Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme
Frequently Asked Questions
What is it?
The Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme can offer financial assistance to young Highland people who can meet the essential criteria for the scheme. These are:-
- For young people with an exceptional or unique talent
- And who are between the ages of 16 – 25
- And, who either attend or attended secondary school in the Highland Council area or whose parents or grandparents attended a Highland secondary school for a minimum of two years.
What can I apply for?
If you meet the essential criteria, you can apply for an award of up to a maximum of £1,000 to help you with the costs of:-
- Participating in sporting events at national or international level
- Obtaining specialist sports coaching, training or equipment to allow you to compete at national or international level
- Attending a specialist course of study in arts, language and heritage, science and environment
- Purchasing specialist equipment to allow you to follow a specialist course of study in arts, language and heritage, science and environment
Who can apply?
The funds are almost exclusively for pupils and former pupils of secondary schools in the Highland Council area.
Each year, however, up to 5% of the funds can potentially be allocated to young people of “Highland descent” who meet the essential criteria of the scheme. This means that at least one of your parents or grandparents attended secondary school in the Highland Council area for a minimum of two years.
Are there any rules about eligible sports activities?
Yes, the funding is for elite and talented young athletes who have been selected by a competitive and recognised process to receive specialist sports coaching or training and/or to participate in programmes of events. Limited resources mean that funding is not available for single events or one-off activities.
Also, please note that:-
- In 2013, the Trust will give priority to applications from young athletes who are on recognised pathways to compete in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. Athletes must be following a structured programme and have been recognised by the relevant governing body for their sport as having genuine potential for representation at the Games.
- The prioritisation of Commonwealth Games athletes does not, however, rule out applications from elite and talented performers who are competing in non-Commonwealth Games sports.
What do you mean by a specialist course?
Funds are targeted specifically to help young people with an exceptional or unique talent achieve their potential through specialist post-school training. This means that funding is not available for most college and university courses or for courses that are part of the school curriculum.
As competition is intense, priority is given to young people who have been selected to attend specialist elite institutions which primarily deliver vocational and practical training rather than institutions which offer mainstream academic studies. For example, funding may be available for courses provided by specialist elite music or drama institutions but would not normally be available to study these subjects at university.
All specialist courses must be accredited and places awarded by a competitive and recognised selection process. This will include audition where appropriate.
You will need to provide confirmation that you have been offered and you have registered on the course before any award would be paid to you.
The Trust is designed to help exceptionally talented young people and it is unlikely that an award would be made for a specialist course below HND or an equivalent level.
What funds are available?
Awards of up to a maximum of £1000 (or 75% of eligible costs) are available. The eligible costs depend on the type of help you are applying for but can include, for example: -
- Tuition/course fees if these are not available from other sources such as the Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS)
- Living expenses if you are living away from home
- Travel costs if you are living at home and travelling to study
- Costs of specialist sports coaching, attending training sessions or competing in events
- Essential specialist equipment (based on the provision of at least one estimate)
Can I apply for more than one year?
All grants are made on a one-off basis. If you received an award from the Trust previously and you still meet the essential criteria for the scheme, you can apply again. You can, however, only receive a maximum of four awards from the Trust.
If you have received an award before and want to apply again, you must send us a Report on Award with your application form as we will not be able to consider a new application from you without it.
Is there anything else I need to know?
Yes, funding is not available:-
- For retrospective applications e.g. for activities or events that have already taken place or for courses that have already started
- For standard IT equipment such as PCs and laptops
- To repeat a failed year or to undertake a completely new course of study.
And, as the funds are limited and demand is very high, priority is 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
Data Protection
We will use the personal information you provide in the following ways so please think about whether you are willing to accept these before you make an application.
- To process and validate your application
- To publicise the scheme as detailed in the General Terms & Conditions below
What are the general terms and conditions?
- Awards must only be used for the purposes for which they were allocated
- Awards will be paid when the recipient has signed and returned one copy of the offer letter and provided all the information required such as confirmation of registration on a specialist course.
Award recipients must submit a short Report on Award on what the grant from the Trust has helped them achieve.
- The report will normally be one or two A4 sheets
- It must be countersigned by an independent person who is in position to vouch for their achievements, performance and progress (e.g. head of department or tutor of a specialist course or sports coach or representative of the relevant national governing body of sport).
- The information given in the report may be used in publicity about the scheme.
- For applicants who have applied to the Trust before but are not applying again this report should be submitted no later than 30th September of the following year.
- However, applicants who have applied successfully before and are applying again must send this report with their new application.
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.
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 these circumstances the Council’s decision will be final.
When can I apply?
You need to complete an application form and return it by the deadline date. Applications must be received by 5pm on Friday 7 June 2013. 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 staff and specialist external organisations like Sportscotland or Creative Scotland to clarify selection details or for advice on specific issues relating to applications.
Elected councillors will make decisions based on the merit and strength of the application in light of the limited funding that is available. Your personal details will not be presented to them.
When will I know if my application has been successful?
We will aim to let you know the outcome of your application before your term or programme starts. However, this might not always be possible as the earliest date that we might be able to let you know is in early September.
Any other questions?
If you have any other questions about the scheme, please contact Jeannie Graham by e mail jeannie.graham@highland.gov.uk or on (01463) 702064