�1.5m Access to Education Fund now open for schools

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 27th May, 2015

£1.5m is now available for schools and clusters to help reduce barriers to learning for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes learners with additional support needs. 

The fund aims to help enhance a school's capacity to:

• address barriers to learning caused by difficulties in accessing appropriate school resources, equipment, IT, or clothing;
• provide learning experiences, outdoor learning or other activities which will boost learning and are an integral part of the school curriculum;
• offer coaching and mentoring programmes for disadvantaged students to support them to become fully engaged in school and community life;
• deliver parental engagement programmes to support parents to support their children;
• engage with the wider community; and
• develop or deliver innovative learning experiences which will raise educational attainment, promote attendance and encourage positive engagement.

I don't know exactly what type of projects get funded, by my eye was drawn to the mention of IT, so perhaps funding would be available to invest in laptops, tablets or software for a support for learning department? Some schools say they have very limited stocks of devices for students with ASN and so this may be one way to supplement your resources. Or how about developing a programme of coaching for learners to teach ICT skills "to support them to become fully engaged in school and community life" - you might have after-school sessions to develop basic ICT skills, or teach students how to use particular software or apps for accessing the curriculum.

To find out more, get the application forms, and see an example application from last year, visit the Access to Education Fund pages on the Education Scotland web site.

Last year there was considerable variation in the amount of funding awarded to schools in different local authorities: from Glasgow, where schools received £173,568, to Argyll & Bute, where schools received only £2,000. Don't miss out this year! Get your applications in before the deadline on 19th June!