A simple monthly lottery for your school is on its way.
We’re building a simple monthly lottery platform for school parent councils and PTAs in Scotland. We’ll open to a small number of pilot schools first, once our licensing is in place.
In the meantime, try the demo below: pop in your school’s name and colours and see how your page could look.
See how your school’s page could look
Pick your colours and pop in your school’s name to see how your school’s page could look. Then watch an example month play out: joining, the total growing, and the monthly draw replayed on the ball machine. It’s a demo: the school, players and figures are all made up.
Everything in this demo is made up: the school, the supporters and the figures. They aren’t a forecast or our pricing.
Every entry helps fund our school.
A modern take on the school monthly draw
The idea is simple and familiar: supporters pay a small monthly amount for a lucky number, there’s a cash prize draw every month, and what’s left after prizes and costs goes to the school. SchoolDraw will turn that into a friendly online experience and take most of the admin off your committee’s plate.
We help you get ready
We’ll walk your parent council through registering its lottery with your local council (around £40) and setting up its own payment account, then build your school’s page. Allow several weeks from start to first draw: most of that is waiting for the council and the payment provider’s checks.
Supporters join online
Parents, carers, staff and friends of the school aged 18 or over will sign up on their phone in a couple of minutes, pay a few pounds a month by Direct Debit, and keep the same lucky number every draw.
The monthly draw
Winners will be picked at random on draw day and emailed the good news. Your treasurer will pay the prizes from your own account, and families can watch the draw replay and see the total raised.
Your school gets funded
Ticket money will go into your parent council’s own account, never ours: regular funding for the school, with no raffle books or cash to count.
Easy for supporters
No cash, no chasing, no paper. Supporters will join once online and be entered every month. Winning numbers will be published as numbers only, never names. The only people who’ll be able to see who’s joined are the few committee members who run your lottery: they’ll need to, to pay prizes, and they’ll keep it confidential.
Your committee will stay in charge
Your parent council will run the lottery and keep the funds. SchoolDraw will take care of the website, sign-ups, payments and the monthly draw, with a simple dashboard for the committee members who run it.
Fair pricing, done properly
Simple, fair, and only when you succeed
There’ll be no setup fee and no subscription. SchoolDraw will take a small share of the tickets you sell, and nothing if you sell nothing. The exact split isn’t decided yet. We’ll settle it before our first pilot schools sign up. Whatever it ends up being, your school will keep well above the legal 20% minimum, and we’ll show you exactly what you’d receive after payment fees before you commit.
Regulated, and taken seriously
School lotteries are regulated. Before any school goes live on SchoolDraw, its parent council will be registered with its local council, SchoolDraw will hold any Gambling Commission licence its role needs, and the player terms, privacy notice and school agreement will be finalised with a solicitor and published here.
Your questions, answered
When can our school start?
Not yet. SchoolDraw isn’t taking schools or players while we finish the platform and our licensing. We’ll open to a small number of pilot schools first. To hear when, email hello@schooldraw.co.uk.
Is this legal? Do we need a licence?
Your school’s side is simple. Your parent council registers a “small society lottery” with your local council (around £40, then £20 a year), and the school itself doesn’t need a Gambling Commission licence. SchoolDraw will hold whatever Gambling Commission licence our own role needs before any school goes live, and we’ll guide you through your council registration.
Who will hold the money?
Your school will. Entry payments will go into your parent council’s own payment account, never ours. Your parent council will pay the prizes and keep the rest, and SchoolDraw’s fee is only ever a share of tickets actually sold.
Who will be able to play?
Anyone aged 18 or over: parents, grandparents, staff and friends of the school. Every player will have to confirm they’re 18 or over before they can join, and any entry found to be from someone under 18 will be cancelled and refunded.
How will the draw be kept fair?
Every draw will be picked at random by computer and recorded, and the winning numbers published for everyone to see. The ball machine is a fun replay of the result. It never picks the winners.
Will it be anonymous? Can teachers and staff take part?
Winning numbers will be published as numbers only, never names. The only people who’ll be able to see who’s joined are the few committee members who run your lottery. They’ll need to, to pay prizes, and they’ll keep it confidential. And yes, staff can join like anyone else aged 18 or over.
Will supporters be able to cancel?
Yes, any time: by replying to any lottery email, or by cancelling the Direct Debit with their bank.
Who’s behind SchoolDraw
SchoolDraw is being built in Scotland by Ryan Garrett, a parent council chair, as a small independent business.
SchoolDraw isn’t a registered company yet. Questions, ideas or worries are all welcome: email hello@schooldraw.co.uk and a real person will reply.
Want to hear when we open?
SchoolDraw is opening to a small number of pilot schools first. If you’re on a parent council or PTA and would like to hear when we open, email hello@schooldraw.co.uk. There’s no obligation and nothing to pay us.
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