Year 10 team - the business

Seven Year 10 pupils from the school were among 266 teams which entered the Yell Make Your Mark Challenge earlier this year.

After winning their regional heat, they joined 10 other schools at the two-day final held in London last week to battle it out for first place.

The pupils: James Askew, Sarah Kempson, Jess Matthews, Michael McConville, Rachel O'Brien, Jules Tennant and Jordan Wade, won 5,000 for the school as well as 200 of music vouchers each.

They were also presented with a glass, star-shaped trophy by entrepreneur Ivan Massow, BBC Breakfast presenter Declan Curry and Ann Franck, chief marketing officer at Yell.

Their challenge was to produce and market a new drink and pitch their idea to a panel of judges.

The Littlehampton entry was the Chocromize smoothie, made with strawberries, bananas and chocolate.

After a blind-folded taste test by Nikki Elphick, new product development manager from drinks manufacturer Innocent, the Chocromize emerged as the favourite.

But it was the pupils' pitch for their idea and slick advertising campaign that sealed the win, further proving the school's standing as a centre for business excellence.

James Collett, business studies and accounting teacher at the school, coached the pupils in the build-up to the competition and joined them on the trip.

Speaking after the event, Mr Collett said: "The team were fantastic. They worked really well together under a lot of pressure.

"They only had an hour and a half to come up with their advertising campaign and at one point I didn't think they were going to do it but they came through brilliantly.

"It's a very prestigious award and has really boosted their confidence.

"This shows that the school is really driving the pupils and that as a school we have a determination to succeed."

Alun Michael, Minister of Industry and the Regions, who closed the event with an address to the students, said: "The winners and all the schools that competed have done amazingly well.

"I am sure I have been shaking hands with the Richard Bransons and Anita Roddicks of the future. I hope these awards will inspire our next generation of entrepreneurs to turn their bright ideas into successful business ventures."