Tesco Ireland for schools and clubs

Tesco Ireland supports Irish schools and also encourages young people to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle.

Tesco Ireland has donated 3,000 computers and 50,000 other items of educational equipment to Irish schools We have invested over €11 million in the Computers for Schools Programme 2,400 schools and clubs have benefited from our Tesco Sports for Schools and Clubs Programme

Tesco Computers for Schools Programme

Tesco Ireland celebrated the 11th anniversary of our Computers for Schools programme in 2008.

We were one of the first companies to make a long-term commitment to an educational scheme of this scale, and it is still the largest of its kind in this country.

Tesco Computers for Schools now benefits up to 300,000 Irish schoolchildren each year.

Under the scheme, customers receive a voucher for every €10 spent in Tesco stores, Tesco filling stations and on home shopping orders.

These vouchers can be collected by schools and redeemed against a comprehensive range of equipment. Tesco has worked hard to ensure that the equipment offered meets the changing needs of Irish students.

The range now includes not just PCs but digital cameras, arts and crafts materials and equipment as well as Irish language, literacy and numeracy software.

Recycle4Vouchers

Tesco Ireland has developed a school recycling programme with Redeem PLC as part of the Tesco Computers for Schools scheme.

Schools are invited to recycle old mobile phones and various old printer cartridges, in return for vouchers which can go towards new equipment. Schools can register for the programme by logging onto www.recycle4vouchers.ie or by calling 1800 933 616.

Case study: School computer room extreme makeover

As part of 2007's Tesco Computers for Schools programme, schools were invited to take part in a competition to win a €30,000 'Extreme Makeover' for their school's computer room. The competition involved writing an essay explaining why the school should win a makeover for their computer room, and schools were also encouraged to use photographs and drawings to illustrate their entries. The lucky winner was St Stephen’s National School, Johnstown, Co Meath. The panel of expert judges which included a teacher and representative from Tesco, picked St Stephen’s entry as the unanimous winner because of the excellent creativity and teamwork displayed in the submission which used photographs, drawings and contributions from many students. "The new computer room will make a huge difference to the students and the teachers at St Stephen's," said its principal, Jenny McHugh. The makeover involved a complete overhaul of the computer room during the summer holidays, to minimise disruption. The room was equipped with 12 desktop PCs and monitors, a printer, scanner, digital camera, digital camcorder, an interactive white board, as well as desks and chairs and lots of software and other extras for the students.

Sport for Schools and Clubs

The Tesco Sport for Schools and Clubs programme encourages young people to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle.

Since its launch in 2005, our customers have collected over 48 million vouchers, helping more than 2,400 schools and clubs nationwide to benefit from over €2 million worth of sports equipment.

Equipment is available for a whole range of sports including hurling, rugby, tennis and athletics, as well as pre-school PE essentials.

New areas have been added to this year’s catalogue, including "early years" equipment, after-school accessories and a section dedicated to guides and scouts.

There are also interactive activity sheets for schools and clubs, and notes for teachers to download.

For further information, contact the helpline on freephone 1800 621 620 or check out www.tesco.ie/sport.

Irish rugby star Ronan O’Gara kicked off the third year of the Tesco Sports for Schools and Clubs scheme in September 2007. "I am delighted to be part of the scheme," he says. "The programme keeps going from strength to strength. It's so important that we encourage children to lead healthy lives and I believe sport is an important element of this."

Tesco Young Chef of the Year

Tesco Ireland encourages children to get interested from an early age in what they are eating and cooking. Our 'Young Chef of the Year' competition is designed to get young people into the kitchen and learn about food and nutrition in a fun and creative way.

Now in its 11th year, the Tesco Young Chef of the Year competition also deals with specific areas of the secondary school Home Economics syllabus, including food choices, meal management and planning, food preparation and cooking processes, food safety and hygiene, and nutrition and diet.