Developing and submitting an application
How do school clusters apply?
School clusters must apply using the online application form available on the Values Education website.
A Helpdesk will provide any assistance or advice required during the application process. The Helpdesk can be contacted by telephone on 1800 780 370 or by email at: vasp@curriculum.edu.au
All applicants should read these guidelines before completing the online application form.
Step 1: Understand the objectives of VASP, and what and how your school cluster can contribute to them
Read all the supporting information, including:
- the VASP application guidelines, objectives and the selection criteria
- the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools
- the findings in the executive summary of Implementing the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools: Report of the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 1
All these documents can be downloaded from the Values Education website.
Step 2: Form a suitable school cluster
Identify a number of schools with which you could undertake a productive collaboration in values education. You may utilise an existing school cluster arrangement. School clusters may range in size from a minimum of three to a maximum of ten schools. Schools may only be part of one cluster at a time. (For the purposes of this project multi-campus schools are not considered to be a cluster).
Decide which school will take the role of lead school. The lead school will be responsible for coordinating, assembling and submitting the cluster project proposal. A Cluster Coordinator must be nominated from the lead school, and a Deputy Cluster Coordinator must be nominated from another school within the cluster.
Cluster Coordinator
The Cluster Coordinator will be the leader of the school cluster project. Detailed contact information for this person is to be supplied on the application form. The Cluster Coordinator must be a member of the staff at the lead school in the cluster.
In consultation with partner schools, the Cluster Coordinator will be responsible for:
- developing and submitting the online application form
- coordinating/undertaking project activities
- providing leadership to all member schools in the cluster
- communicating with the Curriculum Corporation project team
- coordinating information flows among cluster members
- leading the development of professional learning activity within the cluster
- reporting on project activities
- managing and accounting for funds received.
Cluster Coordinators will be responsible for obtaining the required information details from schools in their cluster for the online application form, and confirming each school principal’s willingness to participate in the project (see Forms 1 and 3). Curriculum Corporation reserves the right to seek verification from any school or organisation named as a cluster partner.
Deputy Cluster Coordinator
A second contact person is to be nominated as deputy to the Cluster Coordinator. This person will assume the responsibilities of the Cluster Coordinator in the event that she or he is unable to continue in the role. The Deputy Cluster Coordinator must be from another school in the cluster, not the lead school.
Cluster representatives and key contacts
Successful clusters will be required to nominate and send two representatives, from two different schools in a cluster, to attend an all day National Briefing Session to be held in Melbourne on 10 December 2008. (All costs, including air travel, accommodation and meal arrangements will be paid by Curriculum Corporation. These costs need not be factored into the cluster’s budget.)
Each school will also need to appoint a key contact person.
Step 3: Collaborate to develop a draft project proposal
Develop a values education project proposal that addresses the selection criteria. Each school cluster should submit one application only.
You will need to:
- collaborate to develop a project proposal
- decide what needs to be done to achieve your objectives within the 8-month timeframe
- be realistic
- keep the project contained and manageable
- strategically design how the cluster might undertake the project to achieve the intended outcomes
- include the monitoring, measuring and evaluation methods that you will need to use to demonstrate evidence-based outcomes
- develop a plan and budget for the project
- be open to the need to revise the membership of the cluster group as an outcome of these discussions.
Step 4: Write the project proposal
Together with your cluster colleagues, complete a draft of your project proposal as an MS-Word document using your responses to the selection criteria. You may wish to use Form 2 as a template, and then copy and paste the information from each field into the online application form. By keeping your project proposal as an offline document you will have a record of your responses in the event of any technical glitches. The online application form ‘times out’ after 20 minutes, so this is another good reason for keeping your responses as a separate document.
Step 5: Gather all the profile information from each participant school
In order to complete the online application form, Cluster Coordinators will need to collect the following information for all schools in the cluster (see Form 1).
- Name and contact details of the Deputy Cluster Coordinator, and for the key contact person from each of the partner schools. Details should include a direct email address, phone and/or fax number.
- Contact details for each school, including mailing and physical addresses, sector of schooling (government, independent or Catholic), level of the school (primary, secondary, K–12 or other), whether the school is a boys’, girls’ or coeducational school, the total number of students and effective full-time teachers at the school.
- Approximate percentages of students from each school’s population who:
- are entitled to support benefits
- are from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds
- are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
- have special needs.
- Each school’s location, that is, whether it is in a remote area, rural area, regional city or capital city.
