Funding is available to schools across Victoria to form partnerships that broaden their current VCE subject offerings for rural and regional students.
Choice of subjects is a key driver for school retention and completion. Increasing choice at VCE allows students to engage in courses that appeal to their interests and abilities and is likely to impact access to higher education, vocational education and training opportunities and employment prospects.
Schools from all sectors are invited to participate, provided at least one school in the partnership is a government school in a regional or rural area.
A total of $1.24 million over four years is now available through the Department of Education and Training to support approximately 100 schools to increase the number of VCE subjects available across partner schools. These arrangements may involve the delivery of subjects through a face-to-face, virtual or blended approach.
What can the funding be used for?
The fund will provide a one-off grant of up to $40,000 to each successful school partnership based on an expression of interest process.
The funding can be used to cover costs such as:
- time release for teachers to design and/or support shared arrangements • hiring a facilitator to build the partnership and nurture collaborative expertise • one-off establishment costs, such as preparing shared-use agreements
- purchasing equipment to support collaboration and sharing resources
- professional learning e.g. upskilling teachers in virtual pedagogical practices, assessment and moderation
Funding will be provided to each VCE partnership for up to one year, noting that partnerships are expected to be sustainable beyond the funding period.
Successful recipients may be able to apply in future rounds for an extension of their VCE partnership arrangement, provided the total value does not exceed $40,000.
Who can apply?
Funding is available to support partnerships between schools from all sectors, where at least one school is a government school in a regional or rural area.
New and existing interschool partnerships can submit an expression of interest provided they demonstrate a capacity to expand VCE subject offerings and improve quality beyond the current arrangements. Applications from schools involved in more than one partnership will be considered on merit.
How to apply
For more information and to access the guidelines and expression of interest form, see: www.education.vic.gov.au/vcefund
All sections of the expression of interest form must be completed within the word limit for each criterion. Each school in the partnership should contribute to the joint application.
Completed applications should be submitted to the Department via email at: VCE.Collaboration.Fund.@education.vic.gov.au
Applications for round five funding open on Wednesday 24 February 2021 and close on Wednesday 31 March 2021.
0 Comments