In the latest round of the ‘Raising the Bar Challenge Fund’ a maximum of £250,000 has been allocated for innovative that will help reduce the gap between the examination success of students who are disadvantaged, and so help improve social mobility. Successful bidders will receive up to half the cost of projects and the remainder of the costs must be covered by the schools. Up to 80% of each grant will be funded up front, with the final 20% paid if the project achieves its targets, with extra money available if targets are exceeded. Bids for funding need to have ambitious and measureable targets, involve more than one school, and feature innovative or best practice approaches to help boost student success. Projects need to enable parents to be involved, and to be able to continue once Challenge Funding ends. Each school involved in a successful bid can receive up to £5,000 from the County Council. For more information and an application form visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/challengefund. The deadline for schools to make applications is 5pm on Wednesday 25 November.
We are passionate about increasing the social mobility of the most disadvantaged children in the county. As a result, our Raising the Bar programme includes the aim of ensuring that every child in Suffolk can reach their full potential. This Challenge Fund is one way we can help schools achieve this ambition.