£23m programme for bright disadvantaged pupils launched

The £23 million Future Talent Fund has been launched by Education Minister Nick Gibb, which will test new ways of helping the most talented disadvantaged pupils fulfil their academic potential and prevent them falling behind.

Organisations are being invited to manage the new funding, which runs until 2020.

The chosen organisation will run and evaluate a trial of projects from January 2019 which will help all schools to support their most able, disadvantaged pupils and address the drop off in academic performance between key stage 2 and key stage 4.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: “Through this Future Talent Fund, we will test new and innovative approaches so that we can find out what works best to ensure the brightest pupils from the most disadvantaged families can excel in their education.”

The £23 million programme will deliver at least 30 trial projects between January 2019 and July 2020 following two bidding rounds. The scheme will champion best practice and encourage evidence-led interventions, including those that could be funded by schools using their Pupil Premium funding.

In the autumn, a variety of organisations will be eligible to apply for the funding. This will include state-funded schools and multi academy trusts, charities and research organisations, independent schools and universities. Projects supported by the fund must be delivered in non-selective, state-funded secondary schools in England. They must cover at least one of the following strands of work: Curriculum; Pedagogy; Parental involvement; mentoring and tutoring; the transition between key stages; and enrichment activities.