners to improve their self-reliance and confidence, develop skills, knowledge and understanding of customer care and use skills to solve problems in personal, workplace, social and educational situations.Audrey McClements, Employability and Engagement Manager said: “This exciting new pilot provides the volunteers with skills and qualifications that will help them when pursuing future career opportunities. The mentors will also receive accredited recognition for their contribution. The enthusiasm and passion shown by all partners to help make this a success has been outstanding. “It is hoped that this innovative approach to supporting the unemployed can be rolled out across Ayrshire.” Susan Ward, Ayrshire Manager for JobcentrePlus said: “Cumnock Jobcentre is delighted to be part of the Me2U Programme. It is an exciting opportunity for our claimants to receive vital jobskills training that will help them gain employment in the future.”Me2U is led by Cumnock Academy and is supported, in particular, by Lorraine Dick and Joan McDade, East Ayrshire Council Vibrant Communities, Kaye Hannah from Job Centre Plus and Audrey McClements and Thomas Marner, Ayrshire College.


Science fun STEMS from weeklong activitiesPupils from Annanhill Primary were experimenting, measuring and thoroughly enjoying themselves during a week of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths events. Supported by parents; Babcock International, the UK’s leading engineering support services company and Primary Engineer; the children were put through their paces learning about STEM in the real world. Fun activities like churning butter, popping popcorn and making delicious ice cream helped the children to understand the importance of STEM in everyday life and made them think scientifically about the world around them. Parents visited the school during the week to talk to P6 pupils about their jobs within STEM industries. This helped the children to consider STEM careers and inspire then to become Scotland’s engineers of the future. A real highlight of the week was a visit by two of Babcock’s engineers, Graduate Mechanical Engineer Laura McLean and Renewable Energy Project Engineer Ross Cottam. The two engineers guided P5 and P6 pupils through a ‘real life’ engineering challenge – Operation Flyover. The challenge was to design and build a scale model of a zip line that would help to get aid to a village cut-off by flooding, and the teams accepted the challenge with gusto. They even tested their final prototype, which was great fun but also helped to develop some innovative and practical solutions to the challenge that had been set for them.


Ross and Laura said: “We love engineering and want to pass that enthusiasm on and hopefully spark enough interest to encourage Annanhill’s pupils to start thinking about a future in engineering. It’s hugely satisfying working with the kids, knowing that you may just be helping them to explore the possibilities of a rewarding career in one of the STEM disciplines.” John Howie, Managing Director for Babcock’s Naval Marine business, was also on hand to talk about his own engineering background and the company’s role in supporting the Royal Navy’s fleet of submarines and ships. To make the whole event even more memorable the Babcock team brought along a construction brick scale model of the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, which the company is involved in designing, building and assembling.John commented: “Having the opportunity to listen to the children discussing different aspects of engineering and how it is present in their everyday lives has been a real inspiration. “As a nation we have an enviable record of engineering excellence; the real challenge we face is to sustain and develop our capability and capacity both now and into the future. I hope the week’s activities will encourage the children to think a little bit more about the engineering involved when they take a train, cross a bridge, have fun with video games or play on a bike and perhaps spark an interest in engineering and other STEM subjects.”Dr Peter Hughes, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Primary Engineer, led an assembly with the children on the final day of STEM week. He played a variety of musical instruments for, and with, the children and explained the role of engineering in making musical instruments. Dr Hughes said: “Having the chance to talk with real engineers, who are working in real engineering jobs, problem solving and engineering real world solutions, is one of the best ways I know to make learning fun and engaging.“We clearly must do more to encourage boys and girls to think about a future in engineering. Bringing the concepts and theories involved in the STEM subjects to life at events like this one is immensely important in inspiring our next generation of engineers – especially when the children are young and absorbing so much information that will ultimately shape their future.” Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning said: “The STEM programme at Annanhill primary was impressive, with fun activities carefully designed by the teaching staff to make the children think about the world around them in a new way. The children were challenged through successful interdisciplinary learning. Even the spelling homework had a STEM focus with words like laboratory and experiment featuring widely. “The most impressive part of the week though was the partnership working with parents, friends of Annanhill primary and representatives from industry. Scotland has produced some of the greatest engineers the world has ever seen and I think it is wonderful that we are inspiring a new generation of engineers who will change our future for the better.

