A £379,000 bill for a computer worth less than £700 seems a bit steep, as does £3,500 for a pack of batteries. But that is what Tesco is asking parents to spend through its Computers for Schools scheme.

The voucher scheme is a valuable source of advertising and positive publicity for the supermarket chain among children, parents and teachers. But charities and head teachers questioned the benefits of the initiative last night after it emerged that customers must spend £1,500 for the cheapest item on offer.

Chris Davis, former chairman of the National Primary Headteachers’ Association and a head teacher for 22 years, said: “We never did very well with the scheme at my school as we never managed to get enough vouchers to get anything more than a digital camera. A disproportionate amount of effort went into the collection. Most schools use the children to count the vouchers. It was a wet playtime activity for the children.”

A Tesco catalogue sent out to teachers, a copy of which has been seen by The Times, shows that parents must amass 29,000 vouchers — a grocery bill of £290,000 — to acquire a Samsung laptop. A £19.80 pack of 20 mouse mats is on offer in exchange for 590 vouchers, or £5,900 at Tesco’s tills.

Simon Rooksby, chairman of Computers for Charities, an organisation that provides refurbished computers for schools, said: “We are always very cautious about these appeals. The concept is a good one but, as is the case with other reward schemes, they do seem to be overvalued.

“Schools are under pressure to achieve and grow, but sometimes the opportunities to do this are not as golden as they first appear. Schemes like the Tesco one are good marketing for the companies, but maybe that’s as far as the benefits go.”

The 99-page catalogue details more than 700 products, with an introduction by Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco’s chief executive. The index lists everything from an electric guitar strap (a £4,300 bill) to the most expensive item, an RM ecoquiet PC for £379,000 worth of vouchers. The same computer can be bought online for less than £700.

Under the terms of the scheme, shoppers receive one voucher for every £10 they spend; Tesco Express stores issue one voucher for each £5 transaction. The scheme finishes on May 13, with a July deadline for receipt of orders.

Mr Davis said: “There was concern from the start of the scheme that it was biased in favour of schools that happen to be very near to Tesco stores. Some of those schools did well. There were also concerns about the commercialisation of the school environment and the fact that company logos were appearing in schools.”

This week Tesco posted record profits of £2.55 billion — equivalent to more than £4,800 a minute.

A spokesman said: “Computers for Schools is a fantastically popular scheme that offers something for nothing. A customer spending £10 in Tesco will get £10 of the best-value groceries and the vouchers are given in addition to that. Last year we gave no less than £11.6 million in much needed equipment to schools, giving tens of thousands of kids access to equipment they would simply not otherwise have had.”

Shopping list

£379,000 RM One ecoquiet PC Plus (with 19” LCD screen) Available online for £681.47

£290,000 R40 Samsung Laptop Available online for £586.22

£140,700 Canon S3 IS high end digital camera £286.83 online

£5,900 Mouse mat (20 pack) £19.80 online

£3,500 Rechargeable AA batteries (pack of four) £11.40 online

£2,800 Oxford Junior Thesaurus £6.39 online

£1,600 Bee Seed Mix £1.99 online

Shoppers collect one voucher for every £10 spent in Tesco

Source: Tesco Computers for Schools catalogue, Times Database

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