Colyton Grammar School team will represent the south west at national competition

Business-savvy pupils from Colyton Grammar School have reached the finals of a national business and accounting competition.

They beat off a challenge from 13 other local teams to win the Exeter heat of the contest - BASE - organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

They will now go on to represent the South West at the national final which takes place in Birmingham next June.

This was one of 49 heats attracting more than 3,000 pupils around the country.

BASE – the national Business Accounting and Skills Education contest - links schools, pupils and employers to develop employability skills and provide an insight into what a career in accountancy, business and finance might be like.

Assuming the role of ICAEW chartered accountants, the students had two hours to analyse a business situation, before presenting their ideas to a panel of top business professionals.

Jon Blake, ICAEW regional director South West, said: “We were really impressed with the team’s performance and shrewd thinking. These budding business advisers looked beyond the numbers. They showed they had an excellent instinct for business and ethics in order to give well-rounded advice. I expect I’ll be seeing more of these young people in leading roles in the future.”

Head judge and ICAEW chartered accountants’ South West vice president, John Ashley said: “In the presentations, we looked for the ethical and financial data to support their decisions. Colyton Grammar showed excellent teamwork and role allocation in delivering a very comprehensive recommendation. The team from Truro School were the runners-up and all teams can be rightly proud of their achievements in dealing with a very challenging business challenge.”

The BASE competition was supported by local firms including KPMG, PwC, Bishop Fleming, Francis Clark, Thomas Westcott, Albert Goodman, Old Mill, Simpkins Edwards, Lang Bennetts, Eco-Positive, Kaplan, Gooch and Housego plc and Pooley’s Accountants, who provided professional mentors and judges.

For further information about BASE, visit icaew.com/base