News

 

BETT Competition winners: three UK schools win a year's licence

16/02/2009

To mark the launch of the online version of Stock Market Challenge at BETT, visitors to our stand had a chance to test their skills on the market and win a £450 annual Stock Market Challenge licence for their school.

Each teacher started with £50,000 and had to complete a day's trading. We received 49 entries from UK and international secondary schools and colleges and three UK schools came out as winners:

John Madejski Academy, Reading £54,864.20
Sidcot School, Somerset £54,398.30
Hedingham School, Essex £52,086.70

Congratulations to the winners. Sarah Hodnett, Lead Academic Tutor, Maths Department at John Madejski said:

"Stock Market Challenge introduces our pupils to the excitement of numbers, and the importance of the decimal point! Also to a world of which they have little knowledge, but which is having a major effect on their lives."

Business & Enterprise Specialist Schools will have a chance to win a free licence at the forthcoming annual conference in Sutton Coldfield. Visit our stand on March 5 or 6 to register for the competition.

 

Stock Market Challenge receives PFEG's Quality Mark

15/02/2009

Stock Market Challenge has been awarded the Personal Finance Education Group's Quality Mark. The Quality Mark assessor wrote:

"This is a terrific resource – the simulation of the stock market and the presentation of information, using the newspapers and television news clips, makes this a very convincing and exciting role-play, promoting quick thinking, decision making skills and enterprise.

"It also provides an excellent opportunity to develop many enterprising skills whilst gaining an understanding of the financial world of the Stock Market. These skills include negotiation, information analysis, risk management and communication. The use of technology in the global economy is clearly demonstrated by this resource."

Click here to read the complete evaluation.

http://www.pfeg.org/teaching_resources/resources/stock_market_challen.html

 

Creative use of the Harnessing Technology Grant

14/02/2009

Several schools have enquired whether the Harnessing Technology Grant can be used to purchase Stock Market Challenge.

The answer is 'yes' according to BECTA:

"The capital nature of the Harnessing Technology Grant means that it can be used to pay for digital learning resources....if the school or local authority receives a licence to use the materials for a specified time period which is longer than one year."

Please contact us if you'd like more information about 18-month and 2-year licence deals.

To read more about the Harnessing Technology Grant visit the Local Authorities section of BECTA's website:

http://localauthorities.becta.org.uk

 

Enterprise Week 17th - 21st November

09/12/2008

A busy week for Stock Market Challenge, with schools up and down the country using the resource to great effect with their Year 10 and 11 pupils. One of them, held at Writhlington School (pictured), saw 200 Year 11 pupils take part.

James Fox, Deputy Head at the school said: “This activity is not just about teaching young people about the world of finance – it’s much, much wider than that. It’s about encouraging them to work in a team to develop their communication skills and their decision making ability – skills which will be vitally important to them when they enter the world of work whichever career path they ultimately choose. Our pupils responded brilliantly and we are delighted to have run Stock Market Challenge here at Writhlington."

 

St. Edward's School launches Dealing Room game

02/12/2008

The new Dealing Room game was launched at St. Edward's School in Poole. 25 Year 10 Business Studies students took part in an compettive and challenging lesson led by Colin Kilpatrick, Head of Business Studies.

The focus of this particular activity was to teach the difference between Private and Public Limited Companies, and then to analyse the impact of external and internal factors on the price of shares and exchange rates.

Colin said, “The anticipation of this exciting acitivity was enough to give a heightened level of concentration. The impact on their learning was immediate and progression superb. I told them to leave for break mid-way through and was completely ignored!”

The students were asked to describe their experience of the game in one phrase:

"I felt the power of making money at my finger-tips."
"Exciting, enjoyable, educating and entertaining."
"Fun, challenging & rewarding."
"What a classy game!"
"Brilliant. It's one of those games you have to play."

St. Edward's School is is a joint Roman Catholic - Church of England VA school, one of just a few nationally. The school challenges every student to strive for the highest standard of personal, social and intellectual development, and aim for excellence in all they do.

 

Stock Market Challenge for Birmingham Schools

01/12/2008

The credit crunch may be taking its toll of stock markets around the world, but a group of aspiring fund managers at a Birmingham school seem to have the secret of success on the trading floor.

Schoolchildren across Birmingham were invited to experience the bear pit atmosphere of financial dealing rooms when the Stock Market Challenge came to the city's Council House. The finance learning and skills development event gave year 10 pupils the chance to experience the excitement of trading just like real- life brokers.

After being given an initial £15,000 investment, each team had to interpret and analyse information from the Stock Market to finance their deals and build a portfolio of shares during an intense two hours of simulated live trading.

And pupils (pictured) from King Edward VI Aston School proved they had business acumen, after turning their £15,000 into a winning portfolio worth £57,800. A member of the winning team said proudly: "We are really delighted to have won and loved the excitement of trading on a live market against other schools."

The runner-up spot went to Broadway School, in Perry Barr, with Grace Academy, in Chelmsley Wood, third.

 

Chancellor meets students on trading floor

28/09/2008

In May 2008 at Firrhill High School in Edinburgh, during Scotland's Global Financial Services Week, Stock Market Challenge was demonstrated to an audience of government representatives that included the Minster for Education in Scotland, Fiona Hyslop, and The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling.

Stock Market Challenge was also featured in The Strategy for the Financial Services Industry in Scotland's 2008 Annual Report. The 7 inter-schools and 3 undergraduate events were cited as one of the way in which the financial services sector and Skills Scotland is meeting the objective of 'Strengthening the world-class workforce'.

 

10 Lane Learning
The School House
The Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel
Vineyards
Bath
BA1 5NA
E: info@stockmarketchallenge.co.uk
T: 01225 484 721
F: 01225 338 317