The industry-first campaign sees the retailer donate 0.5% of the value of its customers’ shopping to a primary school of their choice every time they shop using Asda Rewards – with £7.5 million up for grabs in total. Signing up for the initiative is easy with customers simply required to opt into Cashpot for Schools in the app and select their school of choice. As well as encouraging parents to sign up, schools are encouraging their entire community to support them as the initiative is open to all.

An incredible 98% of the 22,000 state-funded primary schools in the UK have signed up to date. 42 schools already have over £1,000 of funding in their cashpots and over 2,000 are boasting cashpots over £500. This cash will go direct to schools for them to spend on whatever they need, to make a genuine difference. The campaign comes on the back of research that some parents are asked to give up to £138 per year to support their children’s schools, with the most significantly underfunded needs being school trips (64 per cent), books and learning materials (52 per cent), and sports equipment (50 per cent).

One of the highest school earners is Kilkeel Primary School in Northern Ireland who have a whopping £2,717.46 in their cashpot.

All 22,000 state funded UK primary schools are able to get involved and over £1.1 million has so far been raised, putting pounds back into primary schools.

The industry first campaign sees the retailer donate 0.5% of the value of its customers shopping to a primary school of their choice – every time they shop using Asda Rewards with over £7.5 million set to be raised.

The campaign comes on the back of research which found that parents are asked on average to donate £138 per year to support their children’s schools.

And 95 per cent of educators say a lack of funding has impacted learning at their school.

David Hills, chief customer officer at Asda, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that in just four days we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of customers sign up for the initiative – raising over £1.1 million pounds for primary schools across the UK.

“This money will make a huge difference to millions of children and Asda will continue to donate 0.5% of the value of our customers shopping to the school of their choice, when they shop with Asda Rewards, until the end of November – meaning there are millions more for us to invest.

“Please encourage all your friends and family to sign up to Asda Rewards and shop to support local primary schools in your area.”

Marie Louise Fisher, Chair of the PTA (Friends of St Mary’s) at St Marys Catholic Primary School in Chingford, said: “Our school signed up to Asda’s Cashpot for School initiative so we could help raise funds to purchase new PE equipment. We hope to purchase new football goals and netball posts, which will support our children with their development of physical education and enhance their health and well-being.

Since Monday, we’ve already raised £53.70 just from parents and the local community opting in on the Asda Rewards app. It’s so simple to do and I can’t believe that by people doing their normal weekly shop, our children are going to benefit massively – I would encourage everyone to sign up to a school in your local area, you’ve really nothing to lose.”

Schools and parents can also download assets to help raise more money for schools which includes, letters, newsletters, social cards, letter header, poster and leaflet at Cashpot for Schools toolkit | Parentkind.

Over the last 10 years, more than 200 students and staff from ACS Egham have travelled to Nepal to work on construction projects in Nepali schools. The project has raised funds to support local communities by supplying much needed educational resources – including more than 1,000 books – as well as supporting the construction of school buildings, classrooms, and hygiene facilities. It has also seen the Surrey school donate £12,000 to the Red Cross fund after the devastating consequences of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Carmel Kelly, Director of Project Nepal, said: “It is amazing to reflect on what has been an incredible 10 years of supporting local communities in Nepal. The initiative has developed our students’ commitment to service, social justice, and community involvement by enabling them to work productively with diverse communities. It is thanks to the support of our wider school community, and the strong partnerships forged with the Nepali community, that Project Nepal has made a positive impact during the last ten years of the initiative.”

As part of the initiative, ACS Egham launched the Project Nepal Legacy Scholarship Programme in 2017. The programme supports higher education for low-income students from the rural region of Panchkal, who would otherwise be unable to afford to attend college or university. Thanks to the school’s fundraising efforts, nearly 30 Nepalese students have been given the opportunity to complete higher education study to support their career ambitions.

One of the Nepali scholars, Pradip Kunwar, said: “I am currently studying a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering at Cosmos College of Information and Technology. I would like to thank ACS Project Nepal for helping me to complete my studies and also for funding my accommodation in Kathmandu which allows me to completely focus on my education.”

To mark the special anniversary, ACS Egham held a garden party which invited former student participants as well as guests from Nepal, and saw attendees enjoy traditional Nepali food and activities.

One ACS student commented of their involvement in Project Nepal: “I loved working with the Nepali children because it really made me realise how lucky I am to have my education. I also loved their enthusiasm to learn.”

This initiative provides invaluable assistance to schools across the country, donating essential products to help create and maintain vibrant learning environments.

In a time when school budgets are increasingly strained due to rising staffing and utility costs, many schools are relying heavily on donations from companies like Wickes and fundraising efforts by Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) to provide necessary extras for playgrounds and outdoor spaces.

According to the National Curriculum, “Learning outside the classroom can provide opportunities to develop and practice skills involving communication, collaboration, numeracy, leadership, creativity, and innovation” (Source: National Curriculum, January 2023). This underscores the importance of creating engaging and functional outdoor and additional learning spaces in schools.

