When was the last time you attended a conference? Did you enter a competition whilst you were there? You might have noticed that the exhibitors sometimes hold competitions for the delegates, and lucky participants can win anything from money to luxury holidays. At the ISBA Conference 2017 in Manchester, School Fee Plan held a competition where the winner could secure £1,000 for their school. The winner was David Thompson, Bursar at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, who recently accepted his prize.
“It was the 11th hour shall we say, as the prize hadn’t been won and we were getting into the twilight hours of the conference,” explained David about his winning moment. “I happened to be passing the stand and managed to pull the lucky scratch card.”
This was definitely a case of the right time and the right place, as David went to visit School Fee Plan’s stand as they had had a relationship with the school for more than 10 years.
“Not every parent can afford to write a cheque for their school fee every four months, so once they have made their choice of the best provider, they can spread the cost and manage their account online,” continued David.
So, with the cheque now in the hands of the school, how are they planning to spend the money?
“We are in the process of building a new STEM centre, so we might think about using it for a piece of equipment there,” said David.
The new STEM centre is due to be completed at the end of 2018, as science, technology, engineering and mathematics are very popular with the girls at the school. Many pupils at Habs Girls go on to medical school or study science and maths at university, so the new centre will be an exciting addition to the school. The centre will include a variety of spaces to inspire pupils, from seminar rooms to presentation areas. They plan to push the boundaries of teaching these subjects as the school wants the girls to learn about STEM in flexible spaces, rather than just traditional labs.
Thea Ross, Head of Education at School Fee Plan, said of the competition, “At this year’s ISBA conference, we offered a light hearted ‘scratch and win’ opportunity for all the represented schools and this year our winner was David Thompson of Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls. We have a long association with this wonderful school, and are delighted that the prize will be used towards such an excellent project for the girls.”
School Fee Plan enables parents to spread the cost of their school fees over 12 months, giving schools the freedom to offer payment choices to their parents whilst still receiving the full fees at the start of each term.
