As schools across the country return this week, social enterprise MOTIV CIC is working with leading children’s brands Top Trumps, Crayola and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre® at a time of the year when maintaining excellent attendance is more important than ever. The MOTIV scheme, The 100% Challenge provides an important boast to schools looking to ensure their pupils keep good attendance habits and are all aware of the importance of being in school at the start of the year.
Pupils can earn unique designer badges at the end of each half term for completing The 100% Challenge plus a reward from either Top Trumps, Crayola of LEGOLAND Discovery Centre if they complete The Challenge over a full term. Participating schools are also provided with posters, flyers and resources to ensure The Challenge has a maximum impact as possible on their attendance.
The 100% Challenge has been devised by Social Enterprise MOTIV CIC who over the last four years have made significant improvements in school attendance levels (figures below), working with local authorities. MOTIV will now be rolling out the scheme directly to primary schools nationwide.
Last month the government released figures revealing that ‘truancy’ has reached an all new high in primary schools across the UK with 450,000 pupils (7.2%) missing a month of lessons a year and more than a million pupils (16.4%) missing half a day or more of school a week.
The impact of which can be life-changing . Extensive research demonstrates a clear link between bad habits that form in primary schools leading to poor exam results, poor social skills and significantly reduced future life opportunities.
The MOTIV 100% Challenge is based on effort and excellence, pupils earn exclusively designed badges at each half-term, and if they complete a full term every pupil earns a reward tailored to their year group. Rewards include for example Top Trumps, Crayola packs and LEGO collectable keyrings dependent on which scheme is operating in the school.
Pupils at Wistaston Green Primary School in Crewe celebrate their attendance at the end of last term
Lyndsey Colman, assistant headteacher at Wistaston Green Primary School in Crewe, said “The MOTIV 100% Challenge has been a great success in our school. During the first 6 weeks of this year our attendance has improved by almost 5%. The posters around school and the materials provided to support the scheme are fantastic and raise the profile of attendance consistently throughout the week”
Leading Children’s brands Top Trumps, Crayola and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre® are supporting a national attendance drive to combat poor attendance attitudes in primary schools.
The scheme has been devised by Social Enterprise MOTIV CIC who over the last four years have made significant improvements in school attendance levels (figures below), working with local authorities. MOTIV will now be rolling out the scheme directly to primary schools nationwide.
Last month the government released figures revealing that ‘truancy’ has reached an all new high in primary schools across the UK with 450,000 pupils (7.2%) missing a month of lessons a year and more than a million pupils (16.4%) missing half a day or more of school a week.
The impact of which can be life-changing . Extensive research demonstrates a clear link between bad habits that form in primary schools leading to poor exam results, poor social skills and significantly reduced future life opportunities.
Founding Director of Social Enterprise MOTIV CIC Rose Marley commented “These figures are alarming and demonstrate how it has become culturally acceptable to skip school on a weekly basis creating a long-term, detrimental effect on a child’s future life chances. That’s why we’re making our alliance with top children’s brands available nationally – an incredibly effective way to affect changes in culture is through popular culture and the MOTIV 100% challenge has proved this with significant results in the schools we have worked with for the last four years”
The MOTIV 100% Challenge is based on effort and excellence, pupils earn exclusively designed badges at each half-term, and if they complete a full term every pupil earns a reward tailored to their year group. Rewards include for example Top Trumps, Crayola packs and LEGO collectable keyrings dependent on which scheme is operating in the school.
Fiona Hortopp, Director of Winning Moves, the makers of Top Trumps, commented “We have supported MOTIV with subsidized access to our packs for several years and the results MOTIV produce in schools are quite amazing. Top Trumps is seen by children as a cool brand that features the world’s hottest licenses – by giving Top Trumps as a reward for excellent attendance this helps MOTIV encourage this attitude as desirable. MOTIV also provide a range of school resources to communicate the long-term message in a way the pupils respond to so that they focus on the ultimate goal to achieve a good education”
Lyndsey Colman, assistant headteacher at Wistaston Green Primary School in Crewe, said “The MOTIV 100% Challenge has been a great success in our school. During the first 6 weeks of this year our attendance has improved by almost 5%. The posters around school and the materials provided to support the scheme are fantastic and raise the profile of attendance consistently throughout the week”
The MOTIV 100% Challenge for attendance is currently operating in fifty schools across the UK but is being made available nationally through the support of Top Trumps, Crayola and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. The challenge operates through a system of exclusive badges and rewards specifically aimed at improving school attendance and are supported by a proven formula for success which includes school resources and action plans provided for the school. Schools have a choice of working with the three brands across the school year and for as little as £1.50 per pupil per term school attendance improvements can be significant.
