Do you have a head full of ideas for new teaching resources... if only you had the time and money to develop them properly? Do you have a great science lesson that you'd like to share with teachers around the UK?
If so, the SAPS Associate Awards are for you.
SAPS Associate Awards are available to teachers and technicians to develop an idea or activity that will enhance the teaching of plant science in their school or college. These Awards are only available to teachers and technicians registered with the free SAPS Associate scheme and engaged in secondary and post-16 science education in the UK. Awards of up to £500 per application will be paid to the applicant’s school / college on satisfactory completion of the funded activity.
The first round of the SAPS Associate Awards attracted numerous applicants proposing an exciting range of projects; applicants included teachers, technicians and HLTAs. A list of successful projects is shown below, and we look forward to adding to this list in due course. For those enthusiastic to participate but unsure of which topics to focus on, please refer to the 'topic areas of interest' document below.
- Developing Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells / Grätzel cells to demonstrate photosynthesis to sixth form students
- Developing activity to test the ability of indian mustard, sunflower and barley sugar beet to accumulate copper, iron, nickel and sodium chloride
- Creating resources to fit into Biology and Chemistry curricula to promote plant science careers to A-level students
- Creating resources to help teach evolution and phylogenetics in A-level Biology using plant-based examples
- Developing three RARE GCSE teaching resources involving the use of plant science, one for each of Biology, Physics and Chemistry
- Developing a new practical activity which demonstrates phytoremediation and its applications
- Developing a method of showing succession in the classroom
The Summer 2012 funding round is now open, with an application deadline of 21 May. Please see guidance documentation below for further details.
About the Awards
SAPS Associate Awards support teachers or technicians working in one of the following areas:
- producing a plant-based teaching resource that can be used in other schools or colleges
- undertaking an opportunity that will advance the applicant’s knowledge/ practice in relation to plant science teaching and learning (beyond conventional CPD courses)
- others at the discretion of the SAPS office
SAPS particularly encourages activities which do one or more of the following:
- target 16-19 year olds
- focus on areas of interest for new SAPS resources and/or current themes for development (see below)
- will offer a novel representation of plant science in the classroom
- may lead to resources that are Relevant, Affordable, Reliable and Engaging (RARE)
- do not duplicate an existing SAPS resource
Topic areas and themes currently of interest to SAPS for development can be found here
SAPS will not fund an application where:
- the proposed activity, and associated benefits to the applicant, are possible without a SAPS Associate Award (for example where bursaries already exist)
- the award is to be used solely or predominantly for a formal CPD course, a single piece of equipment or on transport costs
- the outcomes of the proposed activity have limited transferability to other settings (e.g. rely on specialist expertise or expensive equipment not available in most schools)
Any queries?
If you have any queries about the Award scheme, your eligibility, your application or require any further guidance please contact the SAPS office on 01223 748455 / 761289, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We are more than happy to discuss your ideas and application with you, and look forward to hearing from you.
Applying for your Award
The following forms are available to structure your application. Please refer to the Application Guidelines when writing your application. The application deadline for the latest funding round is 21 May 2012.
- Application Form (Word doc)
- Application Guidelines (Word doc)
- Topic Areas of Interest (Word doc)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Forms for Award Holders
- Award Agreement Form (Word doc)
- Award Report Form (Word doc)
- SAPS Resources Example Template - Student Sheet (PDF)
- SAPS Resources Example Template - Teachers and Technical notes (PDF)