A TEAM of four students from Callington Community College has out-performed the FTSE 100 share index and secured its place in the semi-finals of a national investment competition.

The Troup Intl team managed to beat not only the professionals, but also more than 30,000 other students across the UK in the IFS Student Investor Challenge.

Students Aidan Haynes, Elliot Tratt, Fred Stephens and Jack Troup made nearly £20,000 dealing in virtual shares in just three short months of trading — and will now represent their school at the semi-finals, to be held in March.

If successful at the semi-final stage, they will have the chance of making it through to the national final in April, where an all-expenses paid educational trip to New York and £2,000 for their school is up for grabs.

The free to enter competition, run by IFS University College and supported by Bloomberg, provides teams with £100,000 of virtual money to buy and sell shares in FTSE 100 companies.

The competition gives teams of four students, aged between 14 and 19, the opportunity to experience the dynamic world of share dealing and investing in the stock market.

Now in its 20th year, the competition is the largest of its kind in the UK and is also open to international students.

Ian Barnes, from Callington Community College, said: 'I am absolutely delighted that these students have done so well.

'They have shown real entrepreneurial skills in a real world context and made a huge effort to progress so far.'

Alison Pask, vice principal at IFS University College, said: 'This competition gives students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of making investment decisions, which will benefit them throughout their lives when making financial choices.

'It also introduces them to core concepts such as risk, reward and diversification.

'This is a real achievement and many congratulations go to the team from Callington Community College.'

IFS University College is the 'university college for financial education'.

It has a remit to provide the financial services industry with a skilled, effective and competent workforce while also promoting a better understanding of finance among consumers and young people.