Opportunity

Apply to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Teacher Development Fund

The third round of the Teacher Development Fund is now open for applications. The Fund supports teachers and school leaders to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver effective arts-based teaching and learning in the primary classroom. 

Applications close on 29 November

Open Until:

Posted: 10/03/2022


The purpose of the Teacher Development Fund is to support delivery of effective arts-based teaching and learning opportunities in the primary classroom, and to embed learning through the arts in the curriculum. It aims to do this through supporting teachers and school leaders to develop the necessary skills, knowledge, confidence and experience.

The Fund has one deadline per year. Each year we expect to make around six grants of up to £150,000 to partnerships of arts/cultural organisations and five to ten schools, who will work together for two academic years.

Our focus is on:

  • Primary schools
  • Supporting children and young people experiencing disadvantage
  • Approaches which involve learning through the arts
  • Long-term, inquiry-based projects which support teachers’ professional development and learning
  • Promoting effective and equitable partnerships between schools and arts/cultural organisations and artist practitioners
  • The contributions of school leaders and artist practitioners as both professional learners and as supporters of embedding learning through the arts in the curriculum
  • Approaches which involve any of the following art forms: crafts; creative writing, including poetry; dance; design; film; music; opera; photography; digital arts and media; theatre and drama; the visual arts; and cross-arts practices.

Either a primary school or an arts/cultural organisation may be the lead applicant for this Fund. However, all applications will be required to demonstrate that solid partnerships are in place. Each partnership must include one or more arts/cultural organisations. We expect that a minimum of five and a maximum of ten schools will be involved in each project, regardless of whether the lead applicant is either an arts/cultural organisation or a school. Each participating school should commit at least two teachers and one senior leader to the project, though flexibility can be offered to small, rural schools.

Some applicants may identify further relevant partners for their project such as a local authority, school improvement service, teaching school alliance, research school or higher education institution.

Lead applicants may therefore be:

  • Charities, community organisations, social enterprises and not-for-profits companies active in the arts
  • Primary schools and academies operating in the state sector.

In addition to PHF’s general exclusions, we cannot accept applications for this Fund directly from:

  • Individuals, or organisations applying on behalf of individuals
  • Independent schools
  • Secondary schools.

If you would like to discuss an application, the Education and Learning through the Arts team is able to offer a limited number of telephone advice sessions between 20 October and 15 November. These are available on a first come, first served basis. To book a call contact us at ela@phf.org.uk. Please note that we only have capacity to offer one call to each applicant and are not able to read draft applications.

Applications are now open for projects beginning in September 2020. The deadline is 29 November 2019 at 12 pm (noon).

Read more and apply online


"Just to say a huge thanks ... I am looking forward to progressing with this project thanks to your support, advice and guidance"

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