YOUNG stockbrokers from a York school will be going up against professionals to try and beat them at their own game.

The Year 10 maths students from Burnholme Community College will be competing with stockbrokers from Leeds-based J M Finn.

Each group will have £50,000 to spend over two terms on a range of businesses - the aim being to make the most money possible.

The top performing team within school will receive £200.

The project has come about through the school's entrepreneur in residence, David Perry, a semi-retired businessman who works with the school to enhance the business curriculum.

The project is just one of the business-related schemes currently taking place at the moment.

The school is presently in the last stages of submitting a bid to become a specialist business college.

It has taken almost a year to put the bid together and the school has had to raise £50,000.

If successful, they will be in line for an immediate cash boost of £210,000, plus a further £60,000 a year over four years.

The head of business links at the school, John Fletcher, said: "We are confident and we have a great bid. Most people are excited to see whether it will happen.

"The influx of cash into the school will be greatly beneficial."

Updated: 09:06 Wednesday, October 15, 2003