For more information please contact MOTIV on 0161 282 8380 or email support@motiv.org.uk
This week pupils at Birchfields Primary School, Manchester were treated to a visit from LEGOLAND Discovery Centre ® ’s iconic LEGO character Bertie and chief LEGO builder Alex to launch award pupils badges for completing The 100% Challenge for Attendance in their school.
The MOTIV 100% Challenge recognises both excellence and significant improvements in school attendance, rewarding school attendance in two categories – 100% attendance and 100% effort in attendance.
The scheme is run by award winning Manchester Community interest Company MOTIV CIC, who are running The 100% Challenge with a large number of Greater Manchester primary schools.
Sarah Atkinson from Birchfields Primary School commented ‘We are committed to doing everything we can to giving the pupils at this school the best start in life but we can only do that if they are committed to being here, without fail, unless they are sick. The assembly is designed to give them a vision for their future and what it might hold if they work hard and come to school, on time, everyday.’
The assembly to award badges for pupils who completed the first half term of The 100% Challenge also featured role play with the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre model maker to demonstrate to pupils what affect poor and attendance and lateness would have in the real world of work.
Director Rose Marley who is a winner of the Women in Ethical Business Awards (Tridos Bank & The Times) commented ‘the LEGO brand is a popular and trusted brand amongst pupils and the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is an ideal environment to engage youngsters in their learning through play. It’s an ideal message we are putting out there for kids with the Centre – if you work hard, you get rewarded, it’s a lesson for life!’
Neil Crittenden, General Manager of LEGOLAND Discovery Centre commented ‘It’s a superb way for us to put something back into the community, knowing we can make a social impact with our LEGO character. Putting children first is at the heart of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre brand, so we are of course happy to endorse Buddy’s efforts to support the idea of private companies playing a bigger part in that community.’
The 100% Challenge with LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is available to schools across Greater Manchester – please contact Sam Evans on (0161) 2828 8380 or sam@motiv.org.uk for more details
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre ® ’s iconic LEGO character – Buddy & Bertie - today leant a hand to award winning Social Enterprise MOTIV CIC in support of school pupils in Bolton developing good attendance habits as a life long skill.
Pupils at Tonge Moor Primary School, Bolton were treated to a visit from Buddy, Bertie and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre’s cheif LEGO builder Alex to launch The 100% Challenge for Attendance which is available to all schools in Greater Manchester.
The MOTIV 100% Challenge recognises both excellence and significant improvements in school attendance, rewarding school attendance in two categories – 100% attendance and 100% effort in attendance.
The scheme is run by award winning Manchester Community interest Company MOTIV CIC, who have made The 100% Challenge available to all schools across Bolton for the very first time.
Marie Sharples from Tonge Moor Primary School commented ‘We are committed to doing everything we can to giving the pupils at this school the best start in life but we can only do that if they are committed to being here, without fail, unless they are sick. The assembly is designed to give them a vision for their future and what it might hold if they work hard and come to school, on time, everyday.’
The assembly to launch The 100% Challenge features role play with the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre model maker to demonstrate to pupils what affect poor and attendance and lateness would have in the real world of work.
Director Rose Marley who is a winner of the Women in Ethical Business Awards (Tridos Bank & The Times) commented ‘the LEGO brand is a popular and trusted brand amongst pupils and the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is an ideal environment to engage youngsters in their learning through play. It’s an ideal message we are putting out there for kids with the Centre – if you work hard, you get rewarded, it’s a lesson for life!’
Neil Crittenden, General Manager of LEGOLAND Discovery Centre commented ‘It’s a superb way for us to put something back into the community, knowing we can make a social impact with our LEGO character. Putting children first is at the heart of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre brand, so we are of course happy to endorse Buddy’s efforts to support the idea of private companies playing a bigger part in that community.’
MOTIV, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre & Tonge Moor Primary School were also featured in this week’s Bolton News, on the front cover and inside!
