Habs Changemakers: Year 5 Pupils Pitch for Social Good in Dragon’s Den Final

On Friday 20 June, Year 5 pupils from all five Haberdashers’ primary schools came together at Haberdashers’ Hatcham College for the grand final of the Habs Changemakers Dragon’s Den Competition — a powerful showcase of pupil-led social action.

Part of the Haberdashers’ Advantage character curriculum, Habs Changemakers is a flagship initiative that challenges Year 5 children to lead meaningful change within their school or local community. Working in teams, every pupil takes on a role — whether as a presenter, researcher, fundraiser, or campaigner — to develop and deliver a project that addresses a real-world issue they care about.

The Dragon’s Den final was a celebration of this work, with teams from each school pitching their ideas to an esteemed panel of judges:

• Jan Shadick, CEO of Haberdashers’ Academies Trust South

• Sarah Mitchell, Senior Director for School Improvement at the Trust

• Niamh McGuinness, Head of School, Haberdashers' Hatcham College

• Shaninga Marasha, CEO, BIGKID Foundation

• Susan Barry, Director for Charities, Haberdashers’ Company

Our young changemakers impressed the panel not only with their creativity and clarity but also with the thoughtfulness behind each project. From tackling loneliness and food poverty to improving mental wellbeing and fitness, each team demonstrated empathy, leadership and a strong sense of citizenship — skills that are integral to the Trust’s Habs Teaching & Learning Principles and the development of character. 

All schools participating in the programme are recognised with a Super Kind Award, which forms part of the Social Impact Schools Award. This acknowledges pupils who take part in volunteering, fundraising and awareness-raising efforts — and encourages them to continue making a difference long after the final pitch is over.

This year’s projects:

• Haberdashers' Knights Primary – Project Kindness aimed to spread kindness around the school. The team proposed installing a Buddy Bench in the playground, where children who feel lonely can sit and be invited to join in by others.

• Haberdashers' Crayford Primary – Focused on tackling poor mental health and loneliness in the community. The team handed out flowers locally to brighten people’s days and visited Darent Valley Hospital to sing to patients and staff.

• Haberdashers' Hatcham Primary – Designed a Fitness Circuit project to support their school community in becoming fitter and healthier, offering access to structured physical activity.

• Haberdashers' Hatcham Free School – One class created care packs containing toiletries and food items for people experiencing homelessness, working with charities and shelters to distribute them.
  The second class partnered with their local food bank to support access to nutritious food, recognising the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on families.

• Haberdashers' Slade Green Primary – the winning school for the third year running. The Slade Green Fingers team set out to “put the green back into Slade Green” by creating a garden for every class. The team highlighted the benefits of nature on wellbeing and raised £1,000 to plant fruit and vegetables, which they hope will be used by school caterers. 

The Habs Changemakers programme is supported by the SuperKind curriculum, which offers a flexible six-lesson structure to help children explore causes they care about, understand how to take action, and see the value in giving back to their communities.

Congratulations to the winning team from Slade Green Primary, whose compelling project presentation impressed judges and peers alike.  Well done to all our Year 5 pupils. 

This year’s Dragon’s Den event was a powerful reminder that age is no barrier to impact — and that when young people are given the opportunity, they can lead the way in making our schools and communities kinder, stronger and more connected.