Young Enterprise
2025/2026
On Thursday 4 December, eleven of our students travelled to the Marlow Christmas Market for an invaluable opportunity to experience the world of retail first-hand. The group divided themselves into two competitive teams, each bringing a unique product to the marketplace. One team focused on a traditional approach, curating and selling a classic Christmas hamper, while the other group opted for a more novelty angle, creating "balloon gift hampers" where the gifts were creatively encapsulated inside the balloons. The conditions on the day were far from easy, with the weather proving to be bitterly cold throughout the event. Despite the freezing temperatures, the students were amazing. They showed remarkable resilience, maintaining high spirits and professional attitudes that represented The Highcrest Academy brilliantly. They refused to let the cold dampen their enthusiasm, working hard to ensure their stalls looked inviting, and their products were well presented. The most impressive aspect of the trip was watching the students’ confidence grow in real-time. Initially, the prospect of selling to the public was a daunting task, but they quickly overcame their nerves. Rather than simply waiting behind their stalls, the students took the initiative to walk down the street, actively approaching potential customers to showcase their products. Their ability to engage with strangers and successfully sell their stock in such a proactive manner was a testament to their growing self-belief and entrepreneurial spirit. Finally, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Mr Merrick and Mrs Weston for supporting me on the trip. Their assistance was invaluable, not only in supervising the students, but also in braving the elements to ensure the day ran smoothly. The success of the event would not have been possible without their help.
Mr M Woods - Young Enterprise Co-ordinator
2023/2024
Our Year 12 students have the opportunity to take part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme. This is a where a team of students work together to create a product or service that they think will not only make sales, but also have a big impact on people’s lives.
Our YE Company Programme Team for this academic year has been formed and is emerging. They will begin making their presence known in the New Year but in the meantime, they are looking for potential investors into their business. To facilitate this, they have started to sell shares and are looking to you for support in helping them to raise some much-needed capital.
The shares are £1.00 each and can be purchased from any of the Board Directors or Miss Spencer.
The Board Directors are:
H Akhtar, A Abbas, A Strozyk, H Hussain, Y Wolna, A Syed, I Ali, A Hussain, S Kauser,
A Ahmed, H Ahmed & A Shahmard.
Miss G Spencer - Young Enterprise Co-ordinator
2022/2023
Mr A Pirie - Young Enterprise Co-ordinator
2021/2022
2020/2021
2019/2020
Young Enterprise began in September and have got off to a busy start.
This year we entered one team in the Young Enterprise Company Programme – Barkin’. Our team is lucky enough to have the help of three local Business Advisors from Veolia to help them through the process of setting up their business and establishing themselves in the market.
Barkin’ is a revolutionary new product idea which promotes eco-friendly business production through its use of recycled wood to a range of products including wooden coaster and decorations.
Since September the team have been very busy taking part in many Young Enterprise events. On 27 November, the students took part in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ experience where they presented their business ideas in return for shares of the business. This was very successful and resulted in the team receiving a huge investment.
To keep up with the busy week, on November 28 they attended their first selling event, The Highcrest Academy Xmas Fayre. Again this was a very successful event which saw loads of sales. Barkin’ would like to thank everybody who supported them on the night.
Due to the success of the Xmas Fayre, on the 8 December the team headed to Marlow for the Late Night Selling Event. Once again this event was very successful and resulted in the sale of the majority of the stock.
The next selling event is in Eden Shopping centre on 9 February. If you are available on that day, please show your support to the team.