The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is seeking applications for Teacher Development Fund to support delivery of effective and sustainable arts-based teaching and learning opportunities in the primary classroom, and to embed learning through the arts in the curriculum.
It aims to do this through supporting teachers and school leaders to develop the necessary skills, knowledge, confidence and experience.
Application Priorities
They welcome a range of applications and are particularly interested in funding those which demonstrate strengths in the following areas:
Supporting the needs of pupils experiencing inequity:
The Teacher Development Fund will prioritise applications which support pupils experiencing systemic inequity and disadvantage.
There are a wide variety of circumstances which result in pupils facing barriers to learning. They recognise that inequity plays out in ways that connect and intersect across race, gender, class, disability and other characteristics and may also be linked to local and personal context. Examples of inequity could include, but are not limited to, socio-economic disadvantage, having special educational needs and disabilities, being in the care system, racial inequity or living in isolated rural communities.
They are keen to support projects that demonstrate a strong understanding of the link between inequity and barriers to learning, and that articulate how the proposed approach can support pupils experiencing inequity in particular.
Embedding learning in and through the arts in the curriculum:
The Teacher Development Fund supports applications which develop learning through the arts. By this they mean learning experiences which incorporate arts-based content and/or use arts-based approaches to secure access to, or enhance engagement with, the curriculum.
TDF principles and priorities are focused on:
Primary schools
Teachers’ professional development and learning
Supporting children and young people experiencing systemic inequity and disadvantage
Approaches which involve learning in and through the arts
Projects which take an anti-racist and intersectional approach across all areas of work
Long-term, inquiry-based projects
Promoting effective and equitable partnerships between schools and arts/cultural organisations and artist practitioners
The contributions of school leaders and artist practitioners as both professional learners and as supporters of embedding learning through the arts in the curriculum
Approaches which involve any of the following art forms: crafts; creative writing, including poetry; dance; design; film; music; opera; photography; digital arts and media; theatre and drama; the visual arts; and cross-arts practices
Projects that build on emerging approaches to blended CPDL and include one of more elements of online delivery.
The aim is that Teacher Development Fund projects will have lasting impact. Successful applications will develop teachers’ skills and confidence to integrate learning through the arts in their everyday practice and will also support teachers and school leaders to embed learning through the arts in their school’s curriculum. There is an expectation that the practices developed in TDF projects will continue in the schools after the two years and that school leadership will play an essential and active role in ensuring this.
Exploring blended CPDL models:
In 2020, in response to Covid-19, they have added a new priority around blended CPDL models. They are looking for projects that explore the pedagogy of online practice and how blended approaches can enhance face-to-face teacher learning. They are interested in proposals that use widely available existing technologies rather than those seeking to create a new tool, product or app. They anticipate that most projects will explore the use of technology in one of the following ways: to promote effective collaboration between partners; to create strong and supportive communities of practice; to facilitate and/or consolidate learning for artists and teachers. However, they are open to other project ideas.
Strong partnerships between arts/cultural organisations and schools:
Partnership is a key principle of the Fund. They will prioritise partnerships which demonstrate shared priorities and aims; co-construction of content; have joint inquiry at their heart; and in which all those involved are positioned as learners within the partnership.
Funding Information
Size of award: Up to £ 165,000
Duration: Two academic years
Expected number of grants per year: They expect to make around eight grants per year
What they will fund: TDF Grants will support both activity costs and core organisational costs which relate directly to the project. The expectation is that participating schools will make a contribution. However, they appreciate that schools’ contexts differ and therefore the nature of this contribution, for example cash, teacher cover, school leaders time or other, is flexible.
On average they fund around 20% of the applications they receive.
Who can Apply?
Either a primary school or an arts/cultural organisation may be the lead applicant for this Fund. However, all applications will be required to demonstrate that solid partnerships are in place. Each partnership must include one or more arts/cultural organisations. They expect that a minimum of six and a maximum of ten schools will be involved in each project, regardless of whether the lead applicant is either an arts/cultural organisation or a school. Each participating school should commit at least two teachers and one senior leader to the project, though flexibility can be offered to small, rural schools.
Some applicants may identify further relevant partners for their project such as a local authority, school improvement service, teaching school alliance, research school or higher education institution. A partner bringing additional expertise in blended learning may also be appropriate.
Lead applicants may therefore be:
Charities, community organisations, social enterprises and not-for-profits companies active in the arts
Primary schools and academies operating in the state sector.
In addition to PHF’s general exclusions, they cannot accept applications for this Fund directly from:
Individuals, or organisations applying on behalf of individuals
