Exeter Junior School raises £1,700 for charity
Exeter Junior School pupils and staff were delighted to welcome Staff Nurse Bernard Langlois and Matron Lynne Forster from the Mardon Rehabilitation Centre to assembly on Monday 6 June.
The Mardon Rehabilitation Centre nurses received a cheque for £427.95 and thanked the pupils for their donation.
The money was raised as part of the Virgin Money ‘Make Your £5 Grow’ Independent Maths Project.
The Mardon Rehabilitation Centre is one of three charities to receive a donation – Sports Relief and Cancer Research UK also received the same amount.
In February, Year 6 pupils received a loan of £5 from Virgin Money to set up their own business. The budding entrepreneurial pupils formed small groups and came up with small business ideas, designed logos, created and marketed their products to fellow pupils, friends and family.
Maths Coordinator Jacquie Barnes said it was a valuable maths exercise as they collated their data in their team excel spreadsheets so that they could keep track of their budget, spending and ultimately their overall profit.
Each Year Six class had a break and lunchtime slot to try to sell their products and encourage pupils to take part in their games and activities. Products ranged from fun, personalised and interesting gifts, jewellery, t-shirts, cakes, Easter and Red Nose day themed items, creatively packaged sweets and drinks, priced from 10 pence to £2.50.
On Friday 22 April, seven shortlisted ‘Make Your Money Grow’ Maths teams presented their products to the Dragons’ Den consisting of Mark O’Higgins from Virgin Money, Stuart Mackintosh, Head of Economics and Business Studies, Senior School, Sue Marks, Headmistress of Exeter Junior School, Ann Hooper, Assistant Accountant, Exeter School and Kevin Cheney, Chair of the Junior School Committee.
Teams were awarded certificates by the Dragons: Best Teamwork: GoGoNuts, Best Profit: JODL, Best Presentation and Board: Pick & Mixers; Most Investible Product: Fiery Fairgrounds, and the Overall Winners Certificates and Cup went to, JODL.
Mark O’Higgins and Sue Marks presented the winners with their cup. Both felt that all of Year 6 had excelled in using their mathematical skills, smart business thinking and demonstrated fantastic energy, enthusiasm and teamwork to achieve amazing results.
Kevin Cheney, the Junior School Governor, closed the event with words of recognition and inspiration and shared his own personal story of how one idea can be turned into a very successful business.
Year 6 teacher Paula Goldsworthy said: “Our Dragons were hugely impressed by the way pupils had created, designed, marketed and sold their products, handled money and managed costs and worked successfully as a team to make a profit on their original £5.
“The overall profit of £1711.80 was divided between The Mardon Rehabilitation Centre, Sports Relief, Cancer Research UK and the Junior School Maths Department who will purchase brilliant maths games for all pupils to enjoy and benefit from.”
A very well done to our other shortlisted groups, Caribbean King, F n ’H and Sweet Shack who all did themselves extremely proud. A huge thanks to all parents, grandparents, carers and friends for supporting them along the way, colleagues across the school and Virgin Money for being the catalyst for the whole project.
