e-Learning Foundation Launches New Grants Round For Home Access Programmes

National Charity provides grants to schools for home-linked e-learning projects 

The e-Learning Foundation, the only national charity dedicated to erasing the digital divide in the UK by ensuring disadvantaged children have access to technology for their studies at home as well as at school, has launched its latest grants round to schools.

The e-Learning Foundation welcomes applications from affiliated schools who share the charity’s conviction that all pupils need access to learning technologies when and where they need them, especially at home. 

While schools are better equipped with technology than ever before, the variation in the quality of learning that takes place in the home is enormous. As children only spend 15% of their lives at school, home access to technology is extremely important to their future success.

“Our latest grants round enables us to maintain the vital momentum we have built to erase the digital divide in this country,” said Valerie Thompson, Chief Executive of the e-Learning Foundation. “There is something in this year’s grants round for everyone, from new schools launching a programme for the first time to schools who have already made good progress in equipping their pupils with the resources they need, and wanting to extend that to yet more pupils and, for the first time, for schools to nominate individual pupils for support who fall outside all the existing programmes.”

“With the imminent roll out of the Government’s Home Access scheme, grants are intended to help schools provide low income families who are not eligible for the funding under the Home access programme with the opportunity to participate in an e-learning programme at an affordable level,” added Thompson.

Niel Mclean, Executive Director of Institutional and Workforce Development at Becta, who are responsible for delivering the Home Access programme said “Access to technology at home ensures that every learner has an equal chance to tap into the benefits of the internet to enhance their learning, whilst at the same time opening up the world of learning to parents, helping them gain a greater understanding of how their child's school works, as well as improving the dialogue between parents, learners and the school.” 

Schools looking to apply for a grant should note that they will be required to address the issue of connectivity. Having a computer at home, but not being able to go online, leaves a child at a great disadvantage in terms of their studies. Schools may wish to consider lending needy families a 3G dongle which can be included in the grant application.

To apply for an e-Learning Foundation grant, schools must be affiliated to the Foundation. Schools who are not affiliated, and do not fall within the scope of the local e-Learning Foundations in Birmingham, Lambeth and Berkshire, should contact the e-Learning Foundation for details or go to the website www.e-learningfoundation.com

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday October 12th 2009.  Grants must be claimed down by February 28th 2010.

To find out more about the Home Access programme please visit www.becta.org.uk/homeaccess or email customerservices@becta.org.uk 

About the e-Learning Foundation:

The e-Learning Foundation was launched in 2001, to ensure that every schoolchild in the UK should have home access to learning technologies when and where they want to learn.

The Foundation, a registered charity, aims to bridge the digital divide and ensure that all children, irrespective of their background, can have the same access to technology for learning at home as their better off peers.

The Foundation is funded through the public, private and third sector in the form of Government grants, commercial sponsorship, grants and donations.

www.e-learningfoundation.com