Make your Mark — with a tenner!

STUDENTS at a school in Oldham have until the end of the month to turn a £10 loan from one of the stars of “Dragon’s Den” into profit.

St Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic School is taking part in the Government-backed scheme which sees pupils handed £10 to find the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

Peter Jones, one of the infamous stars of the BBC’s popular programme, is among the successful businessmen to have dipped into his own pocket to stump up the tenners.

Along with funding from Michael and Xochi Birch, who recently sold social networking site Bebo for £850 million and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, some 20,000 youngsters have been loaned £10.

Mr Jones said he hoped by putting up his own money he could “show young people that, by acting on an enterprising idea, it is possible to both make money and make a difference.”

Bryan Beckingham, of Oldham’s National Union of Teachers said: “If it helps them learn the value of money then that is not a bad thing and about using money and doing something with it.

“While it is a good idea to learn the value of money it is good to learn it in a social context so it means something. They also need to know the value of not doing this motivated by money but just to help people.”

Last night Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said he hoped the ‘Make Your Mark with a Tenner’ scheme can move youngsters from a “‘can I?’ to an ‘I can’ culture”.

Lord Mandelson said: “Supporting young people in enterprise is a long-term investment for the future and crucial for success in today’s economy.

Pupils have until the end of February to turn it into profit — and make a difference to their communities.

They are being challenged to see what “social impact” they can achieve in one month.

Students are free to be as creative as they want with organisers only saying anything is acceptable “as long as it is legal, doesn’t harm or offend anyone.”