Trusts

Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme

General Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is it?

The Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme will make approximately £25,000 available every year for scholarships, grants and assistance for young Highland people who have a particular or exceptional talent in specific identified areas.

The funds are almost exclusively for pupils and former pupils of secondary schools in the Highland Council area.

However, each year, up to 5% of the funds can be allocated to young people of Highland descent who meet the essential criteria of the scheme. In this context, this means that at least one of the young person’s parents or grandparents has attended secondary school in the Highland Council area for a minimum of two years.

It is important to know that, unfortunately, applications for assistance with the costs of attending courses that are part of the school curriculum or most university and college courses cannot be supported.

What funds are available and what are they for?

Up to £1000 is available for talented young people for the following purposes.

To help with the cost of attending a specialist course of study in arts, language and heritage, science and environment.
To help with the cost of purchasing equipment to follow a specialist course of study in arts, language and heritage, science and environment.
To help with the cost of participating in sporting events at national and international level.
To help with the costs of specialist sport coaching.

Am I eligible to apply?

You are eligible to apply if:

You are between 16 – 25 years old.
You attend or have attended secondary school in the Highland Council area.
At least one of your parents or grandparents attended secondary school for a minimum of two years in the Highland Council area.
You meet the essential criteria and purposes of the scheme.

How much can I apply for?

The maximum grant is £1000 or 75% of eligible costs.

What are the eligible costs?

It really depends on the type of help you are applying for. For example, eligible costs can include:

Tuition/course fees (where these are not available from other sources such as the Student Award Agency for Scotland).
Living expenses if you are living away from home.
Travel costs if you are living at home and travelling to study.
Costs for specialist sports coaching, attending training sessions or competing in events.
Cost of essential equipment (based on provision of at least one estimate).

Are there any rules about eligible specialist courses?

Yes, all specialist courses must be accredited and places awarded by a competitive selection process (including audition where appropriate). You will need to provide confirmation that you have been offered and have registered on the course before any award would be paid to you.

Are there any rules about eligible sports activities?

Yes, help is available for sports activities which are recognised by sportscotland http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/SiteNavigation/Contact+us/TopicNavigation/Governing+Bodies/

You will also need to provide independent evidence that you have been selected by a competitive and recognised process to participate in sporting events at national/international level or to take part in specialist sports coaching/training.

Is funding available for more than one year?

Sometimes funding might be available for more than one year although most awards are likely to be made on a “one off” basis.

There are a number of extra rules which will apply to longer term funding.

The maximum length of time funding might be available will be either 4 years or for the duration of the course/training (whichever is the shorter period of time).
The funding will normally be agreed “in principle” and subject to annual review. In other words, the continuation of funding will depend on how well the person who received assistance has progressed throughout the year.
The funding will normally be agreed on the basis of a reducing scale of support from year to year. In other words, the level of award is likely to decrease each year.
The recipient of an award will have to produce evidence of satisfactory progress, performance and attainment each year. This will take the form of a written report in a standard format. The report will need to be signed off by a recognised independent person who is qualified to assess this (such as a course tutor or a representative from a national governing body of sport).
Funding will not be available to repeat a failed year or to undertake a completely new course of study.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Yes, because the funds are limited and demand is high, priority will be given to young people:

Who attended a Highland secondary school for a minimum of two years.
Who completed their secondary school education in the Highland Council area.
Whose financial or personal circumstances might prevent them achieving their potential in one of the identified areas.
And, if you are applying for assistance with a course, priority will be given to those courses which lead to a first post-school qualification.

There may be additional conditions for specific awards e.g. if funding is awarded “in principle” for more than one year.

It is also not possible to consider any retrospective applications.

Data Protection

Please be aware that the personal information you provide will be used:

to process and validate your application;
to publicise the scheme as detailed in the General Terms & Conditions below.

So, please think about whether you are willing to accept these before you apply.

What are the general Terms & Conditions?

All awards must be used for the purposes for which they are allocated.
Awards will be paid when the recipient of the award has signed and returned one copy of the offer letter and has provided all the required information such as confirmation of registration on a specific course.
It is a condition of award that recipients must submit a short personal report on what the award has helped them achieve. This will normally be one or two A4 sheets and the report should be countersigned by an independent person who is in position to vouch for their achievements (e.g. head of department or tutor on specialist course, sports coach or representative of the relevant national governing body of sport). This information may be used in publicity about the Scheme. The report should be submitted no later than 30th September of the following year.
Information about the awards will be publicised and, on occasions, recipients of awards may be asked to take part in specific publicity events such as photo opportunities etc.
The standard publicity information will include the following:
- Name of recipient of the award;
- School attended;
- Amount of award;
- The purpose of the award;
- Report on what the award has helped the recipient achieve.
As the governing body of the trust, the council reserves the right to withdraw awards if the recipient of the funding fails to make reasonable progress or is guilty of serious misconduct. In such circumstances, the council’s decision will be final.

How do I apply?

You need to complete an application form and return it by the annual deadline date. Applications must be received by 5pm on Friday, 13th June 2008. There are guidelines to help you complete the application form. There is only one application round each year.

Who decides?

The Highland Council is the governing body of the trust and, if your application is eligible for consideration, a group of elected councillors will make the decisions. Where appropriate we will consult with specialist council staff and specialist external organisations like the Highland Institute of Sport or the Scottish Arts Council to clarify selection details or for advice on specific issues relating to applications.

Elected councillors will make their decisions based on merit and strength of the application and your personal details will not be presented to them.

When will I know if my application has been successful?

In most cases, we will certainly aim let you know the outcome of your application before your term or programme starts. However, the earliest that we might be able to let you know is in late August or early September each year.