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Circular letter number 07/02
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: guidance for HEIs
1. 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 Education Action Zones are eligible to participate.
2. 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.
3. After a request for expressions of interest during February 2002, the DfES has identified a number of HEIs to be invited to participate in the pilot scheme (see Annex B). Your institution is one of those selected. This letter sets out the background to, and purpose of, the scheme and gives details on how it should be run.
Background
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. The aim of the 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
8. Our key objectives are:
- to pilot the scheme 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 Excellence Fellowship award
9. We expect that the fellowship scheme will work to the mutual advantage of the fellowship holder, their school or FEC, pupils and students, and the host HEI. A sample agreement between an HEI and a school or FEC is attached at Annex C. This agreement will help to ensure that all parties are committed to the fellowship and understand their respective roles. Institutions may build on it to produce their own versions if they wish, but it should be regarded as containing the minimum requirements.
10. A fellowship 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, beyond the stated aim of enabling participating teachers to spend time within an HEI undertaking projects that will deepen their knowledge of HE and lead to the encouragement of an aspiration among pupils to participate in it. However, in broad terms the funding for each Excellence Fellowship should cover staff cover, dissemination, travel and subsistence cost for the teacher and the teacher's personal bonus (see paragraphs 20 to 26).
11. As part of some fellowships, HEIs, schools and FECs may want to arrange for a member of the HEI's 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.
12. HEIs which are participating in the Excellence Fellowship Awards scheme are also encouraged to look at working with other HEIs in their regional consortia, to share good practice developed through this scheme or through existing links with local schools or FECs. However, again no additional funding will be available to cover such arrangements.
13. Some ideas for possible fellowships are attached at Annex A.
Role of higher education institutions
14. The DfES has identified a number of HEIs to be invited to take part in the pilot scheme, which are listed in Annex B. 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).
15. HEIs will be expected 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. Awards for fellowships that are to begin in September 2002 should be designed and allocated well before the start date, to enable schools and FECs to plan timetables and staffing.
16. HEIs may use £5,000 of their total allocation of funding for this scheme to cover their running costs and administration.
Role of further education colleges and schools
17. We anticipate that fellowships will be developed through liaison between eligible schools and FECs and participating HEIs. The focus of the fellowships will reflect the needs of the school or FEC as they seek a better understanding of higher education.
18. Head teachers and principals may either identify suitable individuals to undertake the fellowships, or may invite teaching staff to apply and put forward their own ideas for fellowships. The timing of the fellowships will be for agreement between the parties concerned, but head teachers and principals will want to ensure that timetables are not unduly disrupted and that staff are available to cover the work of the fellowship holder.
19. The DfES is issuing separate guidance to schools and FECs who may wish to enter into partnership with HEIs as part of the scheme. This guidance is provided for your information at Annex D. HEIs, schools and FECs should begin to develop fellowships as soon as possible.
Allocation of funding
20. 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 about half the fellowships start in the academic year 2002-03.
21. The award will be passed on in its entirety to the teacher's school or FEC (with the exception of the £5,000 to cover the HEI's costs), and a proportion will then be passed on to the teacher.
22. The level of award will be determined by the HEI, in consultation with the teacher and their school or FEC. The amount should be sufficient to cover any legitimate costs associated with the fellowship. Costs are likely to include those incurred by the school or FEC in purchasing staff cover, additional travel or accommodation costs for the teacher, and dissemination of the outcomes. The amount of the award will reflect the nature of the fellowship, but individual awards should not exceed £20,000.
23. A personal bonus may also be given to the fellowship holder, which will be at a fixed rate of £1,000 per fellowship.
24. The scheme is designed so that fellowships undertaken by school and FEC teachers will develop professional knowledge and skills with a direct relevance to widening participation in HE and improving progression to HE. As long as fellowships keep to this design, they will (with the exception of the £1,000 personal bonus) be exempt from income tax and national insurance under current legislation.
25. Fellowships that are interrupted due to a period of sickness or other absence should be extended beyond the original completion date, or re-started shortly afterwards, to enable the time to be made up. Where the period of absence lasts for three weeks or longer, we expect schools and FECs to pay for the staff cover for the whole period of absence from within their normal budgets. This means that the school or FEC has a pot of unused award money, which can be used to purchase staff cover when the fellowship recommences. No extra award will be made to cover any extension or additional period. Any unused award money should be returned to the HEI.
Dissemination
26. We expect that the findings of each fellowship will be disseminated to other teachers, and to pupils and their parents, guardians and carers. The fellowship holder will be expected to produce a 5,000 word report at the end of the period of residence within the HEI. This report will form the basis of wider dissemination of good practice within their own school or FEC, and where possible more widely. HEIs, schools and FECs taking part should work together to develop dissemination plans to maximise the benefit and impact of each fellowship.
27. Two copies of the report should be forwarded to us, one of which will be kept for our records and the other will be sent to the DfES to inform its evaluation of the pilot scheme.
Monitoring and evaluation of the scheme
28. HEIs will want to obtain confirmation from the school or FEC that awards have been used for the purpose intended. HEIs are expected to make reasonable endeavours to recoup any award money which has not been used for the purposes intended.
29. 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 publication of the report
- personal bonus for the teacher.
30. HEIs should nominate a member of staff to be their main point of contact with us for the duration of this scheme. This member of staff will then receive our monitoring requests and all contact from us relating to the running of the pilot. Please e-mail these contact details to excellencefellowships@hefce.ac.uk.
Yours sincerely
Howard Newby
Chief Executive
Download
Annex A - Examples of possible Excellence Fellowship Award projects
[ MS Word 43K | Zipped Word 7K | Adobe PDF 9K | Zipped PDF 5K ]
Annex B - Higher Education Institutions invited to participate in the Excellence Fellowships Awards scheme
[ MS Word 37K | Zipped Word 7K | Adobe PDF 5K | Zipped PDF 4K ]
Annex C - Excellence Fellowship Awards: sample agreement
[ MS Word 43K | Zipped Word 9K | Adobe PDF 10K | Zipped PDF 7K ]
Annex D - Guidance for schools and further education colleges on Excellence Fellowship Awards.
[ MS Word 52K | Zipped Word 11K | Adobe PDF 18K | Zipped PDF 15K ]
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