Click here for the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre website
Primary school pupils from across Greater Manchester recently attended, with their families, an exclusive screening of ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ at The ODEON Printworks in celebration of completing this year’s 100% Challenge.
The exclusive screening was arranged by MOTIV as an family extra reward for pupils that had participated in The 100% Challenge across the 2010/11 academic year.
‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ is out now at cinemas across the country so we asked some pupils from Irlam Primary School in Manchester to write some reviews of the film as well as to draw a picture of their favourite scene from the movie:
“We had an amazing time, my favourite part was when the penguins started to dance! I loved it. it’s so funny especially the names like Nimrod, Loudy, Stinky, Captain and Bitey”
“I had a good time, it was so much fun, especially the song. The penguins were so cute. It was funny when he held the penguins above the toilet and they poo-ed!”
“I had a great time last night. It was great to see Mr Popper’s Penguins. It was the best movie ever. If it is on again I will go again because I love it I think friends will like it as well. I told all my friends about it. Thank you”
“Thank you for letting us go to that wonderful movie. I absolutely loved it. ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ is now the best movie I’ve seen yet. Loudy, Captain, Stinky and Bitey are my best penguins.l They are all very funny. My best part was when Mr Popper held the pupils up in the air and they all had a poo in the toilet. I really enjoyed that bit”
The 100% Challenge returns to primary schools in September – if you would like further information about your school taking part, please email Sam@motiv.org.uk
This academic year MOTIV worked with Manchester Media Academies for Boys and Girls to produce the Behaviour Challenge, in association with Unity Radio 92.8FM. The Behaviour Challenge ran from the start of the year to Easter, encouraging and rewarding good behaviour across both academies.
The Behaviour Challenge involved more than 1500 pupils across both academies agreeing to observe a code of conduct that was established to promote MCMA’s pupil motto: “Helpful, hardworking, honest”. Pupils were issued with a branded Behaviour Challenge card detailing the code of conduct and every pupil who completed The Behaviour Challenge received a limited edition MOTIV/Unity Radio 92.8FM promo bag.
Then in July a group of pupils from each Academy were picked up in the Unity Radio 92.8FM bus to be taken to the station for a tour of the studio, to meet the DJs and to take part in graffiti, lyric writing and DJ-ing under the guidance of Unity Radio facilitators.
For further information on Unity Radio 92.8FM please see www.unityradio.fm
If you be interested in hosting a Behaviour Challenge at your school please contact Sam Evans at MOTIV on sam@motiv.org.uk or (0161) 282 8380.
An animation concept by pupils from MCMA for Boys and produced by Manchester-based animators Kilogramme got its first public screening at The ODEONPrintworks, Manchester yesterday. It was screened to an audience of 200 pupils and their families who completed The MOTIV 100% Challenge this year and was followed by an exclusive screening of the new Jim Carrey film ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ (Fox Filmed Entertainment) which is released nationally in August.
The animation competition was funded by Manchester City Council’s Carbon Innovation Fund for projects that tackle climate change. It was designed to inspire pupils and their peers to a greener way of life, which is the aim of the city’s climate change action plan – Manchester - A Certain Future. 3000 pupils in total from MCMA for girls, MCMA for boys and St Peters High School in Gorton were all given the opportunity to come up with a storyboard and character design for ‘A Day In The Life Of Sharpie’. The three schools all pitched their ideas to The Sharp Project director Sue Woodward OBE, director of Kilogramme Animation Jon Turner and Director Of Neighbourhood Services at Manchester City Council, Vicky Rosin.
The winning pupils previewed their work to the animation and broadcast industry at Event 001 at The Sharp Project and The ODEON screening was their first public screening to children and families from across Manchester.
“The winning team had strong ideas and a positive message for adapting to a low carbon way of life” said Sam Jones from Kilogramme who produced the final animation, “we worked with them to produce the storyboard to their design and we are really pleased with the results”
The animation will now be shown in schools across Manchester to support the city’s ambitions to raise awareness of climate change in schools. The winning pupils, Ashan Chaudray, Mutale Chasi, Lewis Frater, Jordan Nolan, Eric Openshaw & Bolo Osho who were supported by teaching staff Carol Shelton and Simon Lyon, are available for interview.
Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “This is a message by young people, for young people to create ambassadors for the city’s climate change action plan. Their achievements and their understanding of the message is an inspiration to everyone in Manchester”
This Wednesday at Event 001 at THE SHARP PROJECT saw the world première of‘A Day In The Life Of Sharpie’ – an animation produced by Manchester-based animators Kilogramme from a concept and brief by pupils from Manchester Media Academy for Boys for Manchester City Council’s Carbon Innovation Fund.
The pupils who came up with the character of Sharpie and storyboarded the animation were were Ashan Chaudray, Mutale Chasi, Lewis Frater, Jordan Nolan, Eric Openshaw & Bolo Osho supported by teaching staff Lisa Kelly & Carol Shelton.
Irk Valley Community Primary school in Lower Crumpsall hosted a 100% Careers day supported by top family brands including The ODEON, Holiday Inn and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre on Thursday 23rd June.
The school appointed Manchester based Social Enterprise MOTIV to organise a careers day featuring local employers with real opportunities.
Governor Maureen Kennedy commented ‘ We have a challenge inspiring our pupils who have limited access and opportunity to see what working life has to offer them’.
The 100% Careers Day is a hands on day of explorative activity designed to work in different learning environments so
Jack from The ODEON with pupils
for example whether designing their own Logo with Avenue Design, carrying out a construction task for Morgan Sindall or checking a customer in at the Holiday Inn pupils will be inspired to consider genuine opportunities available to them.
Rose Marley from MOTIV who are based in North Manchester and winners of a variety of ethical and community awards said ‘We assessed the opportunities that will be around for pupils in the next ten years when they leave school and identified a need to look at digital media, the green economy and bio-technology industries so we have representatives from them all. The brands attract the pupils attention – it puts the idea of work into a meaningful context for them that they can comfortably aspire to. ‘
Jennie McAlpine, aka Fiz from Coronation Street, opened the 100% Well Being Event for schools on 24th January at the Centre For Professional Development at Fitton Hill, Oldham.
Oldham Council’s Targeted Mental Health In Schools (TaMHS) are focusing on positive promotion of mental health awareness and support available to schools across Oldham. 100% Well Being was an event designed to raise awareness of the many agencies and services dedicated to emotional well being available to Oldham schools with a programme of keynotes, workshops and one to one sessions.
Jennie, an ambassador for mental health Charity Moodswings, was recruited by Social Enterprise MOTIV CIC who co-hosted the event with Oldham TaHMS, said:
‘Emotional well being affects everyone, whether at home, at work or in school. Coronation Street chose a mental health charity in its 50th anniversary year because we understand the importance of good emotional well being. We want to help to put a positive message out there and reduce any stigma associated with mental health as well as making people aware that there are always people out there to talk to and help anyone affected by emotional issues’
Oldham Council Chief Executive Charlie Parker, who also spoke at the event, said:
‘Schools are now being given much greater power to make their own budget choices, so it’s really important we inform schools of the help that’s available to support these important programmes. Enabling the positive emotional well-being of students is an important part of ensuring Oldham schools continue to raise attainment for all.’
100% Well Being featured a range of workshop sessions and keynotes from experts in emotional well being with a focus on how school staff can take action to make their school community a positive place to learn and to work. Speakers from Mental Health Awareness and Development, The Manchester University Storm Project, Westwood Primary School, the NHS and Off The Record provided information and advice on how through good emotional practice schools can raise their attainment and attendance levels as well as looking after pupils and staff emotional well being.
Other locally based agencies participating in the day included Relate, Let’s Get Healthy, Place2Be, Positive Steps Oldham, Kooth.com and Oldham Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Oldham TaMHS Project Manager Christopher Swire said:
“We can be really proud of the support Oldham schools give to our children. School staff demonstrate a real commitment to the emotional wellbeing of Oldham pupils and there is no doubt that this helps to ensure all our children get the best from their education. We know that the future will bring new challenges and opportunities, so it is important that we ensure that emotional wellbeing remains a priority.”
MOTIV CIC director Rose Marley said
‘MOTIV have worked closely with Oldham Council since 2007 to raise attendance and attainment in schools across the borough. We are very aware that making the education environment a positive place to learn and to work in is absolutely key to ensuring that young people in Oldham have the best possible start in life. 100% Well Being was an event to ensure that we are making positive steps to maintain this’
