A group of talented sixth formers from Samuel Whitbread Academy in Shefford won through from a hotly-contested regional heat for a prestigious numbers-based competition to a national final.

A team of Year 12 and Year 13 brainboxes competed against 10 other schools in an Institute of Chartered Accountants national Business and Accounting competition for students in school or college aged between 16 to 19, called BASE.

The talented teens worked as a team to analyse data about a company, and then presented their findings and recommendations to the ‘board’ of a company to advise them on their future strategy.

The Shefford group received a range of compliments from the judges who noted their excellent team work. The panel were also impressed with how the youngsters dealt with a huge volume of data.

Year 13 student, Emily Kane, said: “The event was really beneficial for understanding more about apprenticeships and careers in accountancy.

“It gave me an insight into what a typical day may be like for an accountant.

“There was a lot of information given and we had to work as a team to analyse the information in a short amount of time.”

Year 12 student, Kieran Drakes, added: “It was so surprising when we found out we had won, it felt incredible for our hard work to have paid off!”

The competition provided a unique and exciting experience where the students were able to actively engage in a business challenge allowing them to develop employability skills and understand what it’s like to be a chartered accountant.

Head of Business at the Samuel Whitbread Academy, Claire Denny, explained: “We are extremely proud of the team.

“They approached the task in a professional manner impressing the judges with their teamwork, organisation and focus on meeting the client requirements.” The students will now be competing in the National Final in June against 42 other schools.