Fundraising teachers

While parents’ heads may have turned in disbelief, the pupils knew the truth of it - even when you are a teacher you are never too old to have some fun and help your pupils raise money and awareness for a good cause - even if it means spending all day in a school uniform.

The original idea, according to principal Gillian Hay, had been for Donemana Primary pupils to ‘turn green’ in awareness of the work being done through the Forest Stewartship Council and the school’s Eco Committee, who have been helping the school in their efforts to achieve the ‘Eco-Schools’ Green Flag Award’ this year.

“The children all had the opportunity to wear casual clothes one Friday in October, as long as one item was green,” said Mrs Hay, adding: “The deal was they contributed £1 to wear non-uniform clothes. However, I promised that if the school raised £150 then the teachers and assistants would dress in the pupils school uniform for the day. The children managed to raise £149.65 and, because they got so close to the target I contributed the final 35p and the teachers donned the uniform as promised.”

Keen to thank the parents and children for their efforts with this non-uniform day with a difference, Mrs Hay said she also wanted to thank all the teachers and assistants for being such good sports and dressing up.

“The children thoroughly enjoyed the day,” she said, adding: “We were going to have the non-uniform day for the P7s to raise money for their residential at the end of the year and as we had also kicked started our Eco-School project we sort of combined the two. We asked the children to wear something green, and at the same the P7 pupils realised they need to raise more than £88 so a scheme was hatched where by pupils had to pull together to raise £150 to see the teachers dress in the uniform, which they duly did.

“It was terribly good fun, and the children thought it was very funny. Every teacher, including myself, and each of the classroom assistants dressed up,” she said.