Award creator who wants to inspire children all over the world

My business is registered as Capable Kids Ltd but the Award is called the Junior Duke Award

Where is it based?

Glasgow.

What does it produce/do?

We are the leading children's life skills award in the world helping children to discover talents and grow in independence.

We produce nine different levels of life skills challenges. There is one level for each school year group from primary 1 up to senior 2.

The first seven levels are in booklet form and are full of age-appropriate tasks. The final two levels are on an online portal where pupils in S1 and S2 can evidence their experiences for their teachers to assess.

To whom does it sell?

Mostly, it is interested teachers in schools who get in touch to offer the Award to their pupils.

Through word of mouth, the award has spread from just the one independent school in Glasgow to the Highlands and Islands, down through a mixture of all different types of schools through England and Wales and is also in international schools in over 30 countries.

There are also families who have heard about the Junior Duke so there are a lot of children throughout the UK working on their awards independently of their schools.

What is its turnover?

I'd rather not say but it's enough to give me a teacher's salary.

How many employees?

Until recently, it was just me. However, although not all employees as such, I now have a fabulously helpful PA, a team of fastidious accountants, a brilliant tech-guru who created (and continues to work on) the Senior Duke portal, a sassy, creative girl who is taking over the socials and I also have my brother who gives general as well as web/tech support.

I also have a incredibly hard-working consultant in Dubai who works to spread the word internationally.

Why did you take the plunge?

I didn't really take a plunge into business. As a primary teacher with 15 years experience in Hutchesons' Grammar School, the promoted role of head of house came up. That made me take a good look at what our school's house system did well and what it lacked.

It was great for super-clever or very sporty children but the other, hardworking children gained little recognition for anything they were doing.

I also had pupils who needed help to tie their shoe laces, thought they'd be electrocuted if they touched a plug socket and couldn't get changed after PE if their shirts were inside out. So I created the award.

I started it in 2007 and it ran, being developed each year, until the inspectors came to our school in 2015. They hadn't seen anything like it before and called it 'sector leading' and 'innovative practice' and said it should be shared.

At that point, I looked for a willing school to trial it. I'd like to thank the past head teacher, Karen Waugh (no relation), at The High School of Glasgow who was keen to give the award a go in her school in 2016. It worked well but showed me where tweaks were needed.

Thereafter, another eight Scottish schools trialled it for me in 2017 and gave me crucial feedback. I made the necessary changes at the end of that year and had a website created.

Then I did very little but, through word of mouth and comments from schools on social media, a flurry of schools throughout the UK began to offer the award.

A head teacher in Dubai also discovered my award in late 2019 not long after the website was live. She took it to her school and, as she is an avid tweeter, word spread quickly internationally and schools were quick to join in.

I only actually took the plunge this year. Teaching full time and running an ever-growing, accidental business became unsustainable. Looking back, I was relieved when my husband and boys would go off for the weekend leaving me to catch up with my work. That was not healthy so I am thankful to the school for allowing me to take a year's unpaid sabbatical.

Throughout the year, things continued to grow so, and at Easter this year I had to make the hard decision to give up the job I love and run my business full time.

What were you doing before?

Teaching for 28 years.

What do you least enjoy?

I least enjoy creating and chasing up invoices. This has taken literally months of my life and I am hopeful that we will have set up a system for the coming academic year where reminders will be sent out automatically.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

To keep moving, developing and evolving and continuing to build a supportive network of great, like-minded people. My hope is that children all around the world can have the opportunity to work on the award to become more confident, independent and resilient by learning crucial life skills, readying them for life.

What single thing would most help?

Successfully developing a shop for international sales. It's proving tricky but we're working on it.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

I have discovered the most helpful mentor who has kindly given of his time and expertise to gently help me to work out what's best for the company and what I need to do to improve it.

His name is Les Meikle and I think, amongst many gems, the most important one is to realise that I can no longer do everything myself. I have been spinning all of the plates myself and am in danger of dropping some. Therefore, bringing people in to spin some of the plates is crucial!

Where do you find yourself most at ease?

This year, I went to my first conferences to spread the word of the Junior Duke Award. I think I am happiest explaining to people where the Award came from and why it's great to offer it in schools and answering all of their questions. It's always such a positive experience and I find it fun.

If you weren’t in your current role, what job would you most fancy?

Being back in a classroom!

What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most?

I like what Mahatma Gandhi said - 'in a gentle way you can shake the world.'

I'm hopeful that by giving children the chance to work on these challenges, they are learning how and why to look after themselves, their world, their friends and neighbours and gradually moving out of their comfort zones and growing.

It is also encouraging parents to allow their children to do potentially dangerous things like making a cup of tea or using public transport or building a fire which sometimes seems scary because it's learning to let go and trust that their children will be responsible for themselves.

Tricky as a parent because we want to protect and help our children and do things for them but, in reality, we need to teach them how to be safe and how to become independent from a very young age.

What is the best book you have ever read? Why is it the best?

Also Alasdair Humphreys' The Boy who Biked the World is a great series. It is aimed at children but is also great for adults.

You have to read it with Google at the ready so that you can see what the different buildings, clothing, animals and foods look like so it's a great lesson in geography and culture as well as showing how important perseverance is in life and that it's important to push yourself out of your comfort zone and begin your own adventure.

What has been your most challenging moment in life or business?

I have been very lucky in life and have found myself in the right place at the right time for various sports, experiences and adventures but of course there have been some challenges, injuries and disappointments along the way.

I think of myself as a kind, nurturing-kind-of-teacher rather than a hard-nosed business woman. I need to stop that though because, although challenging, I am realising that sometimes you need to prove to people around you that, although you are kind, you are strong and won't be pushed around.

What do you now know that you wish you had known when starting out in your career?

I was very fortunate to be introduced to some amazing business women recently. They told me all sorts of things they wish they had known at the start of their careers.

The one thing that really stands out for me is that my business needs to be able to continue running even if something takes me away from it for a while.

This links back to having people to spin some of my plates. I need to let go and allow, and trust, others to take control of more and more of my business.