A SCHOOL has won a national award for their entrepreneur skills and will be awarded at the House of Commons.

Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (DACA) has been given the award for Building Enterprise Skills, one of four Enterprising Britain Awards in 2018 announced by Small Business minster Kelly Tolhurst.

The award celebrates the work of organisations, which support entrepreneurship with young people. The school were chosen due to their Team Academy curriculum followed by year seven and eight pupils.

The organisers said: "The judges were impressed with the academy’s highly innovative approach that puts the development of entrepreneurial skills at the heart of the school’s delivery of learning.

"DACA students can run a company or social enterprise in response to genuine customer needs, providing real services and products."

Academy Principal Lisa Dolan, said: "We are extremely proud and pleased to win this award that recognises the success of our approach to creating opportunities for students to build their enterprise skills.

"As a result of this focus both in and outside of curriculum time, our students have developed resilience, confidence, can-do attitudes and are able to learn more independently."

DACA is one of the Aldridge schools with a unique flexible workspaces for young entrepreneurs from the local community housed inside the school at its Bridge Business Centre.

Commercial Director of the Empine Group, who started their business at DACA, Jacob Knowles said: "It is great to hear that DACA has won this award.

"Over the years the Academy has given us a strong foundation for our business growth as part of Aldridge Creates at DACA’s Bridge Business Centre.

"We are now moving to premises nine times the size of our current unit; we are working with clients across the UK; and have delivered print to clients in a number of countries."