Among the most popular requests from schools are sheds repurposed as quiet reading spaces and classroom kitchens. These enhancements have proven to be transformative. Zoe Watson, a reception teacher at Deanshanger Primary School, expressed her gratitude, saying: “This new space is transformational and will enhance learning in many ways. Following a recipe helps children read for a purpose and follow instructions; cooking is very sensory and develops awareness as they prepare and taste new foods; mixing, stirring, and chopping improves motor development; weighing and measuring support mathematical development, and most excitingly, it provides a great sense of accomplishment.”

The Wickes Community Programme is open to all charities and community organisations seeking to transform or maintain their spaces. By providing free Wickes products, the programme aims to support the creation of enriching environments that foster learning and community engagement.

The Captain Tom 100 is being organised by The Captain Tom Foundation with London Marathon Events to celebrate Captain Tom’s life, his generosity of spirit the hope and the joy he brought to millions and his sense of fun.

The morning announcements and school notices will be replaced for one day only with a YouTube broadcast with Hannah Ingram-Moore, daughter of Captain Sir Tom, and featuring a special message from PE star Joe Wicks which will be played simultaneously in classrooms across the country and around the world on 30th April – which would have been Captain Tom’s 101st birthday.

To join in, children will be asked to take part in a challenge of their choice centred around the number 100.

Hannah Ingram-Moore, youngest daughter of the Second World War veteran who raised more than £39million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, said: “To inspire, excite and engage with young people, we have a fabulous film featuring famous faces and unsung heroes showing us what they will be doing for their Captain Tom 100 challenge. From David Beckham to five-year-old Betty Leigh Allinson, there’s inspiration for every age and every ability.

“We love the idea of millions of children watching the same thing at the same time and then running, hopping, skipping, dancing, baking, sewing, writing, drawing or whatever else they might want to do to raise money.

“Children are a primary focus of this campaign which celebrates inclusivity and diversity and allows absolutely everyone to do their little bit in my father’s memory. Let’s continue what my father started. It’s continuing where he left off.”

The assembly will be just one part of a school-centred focus, appealing to secondary and primary schools to get stuck into the fundraising mission.

Those taking part will be asked to take on their 100 challenge between Friday, April 30, and the Bank Holiday Monday on May 3 but Ms Ingram-Moore said she suspected many schools would choose to engage in a communal activity on the Friday – which would have been Captain Sir Tom’s birthday.

Hannah added: “We are picturing, with sheer delight, children on playing fields up and down the country doing 100 star jumps, 100 hula hoops or skipping 100 times. We believe schools will really want to engage with this event because my father had such a tremendous impact on young people during the height of the pandemic. He simply loved children and showed them that anything was possible.”

Schools will be invited to stream the special assembly to pupils on the morning of Friday 30th April but can access the material anytime from the 26th April.

On top of this, education packs are available for participating schools to download from the Captain Tom 100 website from 12th April. These will include a host of resources to suit different age groups, including from the National Literacy Trust and White Rose Maths.

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “We are very proud to be supporting the Captain Tom 100. The fantastic thing about this initiative is you can choose your own challenge and we’re so excited to see how schools and children interpret the theme.

“Captain Sir Tom Moore achieved great things and inspired hope during a really difficult time, encouraging everyone to look positively to the future.

“In our own research, one in two children said that reading encourages them to dream about the future. That’s why we’ve come up with lots of fun literacy ideas around the number 100 that pupils can do as part of their learning in the classroom or at home to be part of this brilliant campaign bringing the nation together on Captain Tom’s birthday.”

Caroline Hamilton, director of White Rose Maths, said the organisation is proud to support the Captain Tom 100 initiative.

She added: “Along with millions of others across the country, the White Rose Maths team was truly inspired by this extraordinary gentleman’s effort and commitment, and we’re excited to be playing our part in celebrating his many achievements.

“What better way for us to do this than to take a close look at the number 100! It’s a genuinely fascinating number, and we’re looking forward to sharing lots of ways in which children, teachers, parents and carers can explore it in much more detail.”

Children who take part can also download a certificate of achievement.

The event is being supported by London Marathon Events, the Mass Participation Sports Organisers (MSO), Prominent PR, adam&eveDDB, LiveWire Sport and Studio Republic.

To take part visit https://www.captaintom100.com/ and use the hashtag #CaptainTom100 to share your efforts across social media channels.

Number Day is a maths-inspired fundraising day for children in nursery right through to secondary school,with free downloadable activities suitable for all ages and abilities.

Some of these fun curriculum-based activities take inspiration from famous game shows including Blockbuster and Who Wants to Be a Mathionnaire? Pupils are also encouraged to ‘Dress Up For Digits’ and make a donation to wear an item of clothing with a number on it.

Funds raised from ‘Number Day’ will help support vital NSPCC services such as ‘Speak out. Stay Safe’ which visits primary schools across the UK to teach children about the dangers of abuse and what they can do if they need help.

Karen Walker from the NSPCC said: “We are hoping for lots of schools to sign-up to what can be a great day of learning and play. By getting children involved in our numbers-based activities you can also help us be there for children when they need us most. This year we’ve refreshed our materials to ensure everyone can join in the fun – even if maths isn’t their favourite subject.”

