Hathershaw College pupils raise more than £400 for Children in Need

Pupils converted their school reward points into charity cash despite the fact they could have used the reward points on themselves.

The college says it is committed to raising money for charity through its Hathershaw Acts of Charity and Kindness programme (HACK) – supporting charities such as Oldham Foodbank, Maggie’s, and Children in Need, as well as international charities including Save the Children. 

The college terms its donations the "ripple effect", because money raised in Oldham and good deeds on a local level can be felt around the world. 

Due to the cost-of-living crisis, the college has not asked families or parents for any monetary donations this year.

But, like many schools, it has a system in place to reward children for good efforts. 

Using the EPraise platform, school staff can award children points for their good work, which they can turn into contributions to trips or prizes. 

Considering the cost-of-living situation, the college introduced a way for children to donate their points to charity, which the school then converts into real cash. 

Children could have spent their reward points on themselves, but many used the school’s recent "Children in Need Praise" event to donate their points to BBC Children in Need, raising £423.56 for the charity. 

Each point is worth 1p, so 100 points are needed to make £1.

The EPraise platform tracks the pupil's merit points (Image: Hathershaw College)

Principal Mark Giles said: “I am delighted with this generous contribution from the children. 

“It shows how selfless our young people are and how they care about others despite some of the hardships they and their families might face at the moment. 

“It just shows that with a little creative thinking, there are always opportunities to raise much-needed funds for charities even when times are tough.”

Update 21/2: This article originally stated one point was worth 4p, it has now been updated to say one point is worth 1p.