Schools Enrichment Fund

Schools Enrichment Fund

The Schools Enrichment Fund exists to provide financial support for mathematical activities which fall outwith the normal school curriculum. The aim of the fund is to encourage talented young people to develop an interest in mathematics through imaginative projects or events. Anyone, whether or not they are a member of the Society, may apply for a grant from this fund for a Scotland-based mathematical activity.

What sort of activities do we fund?

In the past we have supported a wide range of activities. The following list is not exhaustive nor in any order of priority, and we would be very happy to receive applications for other types of activity.

• Transport for pupils from isolated rural schools to attend events such as Enterprising Maths.
• Maths Days for pupils from feeder primaries to help ease the primary-secondary transition.
• Maths clubs and “puzzle of the week” competitions.
• Mathematics Masterclasses.
• Revision events and study camps for Higher and Advanced Higher pupils.
• Whole-school maths “roadshow” events.
• Cross-curricular projects with a substantial mathematical element, such as mapping and building a scale model of the school.

Writing a good case for support

A good case for support makes it easy for the Committee to identify what the expected benefits of the activity are and confirm that it represents good value for money. The case for support should not normally exceed three pages of A4 and should cover the following points.

1. A description of the activity proposed. If it is in response to a particular need or if similar events have run successfully in the past then it would be helpful for us to know this.
2. Who will benefit from the activity and in what way. It is helpful for us to know how many pupils, of what age group(s), will be involved. We are happy to support events for small groups as long as it is clear why this is appropriate.
3. A financial breakdown of the total expenditure involved. We appreciate that it is often unrealistic to provide a very detailed budget a long time in advance, but please supply as much information as possible. In particular, if you are applying for money to purchase resources, please include details of the supplier and of the particular resources you intend to buy. (If an online catalogue reference is available then this is particularly helpful!) If the resources you have in mind are from a commercial supplier, we also advise you to check whether equivalent but less expensive resources are available elsewhere. For many activities, the FunMaths Roadshow material produced by the Liverpool Mathematical Society may be appropriate, and has been used successfully in the past; note that this requires photocopying / printing, so you would need to include these expenses in your application.
4. Details of any other applications made to support the activity and the dates when the results of such applications will be known. If non-financial support has been offered from other sources (e.g. staff giving up their free time to run an event, or another institution providing free accommodation for it) then it would also be helpful to know this. We are especially keen to support events when there is evidence of strong support from the school or from the wider community, although we recognise that this is not always possible.
5. An explanation of why normal school funds will not provide support.

Applicants are welcome to discuss their proposal before submission with the Convener of the Education Committee, Dr Steven O’Hagan (s.ohagan@ed.ac.uk).

Application procedure

1. Awards will be considered on an ongoing basis. Each institution will be restricted to at most two applications with a total limit of £600 in a single school year, although note that one application can cover multiple activities and it is expected that many applications will be for smaller amounts. Note also that there is a limit of £125 payable as a fee to commercial organisations or individuals.
2. Applications should be made on the accompanying form. There are no closing dates but early submission of applications is strongly encouraged. (The review process may take up to two months from the receipt of an application, and we cannot support events retrospectively.) Applications will be considered at any time until the fund’s budget is exhausted. After completion, the application form should also be signed by the applicant’s Head Teacher/Head of Department (or other appropriate person) to indicate their support.
3. A self-contained case for support should be provided, following the guidelines above. It should not exceed three sides of typescript. Importance is placed on supporting activities for which funding is not available from normal school sources.
4. Applications will be discussed by the Education Committee; decisions are made in batches to allow the merits of different applications to be compared. Decisions should normally be reached within two months. We can’t guarantee to deal with applications more rapidly than this, so please allow plenty of time unless the circumstances are exceptional. In some cases we may offer part-funding or conditional funding, or invite applicants to submit a modified version that meets concerns raised by the Committee.
5. Awards will normally be paid to the applicant’s school/institution.
6. If an award is made, then once the activity has taken place a short report should be sent to the Society. This should include a brief, but complete, financial statement. The support of the Society should be acknowledged in any publicity material associated with the activity. Any profit from any activity supported by the Fund should first of all be used to refund the grant (pro rata with other awards received).

After reading the Application Procedure and Notes above, please complete the below electronic form accessed through the below link. Please also ensure that you email your Case for Support to Georgie Colt (georgie.colt@icms.org.uk).