Pupils give traders a boost with pop-up shop
SCHOOL pupils who set up and ran their own popup shop also managed to boost the business of other Bridgend traders.
Shop owners and stall holders reported that they were busier than usual as parents and shoppers poured into town to buy the children’s handcrafted products.
The Oldcastle Primary School pupils built their own brand as part of the Year 6 enterprise programme, which enables teams of up to six children to set up and run a business.
Head teacher Jeremy Malessa-Thompson said the idea is to help the children develop key skills including communication, confidence building, financial capability (sup- ported by Barclays Bank), organisation and resilience.
The Rhiw Shopping Centre agreed to loan the school a unit for the day on Saturday, March 11 so the pupils could take their products to market.
Mr Malessa-Thompson said: “Trading was swift and not only did the children generate sales of over £850, but other local shops reported busier trading.
“As a school we want our pupils to make the connection between school and the world of work, enabling young people to develop the knowledge and attitudes they need to succeed outside of the education bubble.
“Our teachers noticed that the cross-curricular work from other subject areas was a real benefit.
“Pupils undertook a lot of maths, they had their own budget and were responsible for making their own product and taking it to market.
“Regardless of their background or ability, pupils showed an understanding of how a successful business is run. The power of a real life context and the knowledge each child gained, was something they would not normally be exposed to in a primary school.”
The money raised is being donated to Marie Curie, Dogs Trust and Cats Protection.