Meet the funders


PREVIOUSLY FUNDED PROJECTS


‘Our book budget is low and our books were falling apart, so we decided to apply to the Siobhan Dowd Trust. The application process couldn’t have been easier. We just had to email the director with basic information about the school and our love of reading. I thought it would be wonderful to get a student to write it, so I worked with Year 9 pupil and student librarian Luca. It was great to show the impact the new books would have from a student’s point of view. We took around 12 pupils to a local


independent bookshop. Many of the students on the trip weren’t typical readers, which meant they were choosing books that appealed to reluctant readers. The bookshop gave us a generous discount so we could purchase even more books! They chose some great titles and it


but we want Headteachers who value books and allocate part of the school budget to them rather than relying entirely on charities. Secondly, targeted at the right


groups. We are open to applications from all state schools, but we like to see a specific group of children who need extra support in some way to be identified. This could include pupil premium children, children with parents away in the services, children in care, traveller children, children who speak English as an additional language and children with extra emotional needs or needs arising from a disability. We have previously funded a


project where pupils asked their librarian for more LGBT books as they didn’t feel what was on the shelves reflected their situation. We avoid funding projects around


was wonderful to boost the library with fresh stock. The children wanted to borrow the books they’d chosen, meaning the reluctant readers are now more engaged with reading. With the money we’ve saved we’ve


been able to pay for an author to come and work with disadvantaged students. It’s freed up so many ways to encourage reading across the school.’ Vicky Jarvis, Librarian, Patcham High School, Patcham, Brighton, East Sussex (1,035 pupils)


‘As a secondary special school for boys with social mental health needs, one of our biggest challenges is literacy, so anything we can do to get pupils reading is important. We received £400 from the Siobhan


one author or title as we like to encourage the reading of a variety of books in all their weird and wonderful forms. It also puts us off if our name is spelt wrong, so please spell Siobhan’s name correctly! Sorry, but fee-paying schools are not eligible for our grants.


SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE!


We now have more than 210 grants for education listed on our database – worth an incredible £12m! To search these funds sign up to FundEd for just £90 +VAT a year – funded.org.uk/sign-up.


Q


What do you ask of successful applicants?


AWhere possible, we ask for publicity of your visit via the


local press and on social media (this can be as simple as short updates on Facebook or Twitter). Afterwards, there’s a simple feedback form to


Dowd Trust and we took a TA and two boys, one from Year 8 and one from Year 9, to a local bookshop to buy the books. We chose the boys from our literacy withdrawal programme for low-level literacy. Neither had been to a bookshop before or had the opportunity to buy


books. We spoke to other pupils beforehand so we had a wish list, and then we just let the boys choose and pile up books on a table. The new books have definitely helped


pupils engage in literacy. I encouraged engagement by offering anyone who borrowed a book and wrote a review a token for our school reward scheme.’ Laura Allen, Literacy Coordinator, Lakeside School, Eastleigh, Hampshire (92 pupils)


‘As a pupil referral unit, lots of our children have extra literacy needs. Because of the limited books we had, there wasn’t always the right book to fit the pupil, so we needed funds to invest in dyslexia-friendly books. So many grant applications require


you to bend to fit the criteria, but to apply to the Siobhan Dowd Trust we just had to email the director and explain what we wanted and how this would benefit pupils. With the £650 we received we visited


an independent bookshop with six students. They loved the experience and enjoyed being responsible for a pot of money. It bought them together as a team and helped them to appreciate the books. With the rest of the money we’re planning to invite a book rep to bring books to us so students who aren’t able to go on trips can still enjoy the buying experience. The books have had a real impact for


us. Because there’s now a wider choice and the children chose the books themselves, they’re really enthusiastic. One of the students who went on the trip has since returned to mainstream education, and the experience was a step that helped his confidence grow as he began to get back into books.’ Carole Oldfield, Librarian, Newhaven Pupil Referral Unit, Eltham, London (70 pupils)


find out if the grant encouraged the joy of reading, and if so, how? We appreciate honesty from those we have funded, and don’t mind if an ambitious project doesn’t quite work. We like feedback on how things could be done differently, so we can learn for the future.


For more information on the scheme, including key dates and guidelines, go to siobhandowdtrust.com.


FundEd AUTUMN 2018 31


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