posted by Brenda Roddy, Project Officer, Environmental Strategy
Angus the Panda is looking for a new home. Tell him about your school’s plans for Earth Hour and he might just pick your school to live at.
Send in a photo or your ideas and he’ll choose his favourite – to roddyb@angus.gov.uk
#PassThePanda and #EarthHour
Any questions please call 07932 193247
posted by Carol Lyon, Schools & Learning Support Officer (STEM), Schools and Learning
Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAISE)
Programme information
Background
The Wood Foundation is a proactive venture philanthropy funder, focusing on creating economic activity to help people help themselves, providing business development and capacity support, in addition to funding. The Foundation invests in a range of economic, community and enterprise activities in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the UK, this includes a strong portfolio focusing on youth philanthropy, global citizenship, developing Scotland’s young workforce and childhood poverty. The aim of The Wood Foundation is to develop and support individuals to become independent, contributing and caring members of society.
In partnership with Education Scotland and Scottish Government, The Wood Foundation is launching a new programme to provide strategic support to secure improvements in primary science education in Scottish schools. The ambition of this programme is to ensure all learners experience highly-engaging and motivating learning experiences in the sciences that will enable them to contribute effectively to society as scientifically literate citizens. The programme will also seek to equip learners with skills for learning, life and work thus enabling them to access a wide range of stimulating and rewarding careers, including those within science and STEM sectors.
Angus Council is one of ten local authorities invited to participate in the Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAISE) programme. This pilot programme will last for a total of thirty-three months. Five authorities are currently involved in phase one of the programme. Angus will be one of a second tranche of five authorities to join the programme from August 2017. Following a period of review, the programme may be extended for up to a further five years so as to benefit all local authorities in Scotland.
The successful candidate, appointed to the post of Primary Science Development Officer, will be responsible for raising aspirations in science education within Angus Council for a period of 23 months (August 2017 – July 2019). The secondee will work closely with other partner organisations including Education Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Schools Education Research Centre (SSERC) and other local authorities, to achieve the aims of the programme and ensure it aligns to national priorities and policies. This includes alignment to the emerging National Strategy for STEM, the Developing Young Workforce programme, National Improvement Framework, Scottish Attainment Challenge, Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy and promoting gender balance in STEM.
Aims of the programme
For further information please see the attached job description. PSDO job description
posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer – Schools and Learning
Update – News
posted by Lesley A Eaton, School Travel Administrator, Schools and Learning
Do you work with schools in your area?
We were contacted by Havering Council in London who wanted to work with their local schools, nurseries and childminders to encourage them to learn about road safety. They bought a whopping 250 bumper packs from us and our Beep Beep! team worked hard to put these together. (See picture below)
If you work with, or you know anyone who works with, the schools in your area, why not do the same? It’s a great initiative to get educators in your community teaching road safety basics to their little ones. You could even join up and run a community event! Our bumper packs are just £10.50 (+ VAT, suitable for up to 50 children each) and contains lots of reusable, fun activities and resources, all focused around road safety basics.
If you are interested, or for any queries please get in touch with Brake, the road safety charity or call us on 01484 550061.
posted by Lesley Eaton, School Travel Administrator, Children and Learning
Get your pupils arriving at school ready to learn;
The charity Sustrans is running a schools scooting and cycling challenge The Big Pedal over 10 days (20-31st of March 2017). This is the biggest two-wheels challenge in the UK and all schools both primary and secondary’s are invited to take part. Over 100 schools in Scotland have signed up.
The aim is to get the largest proportion of pupils, parents and staff to scoot and cycle into school over the two week period.
Schools can choose to enter a 1 or 5 day challenge where your best day or best 5 days out of the two weeks count.
The theme of this year’s challenge is Round-the-World in 10 Days. 
There is a wall chart and facts cards for participating schools to plot their journeys and learn about the countries they pass through. As well as other resources on the website; including power point for assemblies, letters for parents etc.
Read all about it and register here; http://bigpedal.org.uk/
| Tips for school’s for registering for the Big Pedal.
Registration takes approximately 15 minutes and you will need:
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For tweets, use #bigpedal and tag @SustransScot 
It’s fun, free and can help children and adults get more active and arrive at school ready to start learning.