“Congratulations to everyone at Annanhill for a successful STEM week!”


WATER, WATER EVERYWHERES3 pupils from James Hamilton Academy were challenged to think differently about water and sustainability after a visit from WaterAid Scotland. Representatives from WaterAid Scotland, Laura Hunter and Donna Davidson, visited the school to talk to pupils about the difficulties young people of their age face every single day in developing countries. They highlighted the problems of being unable to access fresh water and the significant impact this has on health and education. After their visit, S3 spent the rest of the week learning about water related themes in all of their classes. In Maths, pupils compared their own water usage with that of a child in the developing world. They also worked out the distance young people must travel to source water each day. The English department taught pupils about the impact of flooding on communities; PE focused on the importance of hydration and young people designed, and marketed, their own sports drink. While in the Music department, pupils wrote and performed a jingle for a water advert. WaterAid Scotland returned to James Hamilton at the end of the week to find out what the pupils had learned. Councillor Stephanie Primrose, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning said: “This was a fantastic interdisciplinary project for the S3 pupils at James Hamilton. It made them think really hard about the availability of water for young people of their age in developing countries. It also helped them to understand the role each of their subjects has to play in helping those in need. “Every department really submerged themselves in this challenge but Business Education and IT, emerged as the overall winners. The pupils had examined the impact bottled water and soft drinks companies have on the economy, society and the environment.” WaterAid Scotland also named James Hamilton Academy as their Star Supporters of the Week.


is on the horizon15 Ayrshire schools will be battling it out this April to be named Ayrshire Company of the Year.

The competition, run by Young Enterprise Scotland, takes place over the course of an academic year. The young people from the participating schools form teams then create, finance, launch and operate their own business. The teams are supported by link teachers, volunteer business advisors from the local community and receive guidance from specialists within their local authorities.At the Ayrshire final, each team will have to create a trade stand, make a presentation to judges, prepare a detailed report on their business and also be interviewed by a panel of judges.

The winner of this heat will represent Ayrshire at the Young Enterprise Scottish finals in June. Horizon Pages from Kilmarnock Academy will be representing East Ayrshire at the Ayrshire finals. The team of sixth year pupils includes Jordan Muir, Managing Director; Heather Taylor, Product Director; Robyn McGhee, Marketing Director and David Gibson, Finance Director. Heather said: “Our business, Horizon Pages, will create and sell advisory books to help young people through tough transitional aspects of life. “Horizon Pages is run by four business partners, each having major roles in the business. “Our main product, ‘How to Survive Secondary School’ – is a short booklet which gives primary school pupils helpful advice that will reduce the stress of moving to secondary school.

“The booklet contains descriptions of subjects, school wear advice, information on extra-curricular activities, personal experiences and many more tips to make life easier. “It has a Bear Grylls Survival Guide theme with jungle references throughout. It is written simply, in plain English and is from a pupil perspective, which makes it truly unique.“A list of Frequently Asked Questions has also been included for the pupils and their guardians. “We have all loved taking part in this competition. Creating our own business has provided us with several challenges which we’ve all worked together to overcome. “Although sometimes difficult, it has been a positive experience which is rewarding and great fun. We love the responsibility and surprising people with our business knowledge.”


Schools in brief…

Interaction Project update S3 Design and Manufacture pupils have been hard at work generating ideas to convert the old Support for Learning base into a creative learning and meeting space.

The space, which will be used as fully and flexibly as possible, will cater for meetings, will be a creative thinking space and a place for idea generation and discussions.Pupils are liaising with local businesses and hope to work with Ayrshire College on part of the construction enabling pupils, or college students, to take part in a live project. This will help develop a range of skills for use in the world of work.

