STEM AMBASSADORS FINAL1 - The Skinners' School€¦ · STEM Ambassadors would need to be...
Transcript of STEM AMBASSADORS FINAL1 - The Skinners' School€¦ · STEM Ambassadors would need to be...
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The Skinners’ School
Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent TN4 9PG
www.skinners‐school.co.uk
STEM AMBASSADORS
A Report for The Skinners’ School STEM Pathfinder Project 2008‐2009
by Mark Moody
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STEM AMBASSADORS
Introduction:
Research published by DEFRA in may 2008 showed that 92% of young people say they want more climate
change information in school, and 84% think their school could take more action in combating climate change.
However, the same research shows just 8% of young people think their own school is actually doing something
about climate change.
(source: Progress Summary for Mainstreaming Sustainable Schools – Groundwork 2009)
It was this discrepancy that made us concentrate our efforts as a newly‐appointed STEM Pathfinder school on
raising awareness of climate change and its implications, by using STEM activities as a way to engage and
motivate pupils.
Some of this would be done by specific STEM activities involving STEM Tutors and teams of pupils, while
parallel to this would be the creation of “STEM Ambassadors” who could teach other pupils about the issues
involved.
STEM Ambassadors would need to be self‐motivated, clear‐thinking, enthusiastic pupils able to communicate
ideas and prepared to visit other schools to do the same there.
What follows is a series of FAQs tracing the history of STEM Ambassadors at The Skinners’ School, Tunbridge
Wells between October 2008 and June 2009, but the principles can be used by any other school, with
adjustments to suit their own circumstances. Skinners’ is a boys’ grammar school with a roll of 800
(www.skinners‐school.co.uk) .
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1. What are ‘STEM Ambassadors’?
2. How are they selected?
3. How do STEM Ambassadors raise achievement?
4. Where do STEM Ambassadors go?
5. How do they engage with local Primary Schools?
6. What STEM work can they do at a Primary School?
7. How does a Solar Car Challenge work at a Primary School?
8. “Are your STEM Ambassadors seen as geeks?”
9. What are the challenges of keeping STEM Ambassadors going each year?
1. What are ‘STEM Ambassadors’? STEM Ambassadors are a group of pupils who are responsible for learning about aspects of STEM in a
contextual format, and then feeding back and ‘teaching’ other pupils. They can come from any Year
group in the school, but to ensure continuity a broad spread from Y7 – 12 is recommended.
In our case, our focus was ‘Sustainable STEM’ – we wanted the pupils to find out about, and teach
others about alternatives to fossil fuel energy.
STEM Ambassadors find out by going on visits or trips with their allocated STEM Tutor to learn how
STEM is being used in the real‐world, or as part of some new innovation. During their trip they take
photos or video which are later assembled into a format suitable for an assembly to a designated year
group.
In other words they ‘pass it on’ to other pupils.
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‘7 of our STEM Ambassadors (plus tutor) with the 2009 DCSF Teaching Award for Outstanding
Sustainable School South East Region’
2. How are they selected? We selected ours mainly from our existing Eco‐Committee, but also recruited some from GCSE Y10 and
Y11 science classes simply by asking. Older pupils tend to have the ICT skills needed to prepare power
points or edit photos and video; younger pupils demonstrate enthusiasm and an open mind to new
ideas.
There is a role for most skills and strengths – good communicators can deliver the assemblies, creative
types can take the video and photos, IT‐literate pupils can assemble power‐points, and good
organisers can act as ‘Blue‐Hat’ thinkers (De Bono) and co‐ordinate the whole group.
The pupils then attend an initial lunchtime meeting where their roles and responsibilities are
explained.
Pupils can take home a copy of their contract to show / discuss with their parents before committing
to the role. An email contact list is useful to call meetings or circulate notices.
A copy of the contract is reproduced in Appendix 1:
‘Giving a joint climate change presentation with pupils from other schools’
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3. How do STEM Ambassadors raise achievement?
Students are encouraged to think creatively and independently in order to find solutions to problems – this is linked to a whole school focus on developing personalised learning and thinking skills (PLTS).
STEM ambassadors demonstrate greater communication skills by working with younger primary pupils.
By feeding back to others, they widen interest, participation and attainment in Technology, Science &
Mathematics.
They teach and demonstrate sustainable technologies in linked primary schools at assemblies and science fairs– raising awareness of STEM in a cross‐phase way.