Look forward to hearing about your Big Pedal!
posted by Rhonda McFarlane, Funding Officer, Chief Executive’s Department
The Veolia Environmental Trust, has announced that the next closing date for stage 1 applications is the 25th May 2017.
Constituted, not-for-profit groups within the vicinity of a qualifying Veolia site, can apply for grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 for projects that support the natural, social and built environment. The type of activities that can be supported include:
There is a two-stage application process and applicants successful at stage 1 must have secured 20% of funding towards the project prior to submitting a full (stage 2) application.
http://www.veoliatrust.org/funding/
Single organisations (such as Local Authorities) or partnerships of not for profit organisations can apply for grants of up to £2 million through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) Townscape Heritage Initiative to regenerate historic environments in towns and cities across the United Kingdom.
The programme aims to address problems in areas of particular social and economic need. Applicants needs to submit a portfolio of projects that together have the potential to regenerate and transform conservation areas in need of investment.
The next closing date for stage 1 applications is 12 noon on the 8th December 2017. Second-round applications can be submitted up to 12 months after first-round approval. The second round is not competitive; a grant will be offered to the applicant if it meets the HLF’s criteria and priorities.
https://www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/townscape-heritage
The Health Foundation has announced that its Innovating for Improvement programme has opened for applications.
The programme aims to improve health care delivery and/or the way people manage their own health care through the redesign of processes, practices and services. The Foundation support clinical teams to develop their innovative ideas and approaches, put them into practice and gather evidence about how their innovation improves quality. A total of £1.5m available for up to 20 teams to test and develop innovative ideas and approaches and each project team will receive up to £75,000 of funding to support the implementation and measurement of the project. In this round of Innovating for Improvement the Foundation is particularly interested in applications for innovative projects either led by or working in close collaboration with primary care. Applications can come from any health or health and social care provider organisation in the UK where health care services are delivered free at the point of delivery.
The deadline for all applications is midday on the 28th March 2017.
http://www.health.org.uk/programmes/innovating-improvement
The next deadline to apply for G&H Roberts Community Trust is the 31st July 2017.
The Trust focuses on funding small community projects that support the advancement of education, community development, human rights, environmental protection, conflict resolution and reconciliation. This round is keen to focus on funding projects in West Lothian but any UK charities can apply.
Applications will normally be considered only for specific items of expenditure which may include salaries, travel costs, equipment and a percentage of overheads if appropriate.
http://www.ghrcommunitytrust.org/applications/
The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust is now accepting applications for grants that support individuals, clubs and special schools with equipment and specialist wheelchairs to enable disabled people to play tennis.
Funding is available of up to £1,500 for groups and clubs and up to £500 for individuals. Individuals can receive support for:
Groups can apply for:
In the case of wheelchairs a deposit will be required; for individuals the amount of deposit required will depend on the wheelchair type requested, clubs will need to provide a deposit of £250 per chair.
The closing date for applications in this round is the 10th March 2017.
http://www.danmaskelltennistrust.org.uk/apply-for-a-grant.html
The British Council’s Connecting Classrooms fund has opened up for applications.
Grants of £3,000 are available to enable teachers (who have completed the British Council’s ‘Teaching Core Skills’ training programme) and a school leader to visit a partner school overseas. Each visit will involve participating in an event, arranged in country by the British Council. The events will bring together schools from the UK, their partners and other local schools to share experiences and good practice of implementing core skills within the curriculum. Schools participating in the connecting classrooms programme will have to work with a schools based in one of the following countries:
To be eligible to apply, the UK will have identified a partner school in one of these countries.
The next closing date for applications is the 20th March 2017.
Grants of up to £1,000 are available through the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Ray Y. Gildea Jr Award to support innovation in Geography teaching.
Applications can be made for projects to research, develop and/or pilot innovations in teaching and learning in any field of geography in higher or secondary education.
Previous winners have included:
Nicola Rowland (John of Gaunt School, Wiltshire). ‘A virtual journey across Greenland’. The purpose of the expedition was to send four teachers of different disciplines to carry out scientific experiments, in the harshest of polar conditions, with the aim of encouraging and inspiring their students by creating material and resources that meets the needs of the National Curriculum.