The NSPCC is encouraging schools to sign-up to Number Day 2019 by visiting www.nspcc.org.uk/numberday. Once registered, teachers will have access to the Number Day website where they can download free resources and activities.

Number Day is supported by Man Group and Oxford University Press.

2018 marks the fourth consecutive year the Berkshire-based tea company has teamed up with the Henley Literary Festival for a short story competition. New this year is a focus on children and an exciting new partnership with literacy charity Beanstalk.

Beanstalk recruit, train and support volunteers across England to work in schools with children who have fallen behind with their reading. Last year, nearly 200,000 children left primary school unable to read to the expected level, which is why Dragonfly Tea has pledged to match donations to the charity made by its customers for the duration of the 2018 children’s writing competition. So far the Charity has raised over £9,000 in three weeks as part of its Crowdfunding campaign to help more children with reading across England and is aiming to raise a further £40,000 over the next two weeks.

Inspired by the great tea gardens of the world, this year’s theme is The Wild Garden. The three competition age groups are 5-7, 8-11 and 12-15, and the winner in each category will receive £50 in book vouchers for themselves and £100 of book vouchers for their school. The winners will be picked by the competition judges, the broadcaster Baroness Floella Benjamin and David Melling, author and illustrator of the bestselling Hugless Douglas series of books. All shortlisted children will be invited to a special prize-giving ceremony on the final day of this year’s Henley Literary Festival, Sunday October 7th.

The deadline to enter is 31st July 2018 and entries can be submitted via dragonflytea.com – where full rules, terms and conditions are also available.

Dragonfly Tea’s Georgia Ginsberg said: “For thousands of years, tea drinking has gone hand-in-hand with storytelling and creative expression. As a family company and with the new focus on the children’s competition, we have partnered with Beanstalk, an organisation dedicated to helping children read well and express themselves with confidence. We are delighted to be working with them and Henley Literary Festival for what we hope will be our biggest competition yet.”

Beanstalk’s Chief Executive Officer Ginny Lunn said: “The Dragonfly Tea competition is such a brilliant way to encourage budding young authors to put pen to paper and we encourage all our schools and children to take part! Thank you to Dragonfly Teas for inviting us to be a part of the project and for their generous match-funding support. We still have a long way to go to get to our Crowdfunding target so please if you can help by donating or sharing our Crowdfunding page it all helps us get to where we need to be to reach more children that need our support across England.”

If you would like to make a donation to Beanstalk, simply mention “Dragonfly Tea” in the comments box when you donate, and your contribution will be matched: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/readgrowthrivewithbeanstalk

Determined pupils at the Chiswick-based school dressed up as their favourite superhero and competed in an energetic assault course. In a bid to raise much-needed funds for Syria Relief, the boys were sponsored to complete the challenge as quickly as possible.

The impressive amount raised on the day contributed to the school’s overall fundraising total which supports the House of Daraa, a school established to provide a safe space for orphaned children in Syria to play and learn.

Excited and ambitious pupils donned their best outfits to tackle the challenging course, which saw a colourful array of sporting stars and classic heroes participating such as Batman and Captain America.

Headmaster, Andrew Forbes commented: “The boys had a great amount of fun dressing up as their favourite superheroes to race around the assault course. A personal highlight for them was seeing their favourite teachers being ‘cream pie-d’.

“At the Falcons Pre-Preparatory School for Boys, we encourage our pupils to participate in charity initiatives throughout the year. It was heart-warming to see them raising money with such enthusiasm.”

Pupils at Fairfax, which is run by Fairfax Multi- Academy Trust, took part in a week-long competition in aid of Comic Relief. Two acts from each house in the school were invited to take part in the final, which was judged by Kath Philpott, daughter-in-law of Gordon Philpott, founder of the school.

The winner of the competition, called ‘Fairfax Has Got Talent 2017’, was a group act from Kenilworth House who wowed audiences with their singing and guitar playing. Deborah Bunn, Head of Academy at Fairfax, said: “Fairfax Has Got Talent has been successfully running for eight years now and is a highlight of our calendar.

“We had 36 acts apply for this year’s event, which contributed towards an astounding £1,500 total amount raised. It’s great to see so much creativity and enthusiasm from pupils for such a worthwhile cause. As with every year, we have a wide range of talent from dancers, singers, musicians and even acrobats.

“It was fantastic to see all the contestants being so highly supportive of each other and I would like to personally congratulate Kenilworth House and its winning team.”

Andy Bird, CEO of Fairfax Multi- Academy Trust said: “It’s great to see the amazing talent from pupils at Fairfax being utilised in such a positive manner. Pupils have generously taken time out to give to this worthy cause, and we want to encourage all pupils to engage in extra- curricular activities of this kind. I also want to thank Kath Philpott for sparing time to help judge the competition – I know it can’t have been easy!

“The winning act from Kenilworth House gave a wonderful performance and I can’t wait to see the variety of talent next year.”

www.fairfax.bham.sch.uk