STEM ambassadors in primary schools will widen interest in STEM subjects and confidence of STEM teachers in primary schools. Our STEM Ambassadors are used at science conferences as demonstrators, speakers or meters‐and‐greeters.
They gain in self‐esteem by being part of an important and valuable school team.
STEM Ambassador demonstrating the wireless weather station to visitors
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4. Where do STEM Ambassadors go? We selected visits to places within our county (Kent) in order to keep costs down as well as make it
more relevant. There were plenty of places that demonstrated sustainable STEM technology but in the
end we opted for the following:
Wood‐chip boiler and coppicing at Bore Place, near Sevenoaks
Bio‐Diesel from chip fat ( as above)
Organic Dairy Farming ( as above)
Eco‐Friendly house ( Grand Designs) at Staplehurst
Thanet Earth and hydroponics, near Margate
Kentish Flats wind farm, nr Faversham
Bedgebury Forest ‘Energy in the Weald’ day, for 300 primary pupils, near Cranbrook
Running Solar Car Challenges at local primary schools to Y6. Hever CPS, Rotherfield CPS, St Paul’s
Rusthall
A sample Letter sent to STEM Ambassador parents is reproduced in Appendix 2:
‘Making Bio‐diesel from chip‐oil at Bore Place’
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5. How do they engage with local Primary Schools? Our experience is that local primary teachers really WANT to work more closely with secondary pupils
but don’t feel confident enough to make the first approach move. Specialist schools will already have
local primary contacts to exploit, or can just use normal feeder schools to set up an initial, exploratory
meeting.
Pupils who used to go to that school are usually very keen to go back for a visit!
STEM Ambassadors gain self‐esteem and valuable skills by working with primary pupils, whilst the
primary students get a vital, extra insight into STEM from a source other than their normal teacher.
Their teachers value the contact as it provides a link between KS2 and KS3.
Contact the LEA Primary Science Advisor for details of schools who have expressed an interest in
working with secondary schools.
6. What STEM work can they do at a primary school?
The STEM work we do with primary schools includes:
Forensic Science Day for Y5 pupils – a ‘Whodunnit’ set in the science labs
Maths Enhancement for G+T pupils
‘Reflections Mirror’ – science and literacy competition
‘Ask Professor Y’ – our own ‘Brainiac’ scientists who answer questions posed by the youngsters.
Solar Car challenges – where pupils build and race model solar cars
Weald Energy Story ‐ ‘The Big Energy Day’ ‐ STEM Ambassadors were used here to demonstrate solar
panel technology to 300 primary school pupils and teachers from 6 local schools.
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STEM Ambassadors supervising one of the solar car heats at the Weald Energy Story
How does a Solar Car Challenge primary activity work?
Typical itinerary suitable for STEM afternoon with two Y6 classes (of 30 pupils per class).
12.30 Arrive at primary school; packed lunch
13.00 Introduction from STEM teacher to primary pupils.
13.10 – 13.45 STEM Ambassadors guide pupils to construct solar cars. Best done when one ambassador
assumes role of ‘teacher’ and others circulate helping teams as needed.
13.45 – 14.00 Teams outside ‘tweaking’ cars to ensure straight line performance.
14.00 Races – done with heats. Straight line performance between two fixed points
14.30 Grand final and awards to best team. Photos.
Back to classes for dismantle of solar cars.
15.00 Summary and review of solar power now and in the future. Prizes awarded to winners (we
award mini‐solar‐cars to the winning team, and recycled pencils and certificates to everyone
else)
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Solar Car Kits in use. Solar car kits in use at the Weald Energy Story.
Solar Car kits can be purchased from www.solar‐active.com they are not cheap at £30 per kit, but they are
sustainable in that they can be used over again – some of ours are 5 years old now and still working properly.
We obtained a grant of £700 from the SDF (Sustainable Development Fund) to purchase class sets of cars.
Other sources of grants for sustainable STEM technologies are listed in Appendix 3.
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7. “Are your STEM Ambassadors seen as ‘geeks’?”
This question is often asked by visitors to our school, and the pupils are always happy to be the first to tell
them emphatically NO!
Young people are genuinely interested in their world and want to grow up in a better place where sustainable
technology starts to replace older, more polluting forms of energy generation. Being part of an exclusive group
who gets to go on interesting trips and gets to see the latest technology, gives them status amongst their
peers.
