Year 9 pupils stepped into the Dragons’ Den on Thursday and Friday this week as they presented their inventions to their fellow classmates as well as the three Dragons: Miss Mills, Mr Harris and Mr Healy.

After being introduced using the official Dragons’ Den intro music, pupils then fielded questions after their pitches.

Working together in teams, pupils were tasked to design an invention which will help to overcome a common problem and create a sales pitch to persuade investors.

A variety of ideas were pitched, from eco-machines that collect junk floating around in space, to drones flying over the world’s oceans to collect and dispose of floating rubbish; even an idea of a special scented gum to prevent Airpods from falling out of ears was pitched. The excellent creativity of the pupils was evident for everyone to see.

In a slight twist to the television programme, the Dragons marked pitches on five different areas out of a total possible score of 50, rather than the TV programme’s usual route of either an investment in a business or the famous words ‘I’m out’.

In a close competition, the top three pitches and products were revealed. In third place was Laurie and Finn’s Industrial Roomba, an unmanned device that scours the streets and collects rubbish with its robotic arms. In second place were Eli, Indi, Maisie and Anna with their Big Hair Tube, a portable, rechargeable device that has a variety of attachments to instantly style hair. And finally, in first place, was Ayden and Jackson’s invention, Sea Glider, an electric amphibious car that comes with its own water ski to seamlessly transform from road driving to sea surfing.

A very fun, informative and creative couple of days was had and all pupils should be proud of themselves for not only standing up and presenting in front of a crowd but doing it so professionally and maturely.