BUSINESS students at St Mark’s Sixth Form have been to Colchester Zoo studying how one of the biggest tourist attractions in the county operates behind the scenes. On a miserable autumnal day, the students seemed to have a great day out learning about the Zoo from a business perspective, there was even time for a bit of tiger spotting.

Miss Clarke, a Business teacher at St Mark’s said – “the purpose of the trip was for pupils to gain an insight into how the Zoo operates as a business, specifically – how they interact and communicate with their customers. This will help pupils to complete their coursework to an advanced standard.”

Colchester Zoo clearly delivered, as Miss Clarke was left impressed with what the sixth form students gained from the day. “We attended a Q&A session with a member of the Zoo’s educational team, who provided us with in-depth insight and analysis into the Zoo’s operations. We were then invited to visit the Zoo as customers ourselves and we were able to experience first-hand Colchester Zoo from the perspective of the customer.”

The customer first focus of the Zoo seems to be one of the secrets of its success. The students from St Mark’s were certainly impressed, Harrison Meadows said – “I had a fantastic day at the Zoo, It was very educational and I learnt a lot about how it runs as a business. However, the best part of the day, was seeing the animals. My favourite was the tiger.”

Year 13 student, Bartosz Musielak said – “I enjoyed the day a lot and learnt many interesting facts about Colchester Zoo and its business practices. The added bonus was the fun we had interacting with the animals.” 

Unlike Bartosz, fellow Year 13 student Estelle Shaw was not trying her hand as a tiger whisperer, but she did say – “I had a great day, it was educational and fun. My favourite part was the ability to explore the zoo freely without it being too busy, and of course the goats.”