Nearly 300 students from Year 9 at the Arthur Terry School took part in a Dragons’ Den-style business pitch challenge.

‘RGWM’ – Regenerate West Midlands – was launched via remote video by West Midlands mayor, Andy Street.

There with dragons representing Toyota GB, BBC, Careers Enterprise Company, NHS, Pathway CTM and Birmingham City Council all supporting the event.

The students’ brief was to design a concept and pitch for an urban regeneration project which had to be fresh and innovative, financially viable, underpinned by green sustainable credentials and had to benefit the majority of demographics, with mitigations in place, for those who might be negatively impacted by the ‘dreamed up’ initiatives.

The top two pitches were: ‘Spray My City’, which sought to engage local citizens with regionally-recognised artists to turn vandalised graffiti into living art exhibitions, and ‘Sensory Spaces’, aimed to afford citizens pop-up spaces to seek solace or vent their rage in sound-proofed converted telephone boxes.

Students were both helped and appraised by the external business mentors.

Alexander Zarifeh, director of careers at Arthur Terry School, part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP), said: “I was thrilled to see the year 9 students engage with RGWM challenge in such an enthusiastic way.

“What with all the disruption of lock down and need to cram content upon their return, this collapsed timetable event, gave the students something, fun, challenging, creative and competitive to thrown themselves into – they certainly did that, and some!

“Thanks to all the dragons and Andy Street for generously volunteering their time to be part of this exciting event.”

The dragons will be back again next year to present new challenges to both year nine and year 12 sixth formers.

Businesses interested in partnering in next year’s event can contact Arthur Terry’s director of careers at azarifeh@arthurterry.bham.sch.uk

Pictured: Teacher Nick Blunt and three Year 9 pupils