Sixth Form STEM Ambassadors at Southborough Primary School ( one even making a coconut defy gravity)
Giving assemblies to different year groups, and presentations to other schools, gives these pupils the self‐
confidence to answer any such criticism logically and sensibly ‐ far from being ‘geeks’, they are just normal,
every‐day kids!
‘
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8. What are the challenges of keeping the STEM Ambassadors going each year? The dream is to have a self‐sustaining system where the pupils run their own meetings and the whole
school is inspired by what is being done – however, life isn’t like that! New pupils arrive, older ones
leave, others have conflicts of time / interest. The same applies to staff.
Running a STEM Ambassador programme needs to be part of the wider school ethos, so it is important
to ensure that the Leadership Group are kept informed of plans, and that the Head puts it in his/her
Development Plan as a strategic aim.
There is no doubt that having the STEM Pathfinder grant has allowed us to subsidise attractive trips
that would otherwise cost pupils money. Schools that didn’t have such a budget would have to find
some way to pay for these trips – it is only fair that pupils who are helping the school so much and
passing their knowledge on to others are not ‘out of pocket’.
We have found that if each senior STEM pupil is responsible for ‘training’ up an apprentice Year 7 or 8
pupil, it keeps the system bubbling with new recruits. For example the apprentices ‘shadow’ the more
experienced ones as they give tours of our sustainable work, or by watching as they give lessons to
primary school pupils about making solar car models.
By way of recognising their important contribution, the best STEM Ambassador is rewarded at the
school Speech Day with a £50 book token from one of our local companies (Qinitiq). This keeps STEM
in the public eye as well.
Pupil receiving the Qinitiq STEM prize at speech day’
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Summary – ‘How to start a STEM Ambassador’ club:
1. Select a teacher to be a STEM Tutor – drawn from one of the STEM subjects.
2. They select 10‐12 STEM Ambassadors from a range of ages. We found the Drama department was a
good resource for identifying confident speakers.
3. Agree on a STEM focus ( e.g. ‘Sustainable – STEM’)
4. Allocate tasks to each STEM Ambassador ( photographer, note‐taker, IT person etc)
5. Arrange for a regular meeting time with pupils – can be weekly, or just as needed.
6. Decide when and where to go for your first visit e.g. local primary school as part of their Science Week.
7. Speak to the Head teacher about funding for future trips and / or Speech day prize.
8. Arrange visit according to your school guidelines ( risk assessments etc)
9. Pupils create assembly material on return, and arrange dates with Head of Year
10. Pupils create material for newsletter and website
Rinse and repeat…
Base‐Line Survey
Before we started with any trips we carried out a ‘Base‐line’ survey to find out what pupils already knew about
STEM and Sustainability. We selected pupils from 5 forms in Y7 and 8 to take part in the initial survey because
they represented a longer term target audience i.e. pupils who that might wish to choose STEM subjects at A‐
level and careers beyond that.
The survey was a ‘hands‐up’ version, carried out by individual form teachers, then repeated at the end of the
STEM Pathfinder project.
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Results of STEM Ambassador survey (‘Before and After’)
STEM Pathfinder Base‐line Assessment (October 2008) compared with review (June 2009)
KS3 No. in sample: 124
Agreement or Disagreement with statements about STEM and Climate Change
Statement Agree (%)
Not Sure(%)
Disagree (%)
Significant change?
1. I know what STEM stands for Before
13 70 17 YES
After
71 20 9
2. Global Climate Change is happening right now
Before
100
After
100
3. Global Climate Change is happening more quickly because of human activity
Before 97 3
After
100 0
4. Climate change is an international issue and what we do at Skinners’ is of no significance.
Before 10 3 87 YES
After
100
5. We should change the way we live to reduce carbon emissions now because if we wait any longer it could be too late
Before 73 10 17 YES
After
100
6. Government should introduce laws and taxes now to slow down climate change, even though it will make some things more expensive
Before 52 20 28 YES
After 100
7. We should switch most electricity generation to wind, solar and wave power, even if it will make energy bills more expensive for people
Before 30 27 43 YES
After 100
8. The risks of generating electricity by nuclear power are worth taking compared with the risks of climate change
Before 53 27 20
After
50 50
9. The School is doing a good job in showing others how STEM can be used to tackle issues like renewable energy
Before 83 17 YES
After
100
10. I would like to be involved in a STEM activity such as an after school club this year
Before 20 10 70 YES
After
71 10 19
11. I would like to study one of the STEM subjects at A level eventually
Before
93 7 YES
After
100
12. I am interested in a STEM related career when I leave school / university
Before 47 10 43 YES
After
71 29
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The responses to questions 1, 10, 11 and 12 are interesting because they are directly related to this
STEM Pathfinder initiative.
