Sponsors
Week 1
Team name: Penn Pals
Tell us what you have been doing this week
This week Reception children discussed and completed the initial survey sheet. we discussed what a business was and talked about possible future careers and work ethic. Karla. Matt and Sarah came into school to meet the children and tell them about their roles at Playdale Playgrounds. They then had a meeting with Mrs Hockaday to discuss ideas.
What did you learn this week?
This week we have valued opportunities to share our ideas in class, with colleagues and with Playdale Staff. It has been exciting to see how different ideas can be amalgamated to create our own social business, valuing each parties suggestions and creating a sense of ownership by all.
What did you find difficult this week?
Explaining the concept of a business to such young children! Having Playdale staff in school, alongside our newly installed equipment onsite, was very beneficial, making the concept real.
Playdale Playgrounds staff join our Class Council meeting
'Penn Pals' ideas to inspire our writing
Matt helped us create a logo from our individual ideas.
AA parent who has a hospitality business came in to help with 'Pop Up Café' staff training!
Week 2
Tell us what you have been doing this week
We finalised the format of our Penn Pals mornings. The children all designed a Penn Pals logo at home with their families. Matt from Playdale came into school to help us combine ideas to create our logo. He then took the sketch back to Sarah to produce a digital graphic design. Matt brought us some prototype coasters from Playdale off cuts, to make as a Coronation Keepsake. We have made invitations, bunting and have costed and purchased resources, including crockery and keyrings. A team from Playdale were on our school site on Friday installing benches , we went out to interview them.
What did you learn this week?
We learnt about different roles in a business. Matt kindly recorded a virtual tour of Playdale for us. A parent in our class who has a hospitality business also recorded a tour and came in to help with staff training!
What did you find difficult this week?
Time to fit in the different activities ready for our launch next week. Finding cross curricular links and flexibilty in the timetable helped.
Week 3
Tell us what you have been doing this week
During the week we allocated roles in our business. We interviewed the children interested in each position. We then gathered all the resources needed for each job role in the cafe.we also researched the Coronation, Royal Family and traditions. We looked at preparations in London and created our own mock Coronation presentation as entertainment at our Penn Pals Launch, which took place on Friday.
What did you learn this week?
This week we learnt about the importance of having all resources ready. There was a lot to prepare for the launch, however we have laminated resources and found storage boxes etc to organise everything needed. This will enable the cafe to be a manageable and sustainable pop up event each week.
What did you find difficult this week?
There was a lot to prepare with thirty very small staff! We had many lists, but great team work between staff, parent helpers and Playdale made sure the event was a huge success.
Penn Pals Pop up Cafe Launch was a great success and very popular event.
The entertainment at our Lanch was fit for a king!
Learning a new skill at 'Penn Pals' cookery school
Drawing portraits together, taking turns and sharing our talents.
Week 4
Tell us what you have been doing this week
This week we invited two retired members of our school community to come in to bake cakes with us for our pop up café. We discussed ideas for the activity and decided to have an art portraits task as we have many talented artists in our class. and this linked with our drawings of Queen Victoria last week. We watched You Tube tutorials on how to draw portraits to develop our skills. We researched famous portrait artists from the past and then created our own artwork copies of the originals to sell at the café. We created an artists studio in the hall and sourced easels, resources and costumes.
What did you learn this week?
We found that we could learn new skills by researching on the internet and by involving the community. We improved our café organisation by assigning waiters and waitresses to tables and having more 'front of house' staff. We organised resources so that they were easily accessible for each job role
What did you find difficult this week?
Finding adult staff to help, it was SATs week for KS2 and many were needed for other tasks. We needed to find times around the school day, for example taking one of the children shopping after school.
Week 5
Tell us what you have been doing this week
We ran our third and most successful coffee morning this week. Return visitors and new faces attended and we made our biggest profit so far. We maximised on the good weather and devised an outdoor treasure hunt around our school grounds with the children dressed as pirates. The children felt very important as they had to help our visitors including elderly members of our community. We sold cakes to other members of our school community and had a stall at the end of the morning for our visitors to take home.
What did you learn this week?
We have learned that with practise things are more time efficient eg setting up and putting away. Delegating jobs from the beginning has meant the the children are gaining experience in their role. We learnt how to map read with the help of Mett's map and make creative clues for a treasure hunt.
What did you find difficult this week?
We had to wait until the day before finalising plans for a n outdoor session. It rained over night, we couldn't' set up the trail until last minute The children wanted to make a full size pirate ship!
One of our pirate crew ready to assist our visitors!
Penn Pals big and small enjoying a pirate treasure hunt together
News is spreading! Increasing numbers at our coffee mornings.
Sports day themed activities .included victors' egg and spoon race and a long distance walk and talk event !with Penn Pals tall and small!
Week 6
Tell us what you have been doing this week
This week we invited a parent who owns a local café to come and bake with us and talk about her business. We had a visit from 2 managers of AE Yates who built the new roundabout near school and funded our outdoor classroom and some of our Playdale equipment. We shared our business news and talked about our roles and comaparisions with theirs. We decided on a mini sports day activity as we had had sports day on the Tues. We invited our Penn Pal visitors to join in the egg and spoon and long distance talk and walk, with Penn Pals tall and small we made and threw wild flower bombs together.
What did you learn this week?
We learnt the importance of businesses working together, as with the outdoor project in our grounds, Playdale, school and A E Yates/Highways. We learnt the importance of all the background work at different levels and an appreciation that things don't just magically appear! Careers advice too!
What did you find difficult this week?
We had 7 children absent and had to redeploy the staff! The Playdale team were also not able to come so we needed to ask for volunteers and take staff from other classes. It is a popular event!
Week 7 - half term
Wonderful feedback from all our Penn Pals.
Reading together in the sunshine
Each Penn Pal member of staff tells you about their business
Week 8
Tell us what you have been doing this week
This week we sent feedback questionnaires home with the children for them to reflect on their role and the success of the business. We also gave our visitors a feedback sheet and asked for ideas for future cafes. We created two videos to send for the competition, one compiled by the children. We have discussed the need to continue with the Penn Pals coffee mornings and have put an advert in our newsletter advertising monthly coffee mornings for the next academic year. We made our end of project video and played this to our Penn Pal visitors at the reading pop up coffee morning.What did you learn this week?
We practised independent reading for the reading activity. We leant how to make a video and how to summarise and present information to an audience. We found out we are going to visit Playdale on our school trip.What did you find difficult this week?
5 staff not present in school due to a residential so had to ask for staff from other classes as the children need supervision and help carrying hot drinks. Compiling the video in 2 to 3 mins!For pupils to answer:
In one sentence please tell us what bright stars has meant to you?
“We have run our own business, we enjoyed our jobs. We are pleased we made so many people happy. We made mummies and daddies proud of us (and nannas and grandads and my cousin!)”
For teachers to answer:
Can you tell us the impact this programme has had on your school?
The impact has been overwhelming. We feel very emotional about the difference it has made to so many people through the feedback we have received. The children’s confidence has grown week by week and their interactions with our visitors have been so rewarding. We have felt well supported by Playdale and now as staff have a greater awareness of all aspects of running a business. The Penn Pals coffee mornings are to be continued once a month next academic year. We feel very proud of our children and of our teaching team. A comment from a recently bereaved lady said that her Friday mornings at Penn Pals, surrounded by the children and being able to chat to other elderly members of the community, have filled her with warmth and joy.
Please provide your business plan.
Please provide your marketing plan.
Please provide your finance report/template.
