Students at Alde Valley School in Leiston are putting their entrepreneurial skills to the test in a national competition sponsored by Dragon’s Den star Peter Jones.

Youngsters from school years eight, nine and 11 have started trading in companies they have formed after being awarded funding for the Tycoon in Schools 2014 event.

Competition is tougher than ever this year with participation up more than 40% since Mr Jones launched the event with the mission to put enterprise at the heart of the education system.

Funnelling 4 Fuel, from Avonbourne College in Bournemouth, were crowned winners of the 2013 event for their eco-friendly enterprise that used recycled cooking oil as fuel to run their college minibuses, with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of their school

Students from Alde Valley received a Tycoon in Schools pack, which includes calculators, pens, lapel badges and personalised business cards, to help run their companies – Chocopoly, Crafty cakes, Quotees and Ideas.

Winners of the special awards for Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 will be announced in February at a ceremony in London.