Primary Focus Areas

  • Primary Awards must be for projects aimed at one or any combination of our main focus areas (STEM, PE and Learning to Learn) and/or our wider focus areas of English, Foundation Subjects and/or Outdoor Learning (see below).
  • We are equally pleased to receive applications for one specific area or for projects that will benefit a range of subjects.
  • Primary schools may make a number of different bids as long as the total amount bid for by the school does not exceed £1,000 over the academic year.
  • Applications for all focus areas are strengthened by arguments for how the resource or event will help the pupils' learn more effectively than they are at the moment.

If the website does not answer all your questions, please don't hesitate to email me at gareth@edufunduk.org.uk

MAIN FOCUS AREAS

STEM

These are the subject areas of: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  As well as learning and skills in the specific subjects, we also value other over-arching skill sets such as:

  • Integration of content into other subjects
  • Engagement in systematic enquiry
  • Engagement in logical reasoning
  • Interpretation and communication of information
  • Collaboration as a team

Physical Education

We will consider any bid which is designed to enhance the delivery of a curriculum which seeks to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime. Any bid could include any of the following aspects

  • Instruction in any skills that are designed to enhance child and adolescent development in one or more sports or activities.
  • Fitness education and assessment that allows for understanding and improvement of physical well-being.
  • Development of cognitive concepts related to motor skills and fitness.
  • Opportunities to improve social and cooperative skills.
  • Opportunities to increase the value placed on physical activity for health, enjoyment, self expression, challenge and confidence.
  • Opportunities to increase an understanding of differing roles within physical education  - coach, official etc.

Please ensure that your bid (If appropriate)

  • Ensures that motor skills, physical activity, and fitness assessments are age and developmentally appropriate.
  • Uses methods of teaching motor and movement skills that ensure that basic skills lead to more advanced skills.
  • Plans to appropriately monitor, reinforce, and prepare for student learning.

Learning to Learn

Essentially, we are looking to fund the teaching of techniques that help your pupils learn more quickly, thoroughly, easily, enjoyably and/or permanently across a wide range of subjects. 

Ideally, the techniques taught would be useful across the whole curriculum but a very well-argued subject-specific learning to learn project will be considered.

Resources that facilitate more effective learning should be applied for under a curriculum subject bid.  The bid will be stronger if the resources can be used in more than one subject e.g. VR systems to teach science, history and geography, monitors/sensors for science and technology and PE, visualisers to model and critique work in all subjects etc).

 

What do we fund under the Learning to Learn category?

We consider projects that involve the delivery of learning-to-learn techniques to pupils by an outside speaker/company or a resource (e.g. online program or books/workbooks that teach learning skills).   We also consider teacher training in these techniques so they can pass them on to other staff and pupils.  (Please note:  We don’t pay teacher cover costs e.g. for INSET or for a trained, internal specialist to deliver the techniques to a year group etc).

 

What are learning-to-learn techniques?

There are many learning to learn techniques that might be taught, for example:

  • Revision/Exam Techniques: e.g. memory and revision techniques, dual coding information, mind-maps
  • Thinking skills: e.g. critical thinking, ideas generation and evaluation, assimilating information, problem solving, applying Bloom’s Taxonomy skills.
  • Learning styles: e.g. how the brain learns, VAK, 8 intelligences, groupwork, thinking maps.

Click for a pdf of Learning to Learn techniques examples

This is by no means an exhaustive list of learning techniques and we are always happy to consider arguments for other ideas that will help your particular pupils learn more effectively.

 

What kind of L2L projects can I bid for?

It is entirely up to you how to best achieve your Learning to Learn objective(s) with your pupils.  Examples of ways to teach learning techniques could include:

(Links given are not specifically endorsed by EdufundUK but give an example of what we mean)

  • Whole-school or year-group learning days or longer programs delivered by specialists (e.g. Glia Learning, Thinking Matters, Inner Drive, Elevate Education)
  • Software, textbooks, workbooks, videos etc which teach pupils learning techniques  (e.g. CHAMPS, CoRT Thinking: Ready-made lesson plans, videos and resources to teach different aspects of thinking – now largely FREE).
  • INSET training to teach staff learning to learn techniques and how to deliver them.

 

Projects we are unlikely to fund under our Learning to Learn category

Whilst the examples below are extremely valuable to enhancing learning in one or more subjects, they do not fit into this focus area of teaching transferable learning skills to pupils.  Schools can certainly bid for these under our other focus areas, using their learning benefits as arguments for funding.

  • Subject specific equipment that helps teach or learn in a different, more effective way e.g. manipulatives in maths, practical experiment equipment in science.
  • Environments that may enhance learning e.g. small-group rooms, well-being/sensory rooms, outdoor learning areas.
  • I.T. software and equipment which helps pupils to learn specific subjects/topics in more effective ways such as VR/AR headsets, quiz programs etc.

 


WIDER FOCUS AREAS (Primary Only)

English

  • Any aspect of the English curriculum, from earliest phonics teaching (and later intervention) to the most challenging aspects of UKS2 grammar.
  • As with all focus areas, we love to support projects which enhance learning and motivation across a range of topics.

Foundation Subjects

  • We are keen to support projects which enhance learning in one or a combination of the NC foundation subjects.
  • We are particularly aware of the difficulties teachers face in trying to become experts in all of the wide range of foundation subjects as well as in English, Maths and Science.  For this reason, we are particularly open to teacher training or resources which help teachers develop their own expertise in foundation subjects and/or enhance pupil learning in them.

Outdoor Learning

This category is about supporting the creation or development of outdoor learning spaces and facilities. 

Hints for making a successful outdoor learning bid

  • The primary function of the space should be to facilitate learning (e.g. not simply play equipment).
  • Link the outside learning to the curriculum and give an indication of how many children will regularly benefit from it.
  • Give arguments why learning in that outside space is going to be particularly effective as compared to learning the same subjects/topics in a classroom.
  • Arguments for the motivation, health and wellbeing benefits of being outside add to the case, but the learning benefits need to be the main focus. 
  • Bid for things that will last and facilitate learning (e.g.  equipment, seating, benches, canopies, whiteboards) and not for consumables (e.g. seeds, compost etc) as these consumables do not meet our longevity of benefit criteria.