16 December 2019

Westhill Primary School fundraiser brings in the "dough" for charity

In mid-November, the P5 class from Westhill Primary School embarked on their enterprise project, Cosy Dough Co. The project involved the production and packaging of Christmas-scented play dough, which the students sold at the local Christmas fayre. 

For each day of the project, the class learned a different aspect of running a company. They participated in activities around product development and production, packaging, branding, marketing, advertising, and sales. Every stage of their learning was shared on the school Twitter account (see below).

On the day of the fayre, teams of classmates sold over 150 mince pie and peppermint scented play doughs to the school community. They earned a total profit of £180 from the fayre – the parent council then contributed to this amount, raising the funds to £240.

The P5 class collectively agreed to put their earnings towards the Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) food bank. They contacted the Tesco in Westhill to request permission for a “supermarket sweep” – the students will work in six groups to collect essential Christmas food items, which they will then donate to CFINE.

Tesco have donated an additional £60 to the initiative, raising the students’ funds to £300.

Claire Cooper, primary teacher at Westhill Primary School, said: “I’m so proud of how well the class have worked together. It has been excellent to watch each child develop new skills, talents and confidence as they have worked through each part of their business. CFINE is a wonderful charity to support, and the students have been motivated by the thought of helping others at Christmas."

The supermarket sweep will take place on Tuesday 17th December at 11am.

Westhill Primary’s Cosy Dough Co. initiative reflects the values of “Developing the Young Workforce” (DYW). DYW is integrated into the curriculum of Aberdeenshire schools, offering introductory career education to students of all ages. Westhill Primary exemplifies these values by teaching the students important business and intrapersonal skills. 

As part of the DYW agenda secondary students are given the option of foundation apprenticeships, where they gain practical work experience in a field of their interest.  Westhill Primary also benefits from hosting Foundation Apprentices in Children and Young People from Westhill Academy.

Cllr Gillian Owen, Chair of Education and Children’s Services at Aberdeenshire Council, said: “The DYW program is tremendously beneficial to students, as it equips them with the necessary skills and values needed for their future careers. Foundation apprenticeships deepen this understanding by acquainting secondary students with a professional environment and helping them focus their career interests.”

“I have no doubt that primary students benefit from an introduction to these skills, which they can carry into an apprenticeship if they choose.”

Aberdeenshire Council has now well over 200 foundation apprenticeships running at a secondary level. This program will open for applications again in February 2020.

To find more information on the P5 students’ learning process during the Cosy Dough project, visit the Westhill Primary Twitter: @WesthillSch