Royal Institution opens applications for its Science in Schools grant scheme
The grants, awarded annually and worth £800 to each eligible school, support a fully-funded Science in Schools day led by one of the Ri’s professional science presenters. Priority is given to disadvantaged schools that might not otherwise have the opportunity to access such support.
The days include two explosive shows for children alongside Continual Professional Development training for teachers and are designed to support children’s science education. Also included is an evening show for the wider community, to engage families, which can also be used as a fundraiser for the school.
The scheme, generously funded by the Gillespie Endowment, will replace the Ri’s STEM Grants scheme when the current grant period ends in July, making more efficient use of the Ri’s limited staff resources and helping to maximise impact in each school supported.
Director of Science Engagement at the Ri, Daniel Glaser, said: “Feedback from teachers tells us that a visit from one of our Science in Schools presenters creates a real buzz among the children. For primary school pupils they help to inspire a sense of wonder and excitement with science, while for secondary pupils they sustain or re-energise a passion that may have waned.
“These are openings to the possibilities of science that teachers can exploit for the benefit of the children’s education.
“Now that our Science in Schools grant scheme is well-established, to maximise our offer to schools that benefit from additional support for science learning, in the immediate future we will be focusing our grant-giving on this single scheme.
“The Ri’s limited resources have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and we are sadly no longer able to meet the costs of running two separate schemes. So the STEM Grants scheme will end in July, replaced by this focus on our Science in Schools grants which are worth around £300 more to each school we support.”
Applications for the Ri’s Science in Schools grant scheme are open from today (7 June) and close on Friday 2 July. To apply for a grant, teachers will need to be from a state-funded school or academy in the UK, involved in teaching a STEM subject at the school and able to demonstrate that pupils would not otherwise be have access to the support on offer.
Visits funded by the next round of the Ri Science in Schools grant scheme need to take place between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022.
ENDS
For more information please contact Robert Davies in the Ri press office:+44 (0)20 7670 2991 /rdavies@ri.ac.uk