The pupils in this target KS3 group have clearly had their awareness raised about STEM ( Q1 – ‘do
you know what STEM’ stands for?’) and having seen the variety of STEM‐related activities going on in
the school over the year, wish to get involved (Q10 – ‘Do you want to do more STEM activities next
year?’).
It is encouraging that Qs 11 (A‐level choices) and 12 (University courses) show that pupils are actively
considering careers in a STEM related area.
The other questions focus more on attitude towards climate change, and again show a deep concern
by these pupils to events that are happening in their world, and how they might be solved in the
future.
Q9 showed that 100% of the pupils sampled now think the school is doing a good job of promoting
sustainable issues through STEM work.
Using ‘Eco‐STEM’ as a focus for our Pathfinder work has clearly brought positive results – the pupils
have enjoyed the contextual aspects of this approach as it has real bearing on what they see as
important. Using STEM Ambassadors to ‘spread the word’ has helped to raise awareness generally.
The data is only relevant to KS3 pupils in Y7 and 8 so in that sense, it could be an un‐representative
sample. If time permitted it would have been good to extend this survey to cover our primary school
partners, as well as other age groups such as in KS4 and 5.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1
STEM AMBASSADOR CONTRACT
STEM AMBASSADOR JOB DESCRIPTION 2009 Dear xxxxxxxxx, , Congratulations on your appointment to the role of STEM Ambassador for The Skinners’ School. You have been selected because of your
commitment to sustainable issues,
a sound understanding of science, technology and mathematics. as well as
your good communication skills. You will now need to use your influence and skills to teach others about STEM@Skinners and hence ensure that as many people as possible understand about STEM. To learn more, we are going to take you to visit some amazing places in the UK where sustainable technology is being used or developed – places like an offshore wind‐farm, a bio‐diesel plant, an organic dairy farm with a 0.8 Giga Watt wood‐chip boiler, a sustainable housing development, (and hopefully some others, like a HEP station in North Wales if we can fit it in). These trips will be free or heavily subsidised and specific details / permission slips will be sent to you nearer the time. However, in return, you must commit to the outcomes listed below and be prepared to give assemblies, write articles for newsletters or magazines, make YouTube videos, make posters, add to the school web‐site, give presentations to parents, governors or other teachers etc etc! This is the ‘Ambassador’ part of your role. In short, you need to get the STEM message across ‐ ‘Plan the Work, and Work the Plan’! Outcomes ( Shared between you and the other SA’s):
Give a power‐point assembly to each year group in the school about STEM@Skinnners (S@S) by June 2009
Select one Y7 pupil to be your ‘apprentice’ and train them up in presentation skills as well as knowledge about your speciality STEM topic.
Write a short illustrated article for the school newsletter article by March 2009
Write a longer illustrated article for school magazine by July 2009
Give an illustrated web‐page about S@S to Mr Lennon for the school web‐site by July 2009
Make and upload a short film about your chosen project that can be used by other schools by July 2009
Be prepared to be called upon for presenting at any conferences the school gets invited to, or which we host ourselves. These are good fun and give you a chance to get your message to wider audiences.
