PUPILS from Horrabridge Primary School proved that they have a real head for business when they visited the Moorland Garden Hotel recently and struck a deal with the general manager, Frank Postel.

The children, aged between seven and nine years old, have spent the last three months working on a business idea to raise money for some new equipment at their school, and with help and guidance from Plymouth based company The Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) they have produced a calendar that is turning over a tidy profit.

The Calendar 'Dartmoor Discoveries, A River Journey' has been entirely designed and produced by the children with help from contacts in the business community made through RIO.

Project manager and freelancer Ben Gavan said: 'The calendar is just the end product of a very involved and exciting project. Their work has included exploring key communication and organisation skills that they can develop and transfer into the business world.

'It has been a pleasure to watch them develop through the process.'

School teacher Hannah Downing said that the project was a complete success and gave the children more than just an understanding of business, and an enthusiasm that the structure of a normal school curriculum could not usually muster: 'This project encompassed so many critical areas of learning; geography – learning about the rivers Walkham, Meavy and Plym, maths, handling money, art — the photography was entirely done by the children with cameras lent by RIO, Design Technology in the process of making the calendar, Literacy in the persuasive letter writing and so many more.

'It's about making their learning real; their river study could have been about facts and history, but this gives a real, enthusiastic purpose to their learning.'

Year four pupil Jadine Yelland said: 'I really enjoyed going to the rivers and learning to take photos.

'It's taught me about business and what I would like to do; I would like to be a poet and make more calendars. I think we're going to make a lot of money for the school, because they are good calendars and have been made by children so everyone has to buy them!'

Frank Postel, general manager at the Moorland Garden Hotel was impressed with the enthusiasm and creativity of the children he met.

He said: 'What I found most inspiring was the way that they understood that hard work can lead to a bonus, a profit. What they put in, they get out.

'They told me that they have already made £400 for the school and that they hope to make at least £1,000.

'We have bought some calendars to give as presents to the guests that stay with us over Christmas, but the children were very persuasive and I am taking some more from them to sell at reception to the guests of the hotel and visitors to our Wildflower Restaurant.

'I am sure that they will sell quickly.'