Year 9 Enterprise Day with EDF 

We were thrilled to welcome staff from EDF into School this week, to facilitate our annual Year 9 Enterprise Day.  This fantastic event gives students valuable insight into the world of work – and is also great fun! 

EDF began the day with an engaging talk on how to identify personal strengths and use them effectively within a team to create a product.  This year’s challenge was to design and build a Gravity Reactor – a prototype structure capable of holding the weight of a small ball.  Teams also had to calculate their costs and potential profit. 

Students were split into teams, and the planning, designing, and building began.  It was great to see how engaged and enthusiastic everyone was.  Students thought carefully about their designs, took their roles seriously, and collaborated brilliantly throughout the day.  Each classroom housed four groups, and at the end of the day, teams presented their designs to each other.  

Their structures were then tested to withstand an earthquake (wobble) test!  The winning team from each room went on to present in front of the whole year group, where EDF staff and our Deputy Head Academic, Mr Hayward-Bradley, had the difficult job of selecting an overall winner. 

The winning team wasn’t necessarily the one with the most profit or the tallest structure; teamwork, collaboration, and time management were all taken into account – and our winners were…Gravi-Jacks team!  Congratulations to Alice, Abi, Tabby, Hamish, and Jack! 

Well done to everyone who took part, it was a great day, and our students shared some lovely feedback: 

“This was fun, collaborative and so interesting to be a part of.” 

“I had great fun, it was really challenging and enjoyable.” 

“This was such fun day, so engaging and thought provoking.” 

“It was a really unique way to spend the day.”