How a free CPD course helped teacher secure £30K grant

When Becky Stroud, music teacher at Cascade Multi Academy Trust in the North of Sheffield, found budgets for music in education being increasingly squeezed, resulting in the closure of the music room at Beck Primary, she realised she had to do something to put arts and culture back onto the agenda.

This was particularly critical, as the trust, which comprises primary schools Beck, Hucklow, Owler Brook and Whiteways, covers a multicultural locale, with socio-economic challenges. This is linked to attainment gaps, for which music is known to unlock strong language, communication and social skills, as well as improve academic opportunities and wellbeing for young people. 

Becky, who has worked in schools and education for 20 years, had never applied for funding of this magnitude previously. However, at the start of the pandemic, she embarked on a free ‘Funding for Schools’ coaching programme, courtesy of Yorkshire-based creative education provider, IVE, to learn how to identify and successfully apply for grants to enrich arts and cultural learning. 

During the programme, Becky was able to develop her fundraising skills and confidence to apply for a Youth Music grant and managed to land a substantial £30,000 for her Chatterbox Music Project, devised in partnership with renowned orchestral musician, Polly Ives. 

This cross-curricular programme, set to run until July 2023, is designed to enhance social and verbal language development through music. Since it got underway in Beck and Hucklow Primary Schools last autumn, following delays due to COVID, Chatterbox has seen some of South Yorkshire’s most celebrated and up-and-coming musicians visiting young people in schools to inspire and engage under-fives and their families. 

This includes cellist Gemma Rosefield, who performs regularly on BBC Radio 3, award-winning instrumentalist, Ford Collier, acclaimed orchestra harpist, Louise Thomson, and Sheffield Music Academy’s very own Martin Cropper. 

To date, around 300 young pupils, who may otherwise not have experienced any music-based learning as part of their curriculum, have benefited massively from the scheme. This has been achieved using percussions instruments and props, all paid for with the Youth Music money Becky secured, with at least another 200 children set to benefit in the coming year. 

A parent of a Beck Primary School pupil commented on the Chatterbox sessions:

“My little one adores the music. He is always so excited to tell me all about the instruments and sings songs to me. It’s so lovely to see him so passionate and enjoying it so much.”

Music Teacher, Mrs Becky Stroud, says:

“Music plays such a large part in a young person’s educational journey, building confidence and soft skills required to thrive in and out of school.  Our Chatterbox Music Project, funded by Youth Music, has been created to close the socio-economic divide by giving all our youngsters access to these benefits, and the positive impact from the £30k funding we secured is already evident through the engagement we’re experiencing from the children and their families. 

“The free ‘Funding for Schools’ CPD programme gave me the confidence and vocabulary to structure the bid to win this funding. It provided insights into a lot of the language used, and an understanding of how trusts work. I’d secured pockets of money before, but never this big. It basically gave me the toolkit I needed to plan and write a successful bid, and I’d urge any other teacher based in Yorkshire to consider completing this free coaching before applying for funding.”

IVE, which designs creative programmes and training for both young people and adults to help people and businesses make positive change happen, enlisted small grants specialist, Lisa Jagger, to deliver its ongoing ‘Funding For Schools’ CPD coaching to all Yorkshire-based educators. As well as guiding teachers through the process of applying for grants, and giving teachers, like Becky, the know-how and tools to get their bids noticed in the highly competitive world of funding, the programme also provides guidance in identifying the funders who are most likely to award grants for creative activities in schools. 

Lisa Jagger says: “I’m absolutely thrilled to see the results of  Becky’s work after she completed the ‘Funding For Schools’ continuous professional development programme. £30,000 is a significant pot of money that can change lives, and I’m delighted to have been able to support her in securing that amount. 

“Applying for funding can be time-consuming and overwhelming for already stretched teachers. Sadly, with increases in energy prices and other rising costs impacting schools, securing pots of money is becoming even more critical in enabling schools to enhance the lives of children by giving them experiences to reduce inequalities.”

The free IVE Funding for Schools Continuing Professional Development Programme will remain available to all teachers based throughout North, South, West and East Yorkshire for the foreseeable future. Teachers and headteachers can signup or discover more here.