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Circular letter number 04/02
For further information contact Sheila Watt, tel 0117 931 7013, e-mail s.watt@hefce.ac.uk or Ben Lewis, tel 0117 931 7053, e-mail b.lewis@hefce.ac.uk
Dear Vice-Chancellor or Principal
Excellence Fellowship Awards Pilot Scheme
1. This letter invites you to express an interest in participating in a two-year pilot of the Excellence Fellowships Awards Scheme. It would be helpful if you could let us know whether or not you would be willing to participate. I should be grateful if you could let my colleague, Ben Lewis, have your decision by Monday 11 February 2002.
2. In November 2001 the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) issued a consultation document describing a proposal for a pilot scheme of Excellence Fellowship Awards for teachers working in eligible schools and further education colleges (FECs). This scheme will enable them to undertake projects in higher education institutions (HEIs), linked to widening participation in higher education (HE). Only schools or FECs within designated Excellence in Cities areas or Educational Action Zones are eligible to participate.
3. In the light of the overall positive response to the consultation, it has been agreed by the HEFCE and the DfES that the first fellowships will start in September 2002 and will run over the two academic years 2002-03 and 2003-04. We will manage the scheme on behalf of the DfES.
4. The DfES has identified a number of HEIs to be invited to express an interest in the pilot scheme (see Annex A).
Background
5. As you will be aware, the Government has set a target that, by 2010, 50 per cent of those aged between 18 and 30 should have the opportunity to benefit from higher education. A number of linked initiatives sponsored by the HEFCE and the DfES are already in place to support widening participation while maintaining standards in learning and teaching.
6. To achieve the target of 50 per cent participation, we need to raise attainment at NVQ levels 2 and 3, to encourage more and better-prepared students to stay on in education at aged 16 and then go on to HE. We also need to strengthen existing partnerships between HE, further education (FE) and schools in order to raise both the attainments and the aspirations of young people. We issued a consultation document in December 2001, 'Partnerships for Progression' (HEFCE 01/73). This describes proposed joint initiatives by the HEFCE and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to support the delivery of the Government's target for widening participation.
7. HEIs have long recognised that the schools, FE and HE sectors are all inter-dependent. Many HEIs are already working effectively in various ways with schools and FE providers. The Excellence Fellowship Awards Scheme will support these activities and work in tandem with the Government's Excellence Challenge programme.
8. The aim of the fellowship scheme is to provide an opportunity for teachers in schools and FECs to spend time working and studying in an HEI. Teachers will be able to look at ways to raise the aspirations of school pupils and FE students, and increase their understanding of the benefits of higher education. Eligibility will be restricted to teachers in schools and FECs that are in Excellence in Cities areas or Education Action Zones, as progression to higher education tends to be lowest in these areas.
Proposed objectives
9. Our key objectives are:
- to pilot the scheme with about 30 higher education institutions over two academic years (2002-03 and 2003-04)
- to provide awards to school and FEC teachers in Excellence in Cities areas or Education Action Zones to enable them to spend time in an HEI, and to use their experience to disseminate as widely as possible the outcomes from the activities undertaken
- to provide at least 50 awards each year
- to raise awareness among teachers - and among pupils, students and their parents, carers and guardians - of the benefits of HE and what it is like to study in an HEI
- to evaluate the pilot scheme.
The fellowship award
10. A fellowship award should be for the equivalent of one term's full residence within an HEI. The pattern of delivery is for local decision and fellowships may be full-time or part-time, taken in one block or spread out over an academic year. We do not wish to be too prescriptive about the use of the fellowship funds, but the aim is to enable participating teachers to spend time within an HEI undertaking projects that will deepen their knowledge of HE.
11. As part of some fellowships, HEIs, schools and FECs may want to arrange for an HEI member of staff to visit the school or college for a short period. A two-way fellowship may provide a better mutual understanding of the roles of all parties in supporting widening participation in HE. However, no additional award will be made to the HEI to cover any two-way arrangements.
Role of higher education institutions
12. The DfES has identified a number of HEIs to be invited to consider taking part in the pilot scheme, which are listed in Annex A. Most institutions have been selected because they are in or near an Excellence in Cities area or Education Action Zone, although some have been chosen in other parts of the country to provide an appropriate geographical spread. Each participating HEI will be entitled to spend up to £60,000 on awards over the next two academic years (2002-03 and 2003-04). The DfES will make a final selection of HEIs following responses to this invitation.
13. HEIs will be expected to help schools and FECs to take advantage of this opportunity, and to work with them to develop ideas for the activities to be undertaken during the fellowship. Fellowship awards should be designed and allocated well before the September 2002 start date, to enable schools and FECs to plan timetables and staffing.
14. In terms of any costs related to participating in this scheme, HEIs may wish to look at ways of integrating these with other funding streams, such as widening participation formula funding and Excellence Challenge. Additionally, HEIs will be entitled to use a maximum of £5,000 (according to need) to defray any administrative expenses they may incur arising from their participation in this pilot scheme. The £5,000 will come from within the overall maximum allocation of £60,000 for each HEI.
Allocation of funding
15. We will award a maximum of £60,000 to each of the participating HEIs, as part of their core funding allocation. This is to cover the two years of the scheme. There is no requirement that the money must be spent in equal proportions across the two years, and it is for HEIs to manage the budget to support fellowships in ways which suit local circumstances. We are, however, looking to have at least half the fellowships start in the academic year 2002-03.
Monitoring and evaluation of the scheme
16. We will ask HEIs to report on the use of the funds received, and we will adjust their future general grant allocations to reflect any underspend. We would also expect HEIs to co-operate with the evaluators for the scheme to be appointed by the DfES. HEIs should retain information on each award providing a breakdown under the following headings:
- staff cover
- travel, subsistence and accommodation
- dissemination and publications
- personal benefit for the teacher.
17. Detailed guidance will be given to participating HEIs as soon as possible. Separate guidance will be issued by the DfES to schools and further education colleges.
Yours sincerely
Howard Newby
Chief Executive
- Annex A - Institutions invited to express an interest in participating in the pilot Excellence Fellowships Awards Scheme
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