High school pupils have helped to raise £2,000 in four days at Ballakermeen High School in Douglas.

Students from all year groups donated towards a monthly challenge which sees their teacher who is their head of house braving the sea for a New Year’s dip-style dare.

The students have been using an online modern-day merits system to donate, EPraise, which they can use on their smartphones or computers, showing how many points they have earned and either buy things in an online shop, donate to charity or purchase a raffle ticket.

It’s the first year the school has used the system and teachers say that it’s been a great success.

Head of PE and head of EPraise Jane Ryder said: ’We introduced the online platform in September - students’ achievements within lessons and outside lessons are rewarded with "praise points". It’s tied in with what characteristics we want our students to display, such as knowledge, ambition, reflection, readiness, and the values of kindness, honesty and respect.

’We set out for each charity to earn £500 and we’ve massively exceeded that. I took an assembly recently and the average points per student was 340 and the top charitable donator had given 700 points.’

Spanish and French teacher Laura Wynne said she and science teacher Jamie Court have been running into the sea for the monthly challenge.

’It started on New Year’s Day and we went down to Laxey, then decided to do it on the first day of every month,’ she said. ’Because we’re both head of houses in the school, and there’s always a bit of competition between us, we decided to turn it into a fundraiser somehow. Obviously, because we had the pandemic, not everyone can put their hands in their pockets for money and that’s where the EPraise system came in, as it’s not coming out of students’ pockets and can be converted from points to cash.’

Miss Court added: ’We advertised it on the school’s social media and we didn’t expect the kids to get engaged as much as they did and they all jumped on it. Even kids from outside of our houses got involved, too which is lovely.’

Miss Ryder said: ’The EPraise system develops values of kindness and respect, but it also develops their worldwide awareness beyond school and the island. It keeps them motivated and it’s visually appealing, unlike old fashioned merit systems, so we changed it up and it’s definitely worked.’

Miss Wynne said that it’s kept a friendly competition going between the school’s team houses.

’It’s been a great way for children to really contribute to their community and we are so proud of the selfless way in which they are donating their praise points in order to help the wider Manx community,’ she said.

Miss Ryder said it also includes every student from all backgrounds: ’Students know they have done something good and everyone can contribute equally.’