The Evening Standard: The Excluded Initiative

Posted on By

The Excluded Initiative offers special support to secondary schools in London that have exclusion rates higher than the national average and are seeking to tackle these issues in an inclusive, nurturing way by building their inclusion capacity and expertise to drive down exclusions to a minimum. Please note: We are no longer accepting Expressions of Interest for this Grant Fund.

We are seeking schools that have made a commitment to tackle exclusion rates and are looking to implement a plan to do so. This plan must have the support of the school’s management, staff and Governors to ensure there are tangible benefits for the whole school. The Initiative will provide project funding over a three-year period totalling up to £150,000 per school for your school’s inclusion programme. We will work closely with your school to support your project’s success and showcase achievements through the Evening Standard.

Is my school eligible for this funding?

  • Funding is available for mainstream secondary schools based in London
  • Your current pupil exclusion rates should exceed the national average of 0.2% of school roll for permanent exclusions or 10% of school roll for fixed-term exclusions
  • Your school must have been inspected by Ofsted
  • You must have an open admissions policy
  • Your school should apply directly for the funding; we cannot accept applications for projects to be delivered across more than one school
  • Your school should already be thinking about ways you can reduce the number of children who are being excluded and this should be part of your School Improvement Plan
  • The proposed project should be at the heart of your school’s ethos and be endorsed by the whole school community including Governors, the Head Teacher, classroom teachers, teaching assistants, students and parents
  • Your school should be willing to work in partnership with The Evening Standard, John Lyon’s Charity, The London Community Foundation and an external evaluator and to be featured in the Evening Standard during the project

What can I apply for?

  • You can apply for funds to develop and deliver an integrated, holistic, on-site project/programme that aims to reduce school exclusions
  • Funds are available principally for salary costs where that member of staff is dedicated solely to improving inclusion
  • We will also consider training costs for that post-holder and – to a lesser extent – equipment costs essential to the project/programme

What can’t I apply for?

  • Funds are not available for salaries of staff that deliver the core curriculum, nor must the project draw existing teachers’ time away from classroom delivery
  • Funds are not available for capital costs or general equipment
  • Funds are not available for residential trips
  • Funds are not available for spending that has already taken place

How much can I apply for?

You can apply for a three-year grant totalling up to £150,000 to be split across the three-year grant period as necessary. Typically, we would expect the grant to be split evenly over a three year period.

Timeframe

Stage 1 – Expression of Interest – *NOW CLOSED*
We will accept your Expression of Interest (EoI) at any time but must be submitted by midday on 7 February 2020. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept applications received after this deadline.

Decisions on which schools will be taken to Stage 2 will be communicated by John Lyon’s Charity and London Community Foundation. Visits to schools which can be taken to Stage 2 will take place between Monday 10 February and Friday 28 February 2020.

Stage 2 – Application
The deadline for the submission of Stage 2 applications is Friday 20 March 2020.
Funding will be confirmed to you at the beginning of April 2020.

Projects Begin
Successful projects/programmes will be ready to commence at the start of the Academic Year, September 2020, at the latest.

How to apply

There is a two-stage application process in order to make this as efficient as we can for schools.

Stage 1
First you need to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI). Schools that are based in the Charity’s Beneficial Area (Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea and the Cities of London and Westminster) should submit an EoI using the Charity’s Online Grants Portal. For schools based in other London Boroughs you should apply through the London Community Foundation at www.londoncf.org.uk.

You will then be contacted by a member of staff from either John Lyon’s Charity or the London Community Foundation to tell you whether we are able to take your EoI further. This will involve visits to your school to discuss your project in greater detail and gather information about what you need and your appetite to working in partnership.

Stage 2
If appropriate, schools will then be invited to complete an application form. The application form is not long but will give you the opportunity to draw out the key messages and strategies you wish to implement in your school.
You will be asked to include the following documents:

  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Pupil Premium Statement
  • Behaviour Policy
  • School Budget
  • Job Description (if applicable)

If you have any further questions, please contact John Lyon’s Charity directly on [email protected] or 0207 259 1700.