Schools application process
Please note this information does not apply to special schools, who should apply under the special needs programme.
Some 50 applications are invited each year. They are considered first by the Schools Panel whose recommendations are then decided by Trustees at their meetings in June and December. Members of the Panel visit applicant schools. This means that the lead-in time from initial enquiry to an application being invited and considered is rather longer than for other programmes. It is also a popular programme which may mean an invitation to apply has to be deferred to the next meeting if the allocation for the first is already subscribed.
The timetable leading to each meeting of Trustees is as follows:
For the June meeting. Initial enquiries will have been received the year before and the schools put on a list for invitation. In about September letters of invitation are sent, enclosing a Method of Application guidance note. The deadline date for receipt of applications is 31 January the following year. Schools are visited between February and April, applications considered by the Education Panel in May and recommendations made to the June meeting of Trustees.
For the December meeting. Following initial enquiries and listing, letters of invitation are sent early in the year. The deadline date for application is mid June and schools are visited at the end of the summer term or early in the autumn term. The Education Panel meets in late October/early November and its recommendations go forward to the December meeting of Trustees.
The following points may be relevant to making an initial enquiry -
Excellence
The main thrust of the schools programme has been to provide support to schools that already have a proven record of excellent performance. However, the Trustees will also help schools which, whilst not yet in the upper reaches of the performance tables, have a clear record of continuing improvement. Schools should cite their place in The Financial Times list of the top 1000 schools; refer to a recent 'excellent' Ofsted/ISI report; or provide information on academic attainments (full results of GCSE examinations for the preceding academic year presented in the form required by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, together with summary results for the last five years)
Eligible projects
These may be capital or equipment projects. A bid for both may be included in a single application. Grants are not made retrospectively so work on a project for which support is sought must be ongoing at the time of the Trustees' meeting. Grants are made for the support of the teaching of science and technology for students taking A level or GCSE examinations. A music technology project may be considered on occasion, but the main focus of the schools programme is science and technology.
Ineligible projects
Examples of ineligible projects are those relating to performing or creative arts centres, dance studios, theatres, sports facilities, libraries and projects exclusively for junior pupils in the school.
Denominational schools
In making application, schools are asked for confirmation of non-discriminatory entry policies in respect of religious allegiance. Schools that are predominantly denominational may be supported but assurance should be provided that a significant number of pupils of other faiths, or of none, are admitted and that the school sees such a group as a positive asset for all the pupils in the school. An indication of the relevant numbers of such pupils should be provided.
Independent schools
Only schools with a sixth form of at least 50 students may be invited.
Academies
They are eligible to apply if they have been in existence for at least five years and meet the 'excellence' criteria mentioned above.
Previous grant(s)
It is usual to allow some five years to elapse before another application from the same organisation may be considered.