BBC star says school rewards kids for nodding along and many don't fit in the system

Scottish Sun

19-05-2025

'If you run a company, go back to school. Mentor. Offer a placement. Let a young person shadow you, ask questions, and see what's possible'
BACK TO SCHOOL BBC star says school rewards kids for nodding along and many don't fit in the system
BBC Scotland's Home of the Year judge Danny Campbell has called for fellow entrepreneurs to return to the classroom.
The 33-year-old, who runs his own architect firm HOKO, took part in a new schools initiative called the START programme which connects senior school pupils with business mentors to help them pitch and develop real startup ideas.
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Kids only learn to nod along in class, says Danny Campbell.
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Danny Campbell is a co-host on Scotland's Home of the Year.
START Founder, Phil Ford, said: 'There's no better way to feel equipped with the necessary skills and mindsets to be an entrepreneur than by spending time with one.'
Here, Danny Campbell, explains why schools fail to hit the mark when it comes to developing business leaders of the future.
I WISH I could go back in time and speak to my 15-year-old self and tell him not to go to uni – start a business instead.
Recently, I've gone back to school, mentoring pupils at John Paul Academy in Glasgow through START – a programme that gives young people the chance to build and pitch real business ideas, matched with mentors who've been there and done it.
It struck me how little access many pupils have to this kind of thinking. A lot of them still believe starting a business is something for other people. It feels far away. But all it takes is one person to say: 'This could be you'.
Now, two pupils are coming to intern at my architecture company, HOKO.
It's a great opportunity for them, but they'll give us as much as we give them. They're smart, sharp, and curious. They'll bring a fresh perspective and help us question our assumptions. And for them, they'll see that entrepreneurship isn't some far-off dream.
Some of the most successful business owners I know hated school. Many had ADHD, couldn't sit still, got told off for not paying attention. But give them real-world problems to solve, and the chance to think on their feet, and they fly.
School rewards you for memorising and nodding along. Business rewards you for figuring things out.
I've seen that contrast play out in my own family. My younger brother Duncan was one of the most talented people I've ever known.
Before he passed away (last August from neoplasm brain cancer) he became an incredible actor and author.
But at school, he was misunderstood. The system didn't know what to do with his creativity, and it slowly chipped away at it.
I think about him constantly. I think about how many young people today don't fit within the system and wrongly believe they're not good enough, just because they don't tick the right boxes.
My own experience, my brother's experience, and the children I've worked with through START have all shaped how I parent my eight-year-old son, Teddy.
He loves Minecraft and YouTube. But I didn't want to just hand him an iPad and let him scroll.
Instead, we turned it into a project. He had to create something. A series of videos he recorded and edited himself. He learned structure, patience, and how to take feedback.
Now we're turning that into a mock business. Logo, a strategy. We're not going to post it – the learning is by doing.
In this safe environment he'll work through the messy mistakes early, learning that he can take control of his own ideas and run with them.
That's what most kids are missing today - real-world experiences that build belief.
Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation argues that we've removed all the safe, practical risks that used to teach resilience – climbing trees, walking to the shop, knocking on doors – and replaced them with hours online, scrolling alone and unguarded.
I am the way I am because I was allowed to live in the real world. When I was 10, I walked into a café in Garelochhead and asked if I could wash their customers' cars.
I charged £2.50, donated 50p to charity, and got my mate involved to scale the operation. We were rubbish at it, but I made enough money to buy my mum a horribly tacky dolphin ring with the profits.
I learned how to ask. I learned how to use what I had - my age, my cheek, my energy. That one summer gave me more belief and experience than years of school ever did.
But far too often now, kids are trained to be passive – either sitting and scrolling, or sitting and nodding. They deserve the chance to build a product, pitch an idea, or work on a team.
Programmes like START are about showing young people there's more than one path.
And this is my call to other business owners. If you run a company, go back to school. Mentor. Offer a placement. Let a young person shadow you, ask questions, and see what's possible.
Entrepreneurs are builders. Job creators. Problem-solvers. The government and education system should be actively encouraging them to get into the classroom – and entrepreneurs should grab any opportunity to do so.
If we want to improve the future, start with a classroom. We need more entrepreneurs back in schools to show that it can be done. Because if they don't see it, they won't believe it.
*To find out more visit: startforschools.com