Eduprise worked with Wellfield School to complete a last-minute grant application and secure £500,000 of funding for a much-needed all-weather sports pitch.

Tools

The Challenge

P.E. is an important part of any school’s curriculum, especially when the school is located in an area with a rich sporting heritage. Set in Wingate, County Durham, part of the sports-mad North East of England, Wellfield School was in desperate need of improved sports facilities.

Having experienced continuous growth for a number of years, the school found that their outdoor area was unable to cope with the demands of being used regularly by an increasing number of students. The school’s grass pitches were prone to waterlogging, and would routinely require costly and time-consuming maintenance to remain in a usable state through periods of inclement weather.

The Solution

It was decided that replacing the grass-based pitches with 3G astroturf was an alternative which would solve most of Wellfield’s problems: its durability would cope with increased usage and demand; its design would facilitate usage in all weather conditions without degradation; and its layout would allow it to be used for a variety of games and sports.

With an astroturf pitch in place, Wellfield School could offer a comprehensive P.E. curriculum that not only covered a diverse range of sports, but also guaranteed year-round physical activity, making classroom-based P.E. lessons a thing of the past.

However, in order to fund the installation of an astroturf pitch, Wellfield would have to apply for a grant. The biggest problem they faced? There were only two months left to complete the application process.

The Process

The grant for the installation of an all-weather astroturf pitch was made available by The Football Foundation, in partnership with the DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport), the FA (Football Association), and the Premier League. The application process can take up to 12 months to complete. With just two months until the deadline, Wellfield needed support from experts in securing large grant applications, so they contacted Eduprise.

Jonathan Coates, school business manager at Wellfield School, said: “I contacted Eduprise for some help and was put in touch with their managing director, Ryan Green. Within a week he was on-site to formulate a plan and outline each stage of the process.”

Following the initial meeting, Ryan and Jonathan began developing an engaging project narrative that would convince those reviewing the applications that Wellfield was the right school to be awarded the grant. As Jonathan provided the research and data to convince the judges, Ryan harnessed his depth of knowledge in the field of grant applications to produce a submission that maximised Wellfield’s chances of securing their funding target.

The Outcome

Despite being up against the clock, Wellfield’s application was successful, and the school was awarded £500,000 to fund the construction of a new all-weather, multi-use sports pitch.

Jonathan hopes that, once the pitch is built, it will also help the school to generate further income by letting the area out to the public on evenings and weekends. He said: “There isn’t a facility like that nearby. This will provide a space for the community to use while also helping us raise funds for future projects and giving a home to our school’s sports teams.”

What They Said

Jonathan was full of praise for Ryan, who he said was “very proactive” and “helped to add a timeframe and structure to the project”; a crucial part of winning the grant under such time constraints.

Delighted with the result, Ryan said: “This win is a testament to how collaborative working with the Eduprise team can benefit schools. Schools that are committed to leading on projects but utilise our support, and tools like Arro, empower us to help them.”

“I hope that more schools look at Wellfield’s success and step forward to talk to us so they can be the next to win that difference-making grant!”

Everyone at Eduprise would like to congratulate Jonathan and the rest of the team at Wellfield School on their successful application and wish them every success with their new astroturf facility.

If you’d like to find out how Eduprise can help your school win a grant that changes your future, get in touch with the team today.