On 23rd May, Notre Dame R.C. Girls’ School was presented with a delivery of iPads and iPad accessories, donated by the RBS Markets and International Banking (M&IB) Community Investment Programme. RBS pay for redundant equipment to be taken away and destroyed; the scrap value is rebated and the profit funds the new technology which is donated to chosen community projects. Three equipment donations to local schools have been made through the Equipment Donation Scheme so far this year, meaning hundreds of local young people have benefited.
Sr Anne-Marie, Alistair Brown & Caroline Edwards
Alastair Brown (Chief Information Officer, International Banking) handed over the Notre Dame equipment at a presentation attended by girls from the school’s Student Leadership team. He said of the delivery: 'I'm delighted that through our community programme we can contribute this I.T equipment which we hope will prove invaluable to the students’ experience of learning at Notre Dame. The school has demonstrated to RBS the benefits that cutting edge technology can bring to the classroom and we are delighted to support this. This is just one way that RBS is making a real difference to our local community.’
Sr. Anne Marie Niblock, Headteacher at the school, was delighted to receive the donation. She said: ‘Notre Dame has a longstanding partnership with the RBS M&IB Community Programme and we are very grateful to receive this equipment donation. The students are excited to get to grips with the new iPads and we are looking forward to being able to offer them more interactive learning opportunities with the new equipment.’ The teachers have already been talking about which apps they will use in their classes. The Science department plans to download one that explores the solar system!
The M&IB Community Investment programme has established long-term partnerships with schools in the communities closest to its offices and offers its employees a number of volunteering opportunities with its partner schools. At Notre Dame, a number of M&IB employees mentor the students at fortnightly 1:1 sessions and in March this year, a group of M&IB graduates visited the school as part of a Curriculum Enrichment Day to share their experience of the university application process.