Step 6: Gather support statements from the principals of the cluster schools
The principals’ support statements (see Form 3) are essential to your application as they validate school authority for each school to enter into a contract with Curriculum Corporation. They also provide evidence of school management support and authorise project activity to take place in each school. Successful school clusters will be required to submit a signed copy of each statement as a condition of accepting the grant. (Please note: the signed statements are not required for purposes of applying for the grant.)
Step 7: Complete and submit the online application form by close of business (Eastern Standard Summer Time) 14 November 2008
Copy and paste all elements of your project proposal from your MS-Word documents into the online application form on the Values Education website: http://www.valueseducation.edu.au.
Applications may be checked or changed at any time until the 5pm (ESST) 14 November 2008.
If you have any problems associated with the online application process contact the Helpdesk on 1800 780 370.
If, as a result of technical difficulties reported to the Helpdesk, it is necessary for schools to submit a hard copy application, please phone Maureen Gustus or Helen Trotter on (03) 9207 9600 or email: vasp@curriculum.edu.au.
Applications must be received by Curriculum Corporation by close of business 5.00pm (Eastern Standard Summer Time) on 14 November 2008.
Curriculum Corporation will acknowledge receipt of all applications. If an application is deemed non-compliant, the lead school will be notified and they will not be allocated additional time to amend the non-compliant application.
What are the selection criteria?
Project description
In consultation with, and on behalf of, all schools in the cluster, the Cluster Coordinator will need to respond to the selection criteria. Please note the word limit for each field. An indicative budget also needs to be provided for your project. A template is provided in the online application form, which includes suggested categories for expenditure.
Project title (10 word limit)
This should indicate the focus of your project.
Proposed cluster name (10 word limit)
Give your cluster a meaningful name.
Project snapshot (200 word limit)
This description may be used in promotional materials involving your project. It should summarise the most significant aspects of your project as described in detail in your responses to the selection criteria.
Responses to selection criteria
All applications for project funding will be assessed and scored against the following key selection criteria. The application form provides a word-limited field for you to directly address each of the criteria. It may be helpful to address the criteria as a set of questions that you answer.
1. Clear articulation of VASP objectives, which may also include the areas of special interest, as outlined (200 word limit)
The project should demonstrate how it will address particular needs at the local level and how it will also serve the broad outcomes and purposes of the whole Values in Action Schools Project. The aims(s) should indicate what the project intends to achieve for students, teachers and/or the school community. You should clearly articulate how the cluster project links to the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools.
Some questions to consider.
Is the intended project realistic? Is the project manageable and achievable in the 8 month timeframe? What particular local needs will be addressed? Is this a whole school approach or clearly building towards such an approach? What are the broader Values in Action Schools Project purposes the project will address? What special areas of interest, if any, will it address? How does your project build on the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools (2005) and extend the findings from the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project Stage 1 (2005-2008)?
2. High quality and achievable activities supporting values education across the cluster and which have application to other schools (200 word limit)
Your project proposal should explicitly indicate the range and type of activities that will be undertaken during the project lifetime. These may include activities for a range of key stakeholders in the school community such as teachers, parents, students, local community members and be meetings, seminars, lessons, professional learning, displays, and development of a vision statement or policy. Describe what will remain in the cluster schools, and be available to other schools, after the funded project is completed.
Some questions to consider.
What are the project’s activities? How will they achieve VASP aims? Who will be involved and what will they do? How are the activities linked to VASP outcomes? How will the project activities yield sustainable outcomes beyond the life of VASP? How will the activities facilitate professional learning and foster a learning community in values education across the cluster?
3. Evidence and data that will be produced, gathered and evaluated to demonstrate project outcomes (200 word limit)
This is a participatory action research project. Gathering, analysing and presenting evidence is an integral requirement of the project.
Some questions to consider.
What evidence will you gather to indicate whether or not the project has been successful? How will you gather this information? How will the information be analysed and presented?
4. Management and professional collaboration which will ensure effective project operation (200 word limit)
Provide an outline of how the project will be facilitated and managed within the cluster to ensure broad teacher participation. Provide descriptions of any existing effective leadership roles and/or cluster relationships, and describe ways in which effective leadership and collaboration among members in the cluster maintained, in this project. The management information should include the name and role of the Cluster Coordinator (from the nominated lead school) the names and roles of other identified project leaders (from all participating schools within the cluster) and a description of how the cluster schools will participate and work together effectively.
Some questions to consider.
How will schools provide support for identified staff as they implement the Values in Action Schools Project? How will the project ensure participation of all cluster schools? What are the possible risks to successful completion of the project? What strategies will the cluster use to manage those risks, including consequences of changes to key staff involved in the project?
5. Developing a whole school approach as a key element of the project (200 word limit)
The project should aim to provide models of quality practice which can be applied and which inform a whole school approach to values education.
