"success at all levels" OFSTED

Enterprise Competition

The Downs School Think Big Winners 2011! 

In May, Year 10 completed a day of enterprise activities by working with the West Berkshire Education Business Partnership and local business volunteers on the Think Big project, which is an activity that is run across West Berkshire schools. The challenge was to dream up a revolutionary product for the year 2061 and then work out how to develop, finance, package and market the invention.

From the Downs School teams, the one chosen to go forward to the final to compete against other schools was a company called 'No 2 and Sons' with their product: 'Excretion Energy'. Their mission statement made it pretty clear what they were setting out do: "to make Britain's energy needs sustainable by turning your excretion into energy". The team that came up with this innovative and green product was: Patrick, Lucia, Freya, Tilly and Zoe , who came with an idea that was useful, ecologically sound and had mass appeal. It also gave them an opportunity to brainstorm some wonderful straplines like, "Every little 'one' helps" or "It may look dirty and it may be brown, but it's really clean and green!"

The team went on the Grand Final held at the Hilton Hotel in Newbury and competed against other winning teams from Kennet, St. Bartholomew’s and The Clere. For the final the students produced a ‘trade stand’, were interviewed by the judges at their stand and finally had to formally present their idea and business plans to an invited audience of parents and local dignitaries. The Downs School emerged as the overall winners with the judges commenting on their strong team performance, pioneering product, green credentials and clever use of humour.