Call for applications: Online Maths Scholarships

for Leaving Cert students in each county of Ireland

13​th​ January 2020​. Online education startup jumpAgrade has partnered with leading
educational publisher Folens to make 26 scholarships for an online exam preparation course
in Maths available. The programme was designed for Leaving Cert Maths students who are
not able to access traditional grinds like so many other students can and do in Ireland today.

Summary
● Applications open for scholarships to a 10-week online exam preparation course
designed for Leaving Cert Maths students
● One student from each of the 26 counties of Ireland chosen by selection panel
● Targeted at students who cannot access additional support outside of the classroom
such a ‘grinds’
● First initiative offered through a partnership between jumpAgrade and Folens
● Applications open now, and will close on the 31st of January
● Students can apply here: ​https://forms.gle/9xyyL3whBQ92cLTQ7
● More information on the programme available ​here

The Opportunity
Of the hundreds of students that use the jumpAgrade service on a weekly basis, half of all
these students come from less fortunate backgrounds or underrepresented groups. The
‘Equality of Education’​ initiative began when their local Youth Service reached out to the
Limerick startup in its first year. Rather than passing any costs on to those families, the
company sourced corporate sponsorship, and was able to work with that group of students
in the run-up to exams. With that, the Equality of Education initiative was born and
jumpAgrade have gone on to win the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award for 2019 on the
back of this.

Quote - jumpAgrade
“It was at that point that we realised that this wasn’t just about how we could improve
the effectiveness of grinds or support outside of the classroom,”​ says David Neville,
jumpAgrade Co-Founder & CEO, ​“There was a much bigger societal problem at play,
and a far greater opportunity to have a lasting impact on the lives of the students we
work with. The growing ‘grinds culture’ was leaving students behind, and we decided
to be part of the solution rather than adding to the problem”.

The Bigger Picture

The knock-on effect of greater opportunities for young people to achieve and progress in
education is huge. In some of the most affluent parts of Ireland, progression rates from
post-primary to third level are 100%. In some of the lowest income areas like Ballinacurra
Weston in Limerick, progression rates are as low as 3%.
There are national and international directives for widening access to education. “Access to
Quality Childcare, Education and Health Services” is National Strategic Outcome 10 on
Project Ireland 2040 - National Development Plan 2018-2027 (​Project 2040​)​.​ The United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 4 on Education is to “Ensure
inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.” With tailwinds
increasing in support of education access initiatives, jumpAgrade and Folens plan to
kick-start a number of other programmes through this partnership.

Who is this for?

While the financial barrier is the most common, there are also geographical, personal,
medical or other barriers that students face when seeking additional support preparing for
exams. These are all factors that the selection panel will consider when choosing the
awardees. The call for applications is open to all students across Ireland from the 13th of
January and will close the 31st of January. It is open to those that will be sitting the Leaving
Certificate Maths exam in June 2020. It is available for students sitting either the Higher
Level or Ordinary Level paper. It is open to students of all levels of ability and confidence.

Quote - Folens
“As part of Folens Giving we are always looking for initiatives that can help and
support children on their education journey. With the jumpAgrade Maths
scholarships we have a great opportunity to give students across the country the
extra support they may be looking for.”, ​Andrew Miller, CEO.

The Programme
The lucky students awarded the scholarship will go through a 10-week online exam
preparation course designed for Leaving Cert Maths. 26 students, one from each county of
Ireland, will be chosen by the selection panel to receive a scholarship for the course. This
will allow each student to work with their own jumpAgrade teacher each week. Every teacher
that works with jumpAgrade has experience correcting State Exams. Each week, the
students will complete their own personal assignment, submit photos of their work and get
video feedback from their teacher explaining where they went wrong and how to improve.
The 10 weeks will also be supplemented by “Learning Snacks” where expert teachers break
down specific topics or problem areas for all students on the programme. Applications can
be made ​here​.

The Partnership
In the first of this partnership’s efforts to make educational support available to all students,
Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award Winners jumpAgrade are building on their work with
organisations like DCU and UCC Access Programmes, Community Partnerships like Dublin
South City Partnership, Empower and Ballyfermot Chapelizod Partnership, Youth Work
Ireland, and many more. The initiative aligns with Folens Giving to support initiatives that
​ his programme is being run by
make a difference in the lives of school children.​ T
jumpAgrade, with sponsorship provided by Folens.
How to Apply

Students can complete their application form here: ​https://forms.gle/fCtMFEyVeMMHw4mD9

There is also an option for a teacher, parent, guardian, family member or friend to apply on
behalf of a student they feel deserves to be awarded a scholarship for this programme.

After following the application link, applicants are prompted to fill out an application form
which asks for a paragraph on what they believe makes them the student that should be
awarded this Scholarship.

Notes to the Editor

JumpAgrade and Folens are happy to make themselves available for further comments.
Please send your request to ​david@jumpagrade.com​ or ​elizabeth.ivory@folens.ie​ for
enquiries on this.

More information on the programme, the selection criteria, the terms and conditions and the
data privacy policy can be found on the jumpAgrade website ​here​.

Who are jumpAgrade?

JumpAgrade is an online service that helps second-level students build their confidence and
prepare for exams. This is their third academic year since launching in 2017. They aim to
make personalised support from qualified teachers accessible to all students, delivered in a
way that students are comfortable with and engage with. The flexibility of working online at a
time that suits combined with the research they have carried out with Trinity College to
create new processes has attracted the interest from over 800 teacher applications. They
are working with Access Programmes at Third-Level institutions like DCU, UCC, WIT and
MIC, Youth Organisations, ETBs and schools across Ireland. In a 12-week programme
working with a group of students from 8 different DEIS schools in North Dublin through the
DCU Access Programme, there was an average grade increase of 11.5%, with 85% of those
students reporting an increase in confidence in their chosen subject.

Who are Folens? ​Folens is a leader in educational publishing in Ireland. They specialise in
producing high-quality print and digital content, to support teachers in the classroom. and
makes learning fun for children. They produce books for Primary and Post-Primary subjects.
With every book comes a range of digital content including interactive resources, lesson
plans, videos and much more. Folens have been publishing books for schools across the
country for over 60 years. Being a successful business allows them to give back to the
community both in Ireland and abroad through the Folens Giving Programme.