If you agree to all of the above please sign below, and get your parent / guardian to counter‐sign as well, to show that they have read this letter and that you have discussed it with them, then return the slip to me. This is an exciting post of responsibility, and if it is done well will bring recognition for you both within the school and with the wider community. Good Luck! M. S. Moody Specialist Science Coordinator ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ “Yes, I am ready to become a STEM Ambassador, and have read and understood the outcomes listed above which I will do my best to deliver by the due dates.” Signed:_______________________________________________Date: ______________________ Parent/Guardian Counter‐signature: ____________________________________________________ Email contact address_______________________________________________________________
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APPENDIX 2 – typical letter
THE SKINNERS’ SCHOOL
St John’s Road Tunbridge Wells Kent TN4 9PG
Tel: 01892 520732 Email: enquiries@skinners‐school.orgFax: 01892 549356 yourvoice@skinners‐school.org
Web: www.skinners‐school.co.uk Headmaster: S J Everson
STEM Pathfinder trip to Bore Place nr Sevenoaks Thursday 26
th February 2009
Dear Parent Guardian Your son has been invited to Bore Place on the above date to take part in a series of workshops and activities related to his role as a school STEM ‘Ambassador’, leaving Skinners by coach after morning registration and returning by the end of school around 15.30. Bore Place is well‐hidden in the countryside, but provides a fantastic model of how a modern sustainable (and organic) farm should operate. During the trip we will have the opportunity to look at their new Wood‐Chip boiler, their bio‐diesel plant which uses fats and oils from local chip shops, and their milking facility for 250 head of organic dairy cattle. A tasty organic lunch will be provided – made from produce grown on the farm or sourced locally. You will be pleased to know that there will be no charge for this trip as transport and costs will be met from our STEM budget. In return though, the boys need to come back to school and tell others about what they have found out ‐ this is all part of the STEM Ambassador job‐ description you will have seen ( and signed) earlier this term. Yours sincerely Mark Moody Specialist Science Co‐ordinator
STEM Ambassador visit to Bore Place. Thursday 26th February 09.00 – 15.30 Student name: _______________________________________________ Form: ___________________
I agree to my son participating in the above visit and approve the travel arrangements
Should the necessity arise, I also agree to the person in charge giving consent on my behalf for an anaesthetic to be administered or for any other urgent medical treatment to be given.
Signed: _____________________________________________Parent/Guardian Date: _________________ Daytime emergency contact number: _____________________________
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APPENDIX 3 – sources of funding
SOURCES OF GRANTS FOR ECO‐STEM WORK
Name Website Details
Community Sustainable Energy Programme (BRE)
http://www.communitysustainable.org.uk/
The Community Sustainable Energy Programme (CSEP) is an open grants programme run by BRE, an award partner of the Big Lottery Fund. Part of the Fund’s Changing Spaces programme, CSEP has been set up to help community based organisations in England to reduce their energy bills and environmental impact.Grants will be awarded to not‐for‐profit community based organisations, this includes schools. Two types of grant are available: capital and project development. Capital Grants: These grants are available for the purchase and installation of any of the technologies listed below along with various energy efficiency measures, including cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and heating and lighting control. • Solar Photovoltaic’s • Solar Thermal Hot Water • Wind Turbines • Ground Source Heat Pumps/ Air Source Heat Pumps • Automated Wood Pellet Stoves • Wood Fuelled Boiler Systems • Micro‐hydro Turbines • Energy Efficiency Measures Maximum grant available is £50,000 or 50 per cent of the project cost (whichever is lower). Project Development Grants: These grants are available up to £5000 or 75 per cent of the study cost (whichever is lower).
Connecting Classrooms
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning‐connecting‐classrooms.htm
A new British Council funding programme is starting to offer grants to small groups of schools from the UK to set up partnerships with schools usually from two different countries within one continent. The participating regions include Sub Saharan Africa, North Africa, Central and South Asia, East Asia, Middle East, China and Latin America. Partnerships last for three years initially and participating schools are eligible for funding to support activities and projects that sustain the link during this period. The level of funding available depends upon the countries involved in your partnership. STEM focus would be good.
Daiwa Foundation
http://www.dajf.org.uk/index.asp The Daiwa Foundation is a grant giving charity that promotes links between the UK and Japan. The Foundation awards grants to individuals and institutions in the UK and Japan in all areas of the visual and performing arts, the humanities, the social sciences, science and engineering, mathematics, business studies. The size of grants available range from £1000 to £15000 and can cover all fields of activity, including educational and grassroots exchanges, research travel, the organisation of conferences, exhibitions, collaborative projects between British and Japanese researchers in the field of science and other projects and events that fulfil objectives of the Foundation. The next application deadline is 30th September 2009.
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EDF Energy’s Awards for Greener Schools
www.jointhepod.org/awards/ Win £5,000 to help your school become greener.
E‐ON Source Fund
www.eon‐uk.com The source fund offers grants up to £20,000 for projects which address sustainable energy. Projects which would be considered are the purchase and installation of one or more renewable energy technologies, renovation of existing facilities to incorporate micro generation technology, an energy efficiency makeover for your building that could demonstrate significant energy savings and also behavioural change amongst users. Projects must demonstrate a positive impact on the local community. Projects must demonstrate a measurable positive impact on the environment. The closing dates for 2009 are May 15th and October 16th. Application forms and the guidance notes can be downloaded through the website.
