Apply today to help your students get their science learning back on track
In 2020, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) set up the Elevating Chemistry project to help schools and colleges mitigate the effects of Covid-19 measures on students’ chemistry learning. More specifically, Elevating Chemistry was established to support secondary schools and colleges with at least 25% of students receiving free school meals (UK), or which are part of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) scheme.
Teachers who took part were encouraged to develop their own approaches to support their students, based on the specific needs and contexts of their schools. A variety of approaches were adopted, including introducing additional structured revision sessions, working with external tutors, or improving practical skills by creating videos and using online resources.
In 2021, head of science at Marine Academy in Plymouth, Paul Greene, ran an Elevating Chemistry initiative to support a group of year 11 GCSE students during the pandemic. ‘It saved me a lot of time and stress,’ he reports. Paul also found that other teachers in his department ‘benefited because the tutor time was all preplanned, premapped and really easy to chunk up’. The project also had a positive ripple effect in the classroom: ‘It had an effect on the students in the tutor time as well, because there was a consistent format and they knew what they were doing. And this led to better behaviour leaving the classroom and going to other classes.’
Case studies
Find out about the success of other initiatives supported by Elevating Chemistry, and how their departments and students have benefitted.
How to apply
If you’re interested in applying for Elevating Chemistry funding, the process is simple. To be eligible, your school must sign up to Teach Chemistry. You can apply for either £2000 (€2200) for a one-year project, or £3000 (€3300) for a two-year project. By taking part, you will also become part of a community of teachers implementing similar initiatives in their own schools.
In order to apply, schools should submit proposals for projects which fulfil at least one of these three aims: supporting teachers in addressing the effects of Covid-19 on chemistry learning, supporting the development of practical skills impacted because of Covid-19 measures, and/or supporting sustained curriculum enrichment for students who have lost enrichment opportunities due to the pandemic. Projects should also only be possible with support.
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