Time to Count pupils visit Bank of Ireland, Limerick
As part of Business in the Community Ireland’s (BITCI) Time to Count programme, the pupils of Presentation Primary School visited Bank of Ireland, O’Connell Street, Limerick branch. Unique to this site visit was the attendance of Mayor of Limerick, John Moran who is a strong champion of effective local initiatives to tackle educational disadvantage.
The Time to Count programme, which began in 2016, aims is to build children’s confidence around numbers, reinforce their conceptual understanding around numbers and support them in mathematical problem solving. BITCI runs this nationwide programme by pairing companies with a 3rd class in a local DEIS school and company volunteers deliver 10 sessions with the class using maths games, activities and challenges and then the pupils attend a workplace visit.
This is the first year of collaboration between Presentation Primary School and Bank of Ireland Limerick, although Bank of Ireland staff are involved in BITCI’s primary and secondary level programmes across the country which is a testament to the enduring success of these different initiatives. In this group, 33 students were paired with 11 volunteers.
Andrea Lazenby Simpson, BITCI Head of Education said “We are delighted to have the endorsement of Mayor of Limerick, John Moran as he is thoroughly committed to initiatives that improve educational outcomes and raise career expectations of DEIS pupils. In 2025, BITCI celebrates its 25th anniversary and as leaders in sustainability and social inclusion, the partnering of corporate volunteers with local DEIS schools with the intent of addressing education disadvantage and achieve greater equity of opportunities remain vital to BITCI’s social inclusion objectives. We applaud Bank of Ireland for their ongoing support of our programmes and look forward to expanding our partnerships with them in Limerick.”
Barbara McNamara, Principal, said “This programme has really benefited the pupil’s understanding and engagement in maths and helped develop their social skills and self-confidence. Seeing the relationships develop between the pupils and the volunteers is really rewarding and all the pupils look forward to when the volunteers come in.”
Ana Long, Careers Academy, Bank of Ireland said “Bank of Ireland is delighted to support BITCI’s Time to Count programme in Limerick, which has been delivered by 10 Colleague volunteers over 10 weeks. Bank of Ireland colleagues take part through our Emerging Careers initiatives, which provide support and opportunities for people from all backgrounds to enter the workforce and begin their career. The Time to Count programme is also a highly practical introduction to financial literacy from an early age, using numeracy games and activities. We look forward to continuing to partner with BITCI on the programme in Limerick and around Ireland”.
The Time to Count programme external evaluation conducted by DCU found not only does the programme enhance the child’s mathematical learning but also increases their social skills and confidence through the evolving relationship between the pupils and volunteers over the course of the programme.
The Time to Count programme is funded by An Post and the Department of Education (through the Dormant Accounts fund).
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Media Contact: June Tinsley – Head of Communications BITCI, jtinsley@bitc.ie, 086 7733221