Ernest Cook Trust Educational Grants
www.ernestcooktrust.org.uk/awards.htm
Grants range from £100‐£3000 to help with educational resources such as bug boxes, pond dipping equipment, bat boxes, books on wildlife, weather stations etc We bought a wireless weather station and monitor with this grant.
Green Energy for Schools
www.co‐operative.coop/ourcampaigns/climatechange/greenenergyforschools/
The scheme is match funded by the Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme and managed in partnership with Solarcentury – one of the most highly regarded renewable energy companies in the UK, with an excellent track record of installing solar panels on schools.
Green Energy Trust (UK)
http://www.scottishpowergreentrust.co.uk/
Local community groups and not for profit organisations and charities within the UK can apply for grants for the installation of renewable technologies. The funding which is available through the Green Energy Trust will provide grants of up to 25,000 (but most projects receive around £10,000) for up to half the cost of the chosen renewable technology. The maximum amount would only be awarded to exceptional projects that tick all the boxes and demonstrate real value for money. Projects also need to have a really strong community benefit and wider educational element. The Trust considers all kinds of renewable technologies, including: • Small‐scale hydro • Wind power • Biomass • Landfill gas • Solar energy • Ground source heat pumps
Green Fund EDF Energy
www.edfenergy.com/products‐services/for‐your‐home/our‐green‐products/green‐energy‐fund.shtml
Funding is provided for the installation of small scale renewable energy technology or for feasibility studies. The Fund committee meets twice a year to assess applications. Since 2001 it has made awards worth over £3.2 million in total. The Fund committee includes senior EDF Energy employees and an independent renewable energy consultant.
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Lottery Fund ‐ Awards for All
Awards for All are available to schools, offering between £300 to £10,000 for grass roots social and environmental projects that benefit local communities in England. "A simpler application process and a maximum turnaround time of six weeks for a decision are among the changes to the programme, which will make it much easier for applicants to successfully apply for small pots of funding that can have such a big impact on local communities and lives" A total of £45.2 million is available. Applications must be submitted at least three months before a project starts and the project must be complete a year after the date of the litter confirming the grant.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase Two (open to schools until June 2009)
www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk
Grants for the installation of micro generation technologies are available to public sector buildings (including schools, hospitals, housing associations and local authorities) and charitable bodies. Grants of up to 50% of total project costs are available for the supply and installation of any combination of the following technologies: • Solar photovoltaic's • Solar thermal hot water • Wind turbines • Ground source heat pumps • Automated wood pellet stoves • Wood fuelled boiler systems ‐ schools have until June 2009 to apply
Partnership Grants for Primary and Secondary School
http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1948
The Royal Society has announced that the next round of partnership grants will open in September 2009. Grants of between £250 and £3000 will be available to support teachers, scientists and engineers help to develop science projects. The aim is to make the teaching of science more interesting within primary and secondary schools. Any UK primary or secondary school teacher or practicing scientist/ engineer can apply as long as the students involved in the project are between 5 and 18. Examples of previously funded projects include St. michael on the Mount Primary School who received a grant of £2050 to help pupils learn about the human body by constructing a 15 foot skeleton.
The Big Lottery Fund Community Sustainable Energy Programme
www.communitysustainable.org.uk The Community Sustainable Energy Programme will provide £8 million to community‐based organisations for the installation of micro generation technologies, such as solar panels or wind turbines and energy efficiency measures including loft and cavity wall insulation. It will also provide £1 million for project development grants that will help community organisations establish if a micro generation and energy efficiency installation will work for them.
Wolfson Foundation Schools Programme
http://www.wolfson.org.uk/flash/grants_schools.htm
Schools that are looking for grants to fund building work, IT and other equipment (mainly for the teaching of science and technology) can apply to the Wolfson Foundation's school programme. The types of schools eligible to apply include independent schools, foundations (in place for five years), voluntary aided schools and sixth form colleges (in place for five years). State schools are ineligible to apply. The level of funding ranges from £20,000 to £50,000 per school. For example Weald of Kent Grammar School was recently awarded £40,000 to help buy computers and other items as well as refurbishing two classrooms and to equip its new science laboratories.