Ayrshire young entrepreneur clubA group of ten third year Business students attended the launch of the Ayrshire Young Entrepreneurs Club, at Sir Tom Hunter’s Hatchery in Dundonald.

The students will gain valuable business experience from young Ayrshire entrepreneurs who have recently started their own business. They will take part in presentations and seminars on a number of business areas such as Marketing, Business Startup, Finance and Human Resource Management. The students will attend four afternoons from February through to May and will have the opportunity in June to present a business idea of their own, in a situation similar to the Dragon’s Den pitch from the successful TV series. If successful the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce will fund their business idea which will require to be run within Loudoun Academy and be sustainable once setup.By the end of the four sessions the students from Loudoun Academy will be armed with skills and knowledge necessary to help them consider starting their own business. They will have heard from a number of local young entrepreneurs sharing their experience of their own businesses. Just as important the students will have had the opportunity to mix with other young budding entrepreneurs.

Loudoun Academy

Developing the Young Workforce: Business Lunch Business leaders visited the school recently for a working lunch.

Lively discussions took place on the best way the school could continue to shape and support young people into the workplace. The business leaders were treated to a delicious lunch prepared by senior Hospitality students. The school has partnerships with the following businesses:Buzzworks Holdings, Giglets Ltd, Sun Newspapers Ltd, Early Bird Social Media, QTS and QTS Training, VG Energy, Tesco, Saxen Furniture, IBM, Morton Young and Borland, BT and Kilmarnock Football Club. These partnerships will be further developed fully in the coming months. Principal Teachers will establish the best way of integrating business input into the curriculum and also into specialist events like careers fairs and work experience.

Personal Development Class - Artive S6 pupils from Mrs Waughman’s Personal Development class established a not-for-profit word art company.

The pupils made individually requisitioned pieces of art using words and phrases supplied by their customers. The pupils ran a stand at Galston Christmas fete and at a variety of parent evenings. A remarkable £1500 was raised for their chosen charities – MND Scotland, Alzheimers UK and Beautiful Inside.


James Hamilton Academy

Eco Committee successJames Hamilton Academy has achieved its third Green Flag from Eco Schools Scotland.

Congratulations to Miss Murray and the Eco Committee on this prestigious achievement. A rigorous evaluation process is undertaken by an Eco Schools representative to check the school’s progress in relation to sustainable development issues. The assessor was impressed with the range of initiatives being undertaken to teach pupils responsibility in relation to caring for the environment and the ‘wider world’.

Linn ProductsIn November the Advanced Higher Maths class enjoyed a visit to Linn Products, a world leading Music System manufacturer.

Pupils got to see the real life application of mathematical modelling in modern engineering. The company are currently developing an innovative new technology called ‘Space Optimisation’ in order to provide their customers with the purest sound quality possible.The pupils toured the research and manufacturing facilities and heard a presentation by Pete Harrison, Acoustics Engineer and Jim Liddell, Software Developer who described the maths used to create a three dimensional model of the sound waves and the computer programming used to apply this technology to the speakers. They were then treated to a music demonstration allowing them to see and hear the world class sound quality of a Linn System.

S3 Science DayS3 pupils enjoyed an out of this world space lecture, by Professor Hendry from Glasgow University and explored the scientific world through mini workshops led by STEM ambassadors, teachers and senior pupils.

Pupils particularly liked using medical equipment, like ECG monitors and ultrasounds, which were provided by Medical Maverick. This gave them an insight into different careers in the medical field.

S4 STEM DayS4 pupils took part in a special STEM day in December.

First Edition, run by the Engineering Development Trust, delivered workshops and challenges on a range of topics linked to Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths. This was a very active learning event and highlighted the relevance and importance of engineering as a career. The importance of numeracy as a key skill underpinning the STEM subjects was also emphasised.At the end of the day, around 50% of the year group expressed an interest in learning more about engineering and this will be followed up through the delivery of other workshops which will provide information on apprenticeships and higher education opportunities.

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