Some questions to consider:
How will the proposed project actively engage a cohort of key stakeholders of the school community – school leadership, school council, teachers, parents/care-givers, students and the broader local community? Or how, in the future, is it planned that the outcomes of the project can encompass these groups? How will the proposed project involve a range of the elements of school community life such as pedagogy, curriculum, professional learning, across year level and KLA activities, development of the school vision statement and policy document?
6. Effective and efficient use of resources and budgetary accountability (100 words and budget template)
The project proposal should include an indicative budget that reflects realistic costing and an effective use of resources for the project. The budget should be presented as a set of discrete line items and spending should only be for project activity. To facilitate the development of your budget, a number of suggested line items are included in the budget section of the online application. Please note: the grant cannot be used for capital expenditure items or to supplement other school activities.
Suggested line items include:
- teacher release for a range of project activities
- targeted student activities
- project specific consultancy work
- teacher release for the project coordinator
- relevant additional professional development for teachers (conferences, workshops and seminars)
- travel and costs for visits by staff to other schools and organisations
- research, evaluation and development of reports
- administration services (eg, project support, administration officer time)
- project specific teaching and learning resources
- other (you may add a number of other specific line items).
Some questions to consider.
How do you propose to use the grant funds? What proportions of the total would be used for particular project components? How will the finances be managed, accounted for and audited at the end of the project?
7. Links with relevant state and territory and national initiatives related to values education (200 word limit)
Before preparing any application, prospective applicants should familiarise themselves with the values education policies and frameworks of their state/territory and other related state and territory or national initiatives related to values education.
Some questions to consider.
How does your project link to and support expressed jurisdictional policy or national education agendas related to values education? Where appropriate, name the state/territory or national initiative(s) which may provide additional resources or valuable past experience for your proposed project. National links may include the National School Drug Education Strategy, the MindMatters programs, Australian Government’s current Civics and Citizenship Education Program, the National Safe Schools Framework and the Family-Schools Partnerships Framework.
8. Evidence of support from the schools’ principals in cluster applications (100 word limit for each school in the cluster)
It is a requirement that all applications demonstrate the support of school management in each of the cluster schools nominated for the duration of the project.
A brief statement from the principal of each of the participating schools expressing support for the project and approving the project activity within the school is required (see Form 3). Only the statement text is required to be entered in the online form (not the Principal’s signature). The signed version of each statement will only have to be presented to Curriculum Corporation if the cluster proposal is successful.
Each school should also indicate willingness to share the outcomes of the project with other schools around Australia and with the Australian Government.
Some questions to consider.
How well will your project be supported by the school leadership? How will you demonstrate that support in your application? How is the sustainability of the project expressed/demonstrated in the application?
How do I fill in the online application form?
When you have collected the required information on your cluster schools and completed your responses to the selection criteria (see Forms 1, 2 and 3) in an MS-Word document you are ready to complete the online application form. The application form is to be completed by the Cluster Coordinator.
- Go to the online application form. When you access the form for the first time you will need to complete the new registration details (username, password, email). Please make a note of your registration details to use the next time you log in. If you forget your password there is a retrieval link next to the ‘log in’ box.
- Explore and become familiar with the application form and its field structure. There are a number of drop down menus to help you complete the online form. Compulsory fields are marked with an asterisk. Fields indentified as incomplete will be displayed in red. There are five pages within the application form which may be accessed by using the Next and Previous buttons at the top and bottom of each page:
- Cluster Coordinator and lead school
- Deputy Cluster Coordinator and school
- Partner schools and contacts
- Project description and responses to selection criteria
- Project budget items
- Remember that there is a 20-minute timeout for the online application form. Please save your data when prompted and use the Save button frequently.
- If you are working within the online application form, please save your information before you open and view or print the Application Guidelines or the Project Summary. When you open these documents you will be returned to the welcome page.
- The Project summary may be used to view or print your application but the information you have entered will not appear until you have selected and saved the name of your school in the application form.
- Copy and paste all elements of your proposal (the project description, responses to the selection criteria and budget, first completed in MS-Word), the schools' data and Principals’ statements into the relevant data fields.
- There is no Submit button. Every time you save and exit the online application form your application will be submitted.
- Applications may be checked or changed at any time until COB (ESST) 14 November 2008.
- Applications must be completed by 5.00pm (Eastern Standard Summer Time) on Friday 14 November 2008, via the online application form to be deemed eligible. Please note: the online application form will not be accessible after this time.
- A Helpdesk will provide any assistance or advice required during the application process. The Helpdesk can be contacted by telephone on 1800 780 370 or by email at: vasp@curriculum.edu.au