As the new school term gets underway across Scotland, business savvy pupils from Burgh Primary School in Rutherglen, Glasgow are celebrating the success of their entrepreneurial skills, developed through Virgin Money’s Make £5 Grow initiative.
The programme challenged 21 pupils from primary 5 and 6 to turn a £5 per person loan into a profitable mini business. Working in teams, the children developed product ideas, created marketing plans, and sold their handmade goods - including bracelets, canvases and homemade pizza and smoothies - at school events such as parents’ evening.
Burgh Primary School made an impressive profit, and they plan to use the money to fund a well-deserved pizza party for the pupils - a celebration chosen by the children themselves, giving them a real sense of ownership and reward for their hard work.
Joanna Mullaney, teacher at Burgh Primary school, said: "The children have absolutely loved taking part in Make £5 Grow. It’s been incredible to see their creativity, confidence, and money skills flourish as they explore new concepts like entrepreneurship. Their enthusiasm is amazing, it’s like watching mini business leaders in action.
"From a teaching perspective, it’s been a joy to witness their development, and I’d recommend the programme to every primary school. It’s even sparked excitement across the school, with other classes eager to know when it’ll be their turn, it’s become the talk of the playground."
The impressive performance from Burgh Primary comes as research1 commissioned by Virgin Money reveals that four in five (83%) children aged 9–11 aspire to start their own business in the future, and 71% want to learn how to do so at school. The study also found that 88% of children have saved money for something specific, with an average saving of £57, and nearly two-thirds (64%) would prefer to invest to earn more in the future rather than spend it, if they were given £5.
Burgh Primary pupils are clearly part of this ambitious generation. Here’s what some of the primary 6 pupils had to say about taking part in Make £5 Grow:
Layla, said: "Make £5 Grow is such a fun programme! I really enjoyed it because we got to work together and everyone had their own role. Making our own products was the best part - it felt so cool to create something ourselves!"
Freja, added: "I’d definitely recommend it to other schools - it’s the best! I loved going around the different classes to sell our products, and selling at parents’ evening was really fun too!"
Watch what else teachers and pupils said they enjoyed most about participating in Make £5 Grow in this YouTube video. Link opens in a new window
Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen Constituency, said: "I was delighted to hear about the success of the Make £5 Grow project at Burgh Primary.
"It’s clear that the pupils have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the project, as well as of course learning new skills and developing their confidence.
"Financial education is so important, and it’s wonderful to see young people engaging with it at such an early stage, especially in such an immediate and fun way."
Jasmin Sanghera, community manager at Virgin Money, added: "It’s inspiring to see how pupils at Burgh Primary School have embraced the Make £5 Grow programme with such creativity and enthusiasm.
"Watching young minds turn a simple £5 loan into a mini business is exactly what this initiative is all about - building confidence, teamwork, and essential money skills in a fun and practical way. Their success shows just how powerful hands-on learning can be, and we’re proud to have supported the next generation of entrepreneurs."
Make £5 Grow is an exciting and engaging project by Virgin Money designed for school pupils aged 9-11 years old. It aims to foster creativity while equipping young people with essential financial knowledge and money management skills.
Participating children are encouraged to develop innovative business ideas and generate a profit for their school, using a £5 loan per child from Virgin Money. The programme provides pupils with an insight into how the world of business and finance works. It helps them to build key money management skills by starting a small business, with access to a Virgin Money Business Ambassador for business support and a and a suite of curriculum-based classroom tools, which have been accredited as a financial education resource by Young Enterprise. The schools keep any profit made after repaying the initial £5 loan.
Launched in 2011, Make £5 Grow has supported over 200,000 pupils from over 3,000 schools. For more information or to find out how a school can take part in the programme, visit: https://make-5-grow.co.uk/ Link opens in a new window
About the research
1Research carried out with 1,000 UK children aged 9-11 (via their parents) by One Poll in March 2025.