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A group of Year 12 students from Westminster City School took part in the Future Investors Challenge Investment Programme with Jupiter Asset Management, ‘a six-month investment competition designed to introduce students to the world of finance and investing’.

Students worked together in teams with the support of industry mentors where they had to manage a virtual investment portfolio worth £5 million, making trading decisions and responding to market changes throughout the programme.

The Westminster City School team which was made up of Tolu, Paula, Nasseneba, Veronika and Alexandra achieved second place at the programme’s final presentation evening.

Year 12 student Paula shared her thoughts on what it was like to be part of this programme. She said:

“The programme gave us insight into how the stock market works over a long period of time. Every fortnight, we reviewed our portfolio and made decisions about which companies to invest in and which to replace.

“We also met regularly at the Jupiter offices with our mentors to discuss our strategy and performance.”

As part of the challenge, students were also asked to present an analysis of one company from their portfolio to other participating teams.The team chose the airline company Wizz Air as the one that they would talk about for their presentation, where they discussed both the opportunities and risks involved in the investment.

“We looked at the return on investment, some of the challenges we faced and our predictions for the future. Presenting our ideas to other groups really helped build my confidence.”

Over the course of the programme, the team grew their portfolio from £5 million to approximately £6.3 million.

Year 12 student Tolu also shared what this experience was like for her. She said:

“One of the most valuable parts of the programme was having to clearly justify our decisions, especially during the presentation evening where we explained why we believed our investment in Wizz Air was strong and responded to questions about our reasoning.

“We also reflected on how external events, such as the Iran conflict, affected the company’s performance.”

Tolu added that the experience helped her develop a wide range of skills and not just financial literacy. She said:

“While I’m not pursuing a career in finance, the challenge helped me develop skills that are directly relevant to law, mostly critical analysis, building strong arguments and communicating ideas clearly and confidently.

“It also reinforced the importance of considering different perspectives before reaching a judgement.

“Working closely together over a long period of time helped us build strong relationships as a group. We learned how to challenge and support each other’s ideas effectively, which made the experience even more valuable.”

Tolu is currently studying A-Level Sociology, Politics and Religious Studies and is considering a career in Law after completing her Sixth Form journey. Additionally, Paula, who is currently studying A-Level Business, Economics and Psychology, hopes to pursue a future career in data analytics within the business and technology sector.

Overall, this programme gave students important insight into investment management, financial decision-making and the range of skills developed through analysing markets and presenting investment strategies. Thank you to the team at Jupiter Asset Management for this incredible opportunity for our Sixth Form students.