Education Today Education Today Magazine
Millions of UK children will be invited to tune in to one big school assembly as they are encouraged to take on a special 100 challenge as part of a brand-new fundraising initiative.
The Captain Tom 100 is being organised by The Captain Tom Foundation with London Marathon Events to celebrate Captain Tom’s life, his generosity of spirit the hope and the joy he brought to millions and his sense of fun.
The morning announcements and school notices will be replaced for one day only with a YouTube broadcast with Hannah Ingram-Moore, daughter of Captain Sir Tom, and featuring a special message from PE star Joe Wicks which will be played simultaneously in classrooms across the country and around the world on 30th April – which would have been Captain Tom’s 101st birthday.
To join in, children will be asked to take part in a challenge of their choice centred around the number 100.
Hannah Ingram-Moore, youngest daughter of the Second World War veteran who raised more than £39million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, said: “To inspire, excite and engage with young people, we have a fabulous film featuring famous faces and unsung heroes showing us what they will be doing for their Captain Tom 100 challenge. From David Beckham to five-year-old Betty Leigh Allinson, there’s inspiration for every age and every ability.
“We love the idea of millions of children watching the same thing at the same time and then running, hopping, skipping, dancing, baking, sewing, writing, drawing or whatever else they might want to do to raise money.
“Children are a primary focus of this campaign which celebrates inclusivity and diversity and allows absolutely everyone to do their little bit in my father’s memory. Let’s continue what my father started. It’s continuing where he left off.”
The assembly will be just one part of a school-centred focus, appealing to secondary and primary schools to get stuck into the fundraising mission.
Those taking part will be asked to take on their 100 challenge between Friday, April 30, and the Bank Holiday Monday on May 3 but Ms Ingram-Moore said she suspected many schools would choose to engage in a communal activity on the Friday – which would have been Captain Sir Tom’s birthday.
Hannah added: “We are picturing, with sheer delight, children on playing fields up and down the country doing 100 star jumps, 100 hula hoops or skipping 100 times. We believe schools will really want to engage with this event because my father had such a tremendous impact on young people during the height of the pandemic. He simply loved children and showed them that anything was possible.”
Schools will be invited to stream the special assembly to pupils on the morning of Friday 30th April but can access the material anytime from the 26th April.
On top of this, education packs are available for participating schools to download from the Captain Tom 100 website from 12th April. These will include a host of resources to suit different age groups, including from the National Literacy Trust and White Rose Maths.
Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “We are very proud to be supporting the Captain Tom 100. The fantastic thing about this initiative is you can choose your own challenge and we’re so excited to see how schools and children interpret the theme.
“Captain Sir Tom Moore achieved great things and inspired hope during a really difficult time, encouraging everyone to look positively to the future.
“In our own research, one in two children said that reading encourages them to dream about the future. That’s why we’ve come up with lots of fun literacy ideas around the number 100 that pupils can do as part of their learning in the classroom or at home to be part of this brilliant campaign bringing the nation together on Captain Tom’s birthday.”
Caroline Hamilton, director of White Rose Maths, said the organisation is proud to support the Captain Tom 100 initiative.
She added: “Along with millions of others across the country, the White Rose Maths team was truly inspired by this extraordinary gentleman’s effort and commitment, and we’re excited to be playing our part in celebrating his many achievements.
“What better way for us to do this than to take a close look at the number 100! It’s a genuinely fascinating number, and we’re looking forward to sharing lots of ways in which children, teachers, parents and carers can explore it in much more detail.”
Children who take part can also download a certificate of achievement.
The event is being supported by London Marathon Events, the Mass Participation Sports Organisers (MSO), Prominent PR, adam&eveDDB, LiveWire Sport and Studio Republic.
To take part visit https://www.captaintom100.com/ and use the hashtag #CaptainTom100 to share your efforts across social media channels.
