TWO more Mid Devon schools have thrown their hat into the ring by entering the Gazette's competition to win a share of £8,000.

Bampton Primary School and Willowbank primary in Cullompton have made applications to Cash For Schools, which was launched by the Gazette in conjunction with Barclays Money Skills.

The initiative gives local primary schools the chance to win funds for projects that help to improve children's understanding of money.

Bampton school has already been running a gardening project for two years, but a cash prize would expand the work they are doing, providing extra equipment for use by the school's gardening and environmental clubs.

Headteacher Annette James said: "We have been gardening in the new school site and each class has its own area.

"We plan to involve the children in selling produce and seeds. Some of our garden produce will be used by the children in cookery sessions.

"We plan to purchase some wooden planters so that we can have some plants growing close to classrooms to keep a better eye on them."

Explaining that the children will be looking at the cost of growing and selling produce, Mrs James said: "When buying planters and equipment, they will be involved in choosing suppliers and getting the best deal.

"It is important that children see that things cost money, and that, therefore, things need to be cared for and maintained to avoid the cost of replacement".

Some children will cost the ingredients used in cookery sessions. Mrs James said: "We will be starting a cookery club with the reception class and we might do some basic maths based around teaching that there is a cost to ingredients."

Willowbank Primary has started a snack shop initiative, funded by the school, but any money won would be used to get the project better established.

The snack shop has been set up in a corridor as a proper shop front, and has been named by the children as Mr Willow's Market.

Headteacher Simon Atherton said: "We will be able to do a huge amount of maths in a real-life context with the older children."

As well as providing break-time snacks, Mr Willow's will be used during curriculum class-time to aid children's understanding of profit and loss and marketing.

Cash For Schools will make payments of £4,000, £2,000, £1,000 and two of £500 to the winning entrants. Five finalists will be selected and announced on February 9.

The finalists have until March 23 to collect as many tokens as possible. Tokens will be printed in the Gazette every week from February 9 to March 23. Each token will have a different monetary value.

The prizes will be awarded to the schools that submit the highest value of tokens, compared to the number of pupils registered at the schools. This means smaller schools with fewer pupils have as much chance of winning as larger schools. The winners will be revealed on April 20.

The Gazette will feature as many as possible of the schools that enter.

This will allow schools to let readers know what projects would be possible if they won one of the cash prizes, and help them raise additional support from their local community.