Hi there, here is February’s update!   I nearly ran out of time to create this newsletter! I started to look through this years Smiley Charity Film Awards which are incredibly moving, and tell some incredible stories. I usually have a system for choosing who I vote for in this kind of thing (anyone who knows…

Hi there, here is January’s update!   Happy New Year! We’ve already had a Wolf Moon, many of us have snow, most of us are back at work, and lots of us are already solving problems, creating content, researching, writing applications – and all the million and one things we do in our ‘not for…

Hi there, here is December’s update! This is the final ‘Straight Forward Funding free monthly newsletter of 2025’, and I’d like to thank each of you for reading, sharing – and taking action on the information I include each month.I’m taking a slightly extended break over Christmas but I should return to your inbox around…

Hi there, here is the November schools update!   I hope that you are doing well as we approach (at a very fast rate!) the end of another calendar year! I am really pleased to share in this newsletter some lovely funding news that will hopefully be useful across both primary and secondary age, and…

Hi there, here is October’s update! I’ve just been looking back at Septembers newsletter – and honestly – it feels like a lifetime ago since I sent that out! It’s really hammered home just how many things we cram into each month, and I suppose its quite a useful activity, as it has forced me…

Hi there, here is September’s update! I always associate September with ‘New Starts’. Old habits die hard I suppose; after working in education for almost 15 years, (even though it is almost five years since I left) it still feels like a new year to me! This year in particular as I’ve just launched a brand…

Hi there, here is August’s update! Happy August! The year certainly does seem to be hurtling past doesn’t it. If you are juggling multiple priorities at the moment it’s worth trying to carve out a few minutes for yourself (I know, I know, I’m as bad as anyone…do as I say, not as I do!)…

Hi there, here is July’s update! How’s the old grant funding roller coaster running? These are pretty challenging times we are going through, and trust me, I do understand the pain! In fact, I’m actually working with a student consultancy team from the University of Huddersfield  as part of a university research project, who have developed…

Hi there, here is June’s update! I’ve just got back from a much needed break in my trusty old (very old) campervan called Lester. I headed up to Cononley, which is in between Keighley and Skipton, for a 2 night break meeting others who own the same type of van as mine. Mine was the…