The applications deadline is the 30th November 2017.
http://www.rgs.org/OURWORK/GRANTS/TEACHING/RAY+Y.+GILDEA+JR+AWARD.HTM
The next application deadline for the West Lothian LEADER Programme is 24th April 2017.
The aim of LEADER is to increase community capacity, to build knowledge and skills, encourage innovation and promote co-operation in rural areas via the delivery of a Local Development Strategy (LDS).
West Lothian has an allocation of £2.17 million – split between the following priorities:
The amount of funding available depends on the type of project but ranges from £5,000 to £100,000. Themes for the current programme are:
All projects should also address these themes:
https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/LEADER
The John Watson’s Trust has announced that the next closing date for applications is the 18th March 2017.
The trust awards grants primarily within Edinburgh and the Lothians for educational purposes to children and young people under the age of 21 who have a physical or learning disability or who are socially disadvantaged. Grants may be awarded Scotland wide depending on each individual case. Both individuals and organisations may apply for funding and examples of the types of activities that can be funded include dyslexia tuition, school trips (must be applied for by the school and not individuals), bus passes, books and equipment and laptops where there is a special education need.
http://www.wssociety.co.uk/charities/jwt/
The National Churches Trust has announced that the next closing date for its new Maintenance Grant Scheme is the 10th May 2017.
The National Churches Trust, supports the repair and revitalisation of church buildings for the benefit of all the community. This is a pilot programme, in partnership with the Pilgrim Trust, offering awards of between £1,000 and £2,500 to encourage churches to act on small, urgent maintenance issues and repairs to listed church buildings, as identified in a recent Quinquennial Inspection Report, condition survey or report by a gutter management contractor, and costed at between £2,000 and £10,000. Proposed works must be to the main listed church building, and applicants must be able to show they have already raised 50% of the total repair costs, and to have obtained two quotes for the works.
http://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/our-grants/maintenance-grants
Organisations that have a Community Directplus account with the Co-operative Bank have until 31st March 2017 to apply for funding from the Customer Donation Fund.
Since 2003 the Co-operative Bank Donation Fund has donated over £701,000 to 815 organisations. The money can be used to support special projects and fundraising activities; and all Community Directplus account holders are eligible to apply.
Examples of previous projects supported include:
Theatre company 20 Stories High which received funding towards three dictaphones, 12 MP3 players and the work of an experienced Technical Manager in order to help develop and stage a new production.
Wiltshire Wood Recycling, a not for profit organisations, which received funding towards new tools, boots, hard hats and high-viz jackets for the workers.
http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/business/community/community-directplus#customerdonationfund-2
UnLtd, the charity for Social Entrepreneurs, has announced, that young people between the ages of 16 and 24 can apply for funding from the Spaces for Change “Do It Awards”.
The programme will support young people to start and run social ventures that unlock the potential of unused or under-utilised spaces for the benefit of the local community, especially other young people. The programme is offering 100 awards between 2016 and 2019 of between £501 and £5,000 project funding. In addition, young people will receive the support of a dedicated award manager, cohort support and peer to peer networking opportunities for sharing knowledge and learning. Anyone over the age of 18 who applies must be willing to crowdfund a minimum of £100 via Spacehive.
The closing date for applications is the 24th April 2017.
The next application deadline for funding from the Suez Communities Trust (formerly the Sita Trust) is the 24th April 2017.
The Suez Communities Trust provides funds to not-for-profit organisations to improve amenities that is available for leisure and recreation use by the general public. This could include:
Through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) the Trust can offer grants of up to £20,000 through its Smaller Projects Fund and grants of up to £50,000 through its Primary Fund. To be eligible, applicants needs to be a not – for profit organisations located within three miles of a qualifying SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK waste processing site. N.B. due to the rural nature of the Aberdeenshire funding zone this zone has a 10-mile radius. Additionally, in order to qualify for LCF funding project sites must fall within 10 miles of a landfill site.
For information on projects previously funded by the Trust, please click here.
