Frequently asked questions

Who runs the project?

Beyond the School is the umbrella network of many smaller projects run in schools, charities and youth organisations. These smaller projects usethe Beyond the School methodology and services, but are run by the organisation involved. There is, therefore, a great deal of flexibility in the exact nature of the individual project. For example, it is up to the organisation involved to decide on the main themes of the project, as well as how to adapt the concept to best suit the abilities and interests of the young people involved.

How long does it take to run a project?

The Beyond the School project is flexible; there are no strict rulesdetermining the duration of a project. Typically, a project run under the traditional format should last for one academic year. This is based on the young people involved working for between two and three hours a week. This will usually encompass working on research activities to start with, then taking the photographs, analysing the differences and presenting the work in a public exhibition.

There is also the possibility that one organisation can run a project in which it goes into number of schools to run week-long Beyond the School 'camps' before collating the results into one exhibition. The advantages of this format are that it can facilitate the involvement of younger children, it can lead to a larger exhibition, and the project can be done over a shorter period of time.

How does my school/organisation join the project?

If your organisation would like to join the project:

1. Get in touch with James King (jking@cfme.net). We will send you more information to give you an overview of the project activities.
2. Start to consider some ideas for your project:

• An overall theme. This might be a subject relevant to your local area (immigration/industry?) or a skill area that your organisation would like to concentrate on (language/citizenship?). What would be interesting for the young people involved?
• How could you incorporate your project into working with the local community?
• What aspects of running a project would you need the most support with?
• Meeting and/or telephone conversation with Ivan or James. We will discuss ideas, offer suggestions based on our experiences with other projects (and vice versa!) and explain any issues concerning the project that you are unsure about as well as deciding on concrete next steps.
• Make contact with local organisations that can help with the project. This usually means local museums, libraries, history societies and old persons' charities.
• Application for funding (if applicable). This can be a time consuming process, and so it is best to jump in and start writing a first draft as soon as possible. As we assist with this from the beginning, it is not as intimidating a process as it might seem. There are several funding streams available and we will use our experience to help you to find the most suitable funding opportunity for your organisation. We will remain in touch throughout the writing of the application form by email or by phone.

How much does it cost?

There is not a set price. So far, in the UK, funding has covered most of the costs (although voluntary non-financial contributions, such as equipment /building space or volunteer time are helpful to an application). When preparing the budget, you need to consider the following costs (We will be able to give you a rough idea based on our experiences with previous projects):

• Equipment (cameras, scanners, computers etc... how much does your organisation need for the project? How much does your organisation already possess?)
• Staff time (How many staff hours are needed to run the project? Note: Most funding streams will not fund the core activity of the organisation, so the staff time will have to be extra to normal working hours of existing staff).
• Transport costs (travel to museums, interviews, to locations from which to take the photographs)
• General Overheads (paper, stationary, room hire)
• CFME services (see below)

What is the role of Centre for Modern Education?

Centre for Modern Education provides the following services as listed in Product package. In our experience, these costs can all be covered by funding, so your organisation should not have to pay for anything. Specific costs are dependent on the size of the project and can be discussed when preparing the budget for the application.

Can I see a sample case study of a completed project?

Yes, please visit the project presentations on this web site: Project presentation. You can also use the Virtual map, if you prefer. Once zoomed in, you will be able to see the location of every pair of photographs.

Do I need all of the services provided by the Centre for Modern Education?

It is not necessary to include all of the services provided by the Centre for Modern Education. However, for us to be involved with the project, we require that some of the services are included.

What happens if our grant application is unsuccessful?

We cannot guarantee that your application for funding will be successful. However, all of the projects that have been run in the UK have successfully applied for funding and we can guarantee that we will do our best to ensure that yours is also approved. If it is not successful, we'll try to explore other funding opportunities. We do not charge anything for our services unless your application is successful.

What is the maximum/minimum age of participants?

Although the project was designed for secondary school pupils, there is no reason that younger children cannot take part. As mentioned before, it might mean that the project needs to be adapted for younger children in several ways, such as collecting the old photographs for them and interviewing older members of the community with a teacher present, on the premises of your organisation, rather than the children making independent visits.

What if I have another question that has not been answered here?

James will happily answer any further questions that you can think of, fire away!
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