Schools

The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is the lead body delivering the specialist schools programme on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Our mission is to raise educational standards by building a world-class network of innovative, high performing secondary schools in partnership with business and the wider community.

Support from companies, individuals, trusts and foundations is vital to the ongoing success of the specialist schools programme and to the improvement of education in this country as a whole. As well as being an opportunity to invest in education – arguably the most fundamental and important experience in anyone’s life – there are a number of benefits associated with supporting specialist schools:

The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust organises a number of high profile events throughout the year to thank sponsors and ensure they gain the recognition their support and commitment warrants.

These pages are not intended as a guide to seeking sponsorship for schools. If you are a school seeking sponsorship as part of your bid for specialist status, please take a look at the specialist programme development area of the schools network website.

Contact details
If you are interested in supporting our affiliated schools or educational events please contact:

Nick Ryan
Head of Development
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
Millbank Tower
21-24 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Email: judi.wright@ssatrust.org.uk
Tel: 020 7802 0712

Supporting schools becoming specialist

Increase your charitable donation by 1200% at no extra cost!
The SSAT works with secondary schools across the country to help them apply for specialist status in order to drive up standards. Specialist schools outperform non-specialist schools by almost 10%, even though their intake of ability is similar. We hope you agree with us that raising educational standards in our schools, especially in areas of social disadvantage, is crucial to the long-term prosperity of our country. Schools apply for status in 12 different curriculum areas:

• Arts
• Music
• Business & enterprise
• Science
• Engineering
• Special educational needs
• Humanities
• Sports
• Languages
• Technology
• Maths & computing
• Applied learning 

Whilst many schools have already achieved status, there is still a long way to go to ensure that we provide every pupil with the best education possible, allowing them to realise their full potential. The remaining schools which are still applying for status need as much help from business partners possible. And if you feel you can help schools, your donation will be increased by the government by 1200% at no extra cost!

How it works

To apply for specialist status, each school has to raise £50,000 from the private sector and build long-term beneficial relationships with their partners.

Schools applying for specialist status submit a development plan with targets for improving the school’s overall results and raising achievement in the specialist subject. This plan also shows how the funding will be used to benefit other schools and the local community.

Successful applicants receive a one off capital grant from the Department for Children, Schools and Families of £100,000, and an annual grant for 4 years of £129 per pupil, amounting to approximately £600,000 for an average-sized school. This means any business donation is increased, by the government, by 1200% .

'We want to get involved in helping to run schools from the inside. We believe there’s a considerable element of business ethos which can be usefully transferred to the running of schools.' Sir Peter Lampl, Sutton Trust, sponsor of over 25 specialist schools.

Benefits to you

There are a number of benefits associated with supporting specialist schools which are outlined below and explained in more detail in our section ‘Benefits to your organisation’:

• Raise educational standards in our schools
• Create beneficial partnerships
• Valuable PR exposure
• Community involvement
• Staff involvement
• Recruitment of future staff
• Tax efficiency in donating to a registered charity
• No need to give until September 2010

Contact
If you are interested in discussing these opportunities with us, please contact:

Kathryn Davies
Development Manager
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
Millbank Tower
21-24 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Tel: 020 7802 0860
Email: kathryn.davies@ssatrust.org.uk

Benefits to your organisation

As well as being an opportunity to invest in education – arguably the most fundamental grounding in anyone’s life – there are a number of benefits available for your organisation if you choose to support specialist schools:

Raise educational standards in our schools
Specialist schools outperform non-specialist schools by almost 10% even though their intake of ability is similar. Raising educational standards in our schools, especially in areas of social disadvantage, is crucial to the long-term prosperity of the country.

Unlock government funding
For every £1 invested in a school by a sponsor, the Government provides on average an additional £12. This means that when a school achieves its target of £50,000, additional funding worth £600,000 will come from the DCSF: a huge sum of money going towards the improvement of teaching and learning in the schools.

Create beneficial partnerships
Sponsors can, if they wish, develop long-term relationships with their schools including:

• Appointing governors to the school’s governing body
• Provision of careers advice and work placement opportunities for students

Valuable PR exposure
Supporting a specialist school provides ongoing opportunities to raise the profile of a particular sponsor through the association with a flagship national government initiative. In addition to national recognition, sponsors can expect a substantial level of local recognition. A third of the increased investment going into any specialist school is used to help the local community, and so your generosity will be welcomed by everyone!

Community involvement
Sponsoring specialist schools gives you the opportunity to put something back into your community.

Staff involvement
Supporting a local school provides numerous opportunities for your staff to get involved in the local community. Sponsors are able to place up to two representatives on the school’s governing body, which is a an exciting opportunity for staff development. In addition, there are mentoring opportunities, working with both teachers and pupils to impart expertise and experience.

Recruitment
This is a real opportunity to build long-term relationships with schools and to influence the ways in which our young people are taught and exposed to industry. You have the opportunity through sponsoring a school to promote careers in your industry to our young people. Many sponsors have used this as an opportunity to devise work experience programmes that are beneficial to both their industry and partner school(s).

Tax efficiency
Every penny donated to the programme is deducted against tax, so if a company makes a gross donation of £50,000 to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust for their chosen school(s), this enables the company to obtain tax relief at up to 30%, thereby reducing the net cost to £35,000. No need to give until September 2010. Donations can be given up to 12 months after a school becomes specialist. For instance, if you were to agree now to pledge £25,000 to a local school submitting a bid for specialist status in October 2008, this money need not be given to the school until September 2010.

Contact
If you are interested in discussing these opportunities with us, please contact:

Kathryn Davies
Development Manager
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
Millbank Tower
21-24 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Tel: 020 7802 0860
Email: kathryn.davies@ssatrust.org.uk