Students from Vanguard School in Lambeth have secured a double win at a borough-wide Social Enterprise Academy Dragons’ Den event, with both of their student-led projects receiving funding and awards.
Two groups of Year 10 students from the specialist school for autistic young people developed social enterprise ideas aimed at improving student wellbeing through extracurricular activities. Their projects – an after school club and a games club – focused on creating inclusive spaces for students to connect and unwind.
The event, held at Lambeth College, brought together schools from across the area to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Vanguard students presented independently, showing confidence, clear communication and strong teamwork.
Both projects were awarded £50 in funding – a real achievement, as it is uncommon for all entries from one school to be funded. The students also received the Inclusivity & Wellbeing Champions Award and the Best Leadership Award.
The initiatives were developed through the Social Enterprise Schools programme, which supports young people to identify issues they care about and take action through student-led enterprises.
Zarko Zahariev, Careers Lead and Head of PE and Sixth Form at Vanguard School, said:
“We are extremely proud of our students and how they represented the school. They showed confidence, independence and real commitment to their ideas throughout the programme. Presenting at the event was a big step for many of them, and it was fantastic to see their efforts recognised with both funding and awards.”
The project helped students build confidence, communication skills and experience of working as a team, while developing ideas to support their peers.
Vanguard School is part of Liberty Academy Trust.
