The non-profit Kata Foundation has received a donation of DKK 20 million from the Salling Foundations and Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation. The two foundations have each donated DKK 10 million to the Kata Foundation.
This generous donation will shape the school of the future when the LEAPS model is rolled out to a number of new schools from August 2022.
About LEAPS
LEAPS stands for ‘Learning and Engagement through Authentic Projects with a Focus on Science’. LEAPS focuses on creating meaningful and relevant learning for primary school students to strengthen their academic engagement, problem-solving skills, and collaboration through interdisciplinary programmes. This is achieved through a five-year school-wide LEAPS transformation, in which management and staff are continually trained and guided to teach the LEAPS model.
More focus on engaged students, science competences and project-based learning – these are some of the key concepts behind LEAPS, which since 2016 has created new ways of learning in four schools in Denmark, with great results. This has generated a lot of interest in LEAPS from other schools and municipalities, and from August 2022, eight more schools will join the LEAPS network. As a result, Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation and the Salling Foundations have granted a total of DKK 20 million for the further development of LEAPS schools in Denmark.
Excellent results
The positive results of LEAPS have been of great satisfaction to the Foundations. Indeed, there are strong indications that LEAPS increases both interest in science and general engagement in school.
Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation is behind the Kata Foundation and has supported the development of the LEAPS initiative since 2016. We do this because we believe it is important that children and young people become interested in the natural sciences. Solutions to the challenges around sustainability in the future require such skills. It is with great pleasure that we continue to support LEAPS.
Peter M. Clausen, Chair of Bitten & Mads Clausen's Foundation
The positive results have created great interest in becoming a LEAPS school in Denmark. In addition to the four current schools, five new schools have already announced their participation in LEAPS from August 2022: Frelloskolen in Varde Municipality, Issø-skolen and Skårupskolen in Svendborg Municipality, Hornbæk Skole in Helsingør Municipality and Rude Skov Skole in Rudersdal Municipality. There is also dialogue with schools in the east of Jutland about participation.
Since 2016, we have been running the LEAPS initiative in four schools. Now the network is expanding to eight schools. This shows the level of trust and support for LEAPS, which has delivered positive results. We see and hear in the schools how more engagement is being created, and the follow-up research also points to positive trends such as both increased engagement and interest in science.
Anette Clausen, Chair of the Kata Foundation
The development of LEAPS was initially supported by Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation, the Villum Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation, and the Manufacturing Industry. Read more on www.leapsskoler.dk/english
Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation has been behind the Kata Foundation since its foundation in 2006. The Kata Foundation is a non-profit foundation that aims to promote knowledge and practice about learning and innovation. Read more about the Kata Foundation (Danish homepage) on the following link.
