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'This has helped them to stand out from the crowd'

21 Mar 2017
Premier League Enterprise Challenge final, the Pingle School

Assistant head of winning school on the impact the Premier League Enterprise Challenge will have on students

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The Pingle School's victory in the final of the 2017 Premier League Enterprise Challenge maintained an impressive record the Derbyshire school has in the competition.

It was the second time that the school representing Derby County had reached the final, the previous time coming in 2015.

See: Pingle School wins PL Enterprise Challenge

For the school's assistant headteacher Deb Holland, who attended this year's final at the EY offices in London, irrespective of emerging triumphant from six schools, the experience of taking part in the competition will have a big impact on the team. 

Premier League Enterprise Challenge final, the Pingle School
The Pingle School worked hard to perfect their pitch over the last five months

"Schools are very exam focused but there's more to being a young person entering the world of work,” Holland said. "It's about these sorts of experiences.

"You want to make sure that you are confident and you can stand up and present.

See: Paphitis on why Pingle won

"A programme like this makes you stand out from the crowd. Having the confidence to say yes to something is an important skill to give the young people.

"Say yes to something, seize it and you never know. You can end up in all sorts of places.

"At the final we were working in an office in this amazing building in London, next to people going about their daily working life.

"Having the confidence to say yes to something is an important skill to give the young people"

Deb Holland, Pingle School

"For our students from a comprehensive school in Swadlincote, it makes them feel they can do that because they are as good as anybody."

The Pingle School is one of 100 schools that took part in this year's PL Enterprise Challenge, with 30 Premier League and Football League clubs engaging 600 young people.

The competition, run in partnership with Sport Relief, uses football to engage young people in business activities and has been running since 2009 with 11,000 young people engaged to date.

See: PL Enterprise Challenge gallery

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