The need for EiF was identified by members of Dunton Green Faithworks, a group from Bessels Green Baptist Church who were working in the community, and some as volunteers at Dunton Green Primary School. They realised that, due to family circumstances, some children at the School were missing out on treats at Christmas. At Christmas 2018 Faithworks, with support of members from Bessels Green Baptist Church, collected gifts and money to buy presents for the children and these were distributed by School staff.
School staff then approached Faithworks and Bessels Green Baptist Church in Spring 2019 to see if they knew of any funding to pay for four Year 6 children to attend a residential trip. The School found trust funding for all but one child and several individuals made donations to pay for that child. However, Faithworks members wanted to prevent this being necessary in future and so facilitated a community barn dance and auction to fundraise in October 2019. It was organised with assistance from local residents, St Mary’s Church Riverhead with Dunton Green, parents and staff from the School, the Parish Council, and Bessels Green Baptist Church. Almost £4,000 was raised.
As none of the individual organisations involved in the fundraising were in a position to take on long-term administration of the funds, Dunton Green Education in Full Foundation was established to ensure that the money is allocated effectively and responsibly. To ensure that the fund continues with support from as many sections of the local community as possible, trustees with suitable knowledge and skills were recruited from the organisations involved in the fundraising. The trustees did not though, represent any particular organisation on the Trustee Board.
The initial meeting of the Trustee Board was held during the COVID pandemic via Zoom on 31st October 2020. An application was made to register with the Charity Commission at the end of May 2021 and, after some changes to the Constitution, registration was approved in August 2021.
The constitution for Dunton Green Education in Full Foundation (EiF) states its purpose as: “To advance education for the public benefit among economically disadvantaged pupils attending Dunton Green Primary School through the provision of grants of financial assistance to fund such items and services as the trustees shall determine with the aim of enabling their participation in the full range of educational opportunities offered by the School.”
Since its establishment, trustees for EiF have met approximately every 2 months and have written and developed policies and procedures to ensure best practice and to meet its legal requirements – see Legal Information.
Financial support has been invited from local supporters and trustees have attended events organised by Team DG (the School PTA) to raise awareness of EiF.
In its first 2 years EiF has made 34 grants totalling almost £1,000.
Dunton Green Education in Full Foundation 