Education Today Education Today Magazine
Independent education recruitment specialist Class People has launched its ‘School Champions’ initiative, facilitating volunteering days to help support schools across the Midlands and South West.
Under its charitable arm, the Class People Foundation, up to 21 schools annually will get to benefit from access to voluntary support. Each school will be allocated its own Champion and will get to leverage three days’ paid volunteering services as they see fit. The Champions are Class People’s recruitment consultants, who bring a wealth of school knowledge and commercial experience that the schools can leverage.
Activities could include school fundraising or event support, writing grant applications, consulting on staffing or running careers advice, and will depend on the school’s requirements.
This further extends the charitable objectives of the Foundation, which was set up in 2021 to support the welfare, wellbeing and aspirations of children and young people in early foundation stage, primary and secondary education. It annually dedicates funds to eligible establishments generated from 1% of the recruitment business’s profits to support a wide range of projects.
Funding to date has supported a dozen schools with various projects worth between £500 to £5,000 each and is hoping to fund at least ten more this year. The grant is accessible to all schools and nurseries across both regions, who can use the funds to support running or capital costs, for sports kits, residential trips, events and other activities.
Lynis Bassett, Founder and Trustee of Class People Foundation, said: “Having worked in education myself, I, along with the team, fully recognise the growing financial difficulties that the education sector is currently experiencing. This places even more value on volunteering – not only is it an impactful way to make a difference but to feel an immense sense of reward. It is also a great opportunity for the team to become more integrated with our clients’ culture and to further strengthen our rapport with the schools we work with.
“The launch of our School Champions initiative addresses our longer-term ambitions of the Foundation, in offering our support to more schools throughout the Midlands and South West. This is alongside our aim of significantly growing our grant funding pot over the next few years, to ensure as many schoolchildren and local communities as possible get to benefit.”
Schools are eligible to apply for a grant here and can also apply for the School Champions voluntary scheme either via their consultant or the Class People Foundation contact details.
Class People has also partnered with FundEd, a subscription-based grant search platform and funding resource tool for schools. As an approved supplier, Class People can assist schools by giving them access to all upcoming tailored grant opportunities to tap into and help generate additional income streams.
