BENENDEN SCHOOL IMPACT REPORT
“Benenden has taught me that female friendships are so much more than just social connections, they are a source of strength, support and empowerment.
The bonds that push you to achieve and believe, the cheerleaders who are constantly in your corner. Benenden, of course, has given us an amazing education. But more importantly, Benenden has provided an environment for us to support one another.”
Olivia Boyce Head of School 2023-24
Welcome
Welcome from the Headmistress
As I start my tenure as Headmistress at Benenden, it is enormously pleasing to share with you a report which outlines many of the reasons I was so attracted to Benenden in the first place.
I firmly believe that for a school of Benenden’s standing, the impact of its work should not only be felt among its students, but within the local community in which Benenden operates – and beyond.
This commitment to working in partnership with our communities is, of course, the right thing to do, but it also serves as a strong example to our students; we encourage Benenden girls to make a difference in whichever communities they are part of throughout their lives, so it is important that the School demonstrates this principle in practice.
From our student volunteering activity to our bursaries programme, and from opening our facilities to the public to our ambitious sustainability goals, Benenden School plays a leading role in our community. The extent of this impact has only been possible through the support and dedication of our community –the Benenden Society - and this is something of which we should all be very proud.
While this latest Impact Report looks back over 2022 and 2023, before I was Headmistress –and I would like to place on record my thanks to my predecessor, Samantha Price, and her Senior Leadership Team for the numerous achievements outlined in this report – it serves as strong motivation for us all as we lead the School into its second century.
I hope you enjoy learning more about the significant impact of Benenden School and those who generously support it. I am looking forward to building on this success in the coming years, for the benefit of our wonderful School and its wider community.
Rachel Bailey
Foreword from the Chair of Governing Council
The School’s Founders have frequently been celebrated, and one of their clear principles for our School was that it should play a significant role in its local community.
As we enter the second century of the School, this commitment to community remains a key part of Benenden’s vision.
This edition of the Impact Report sets out, in fascinating detail, how we make a positive difference across a wide range of areas. What we are able to achieve is only possible due to the support and contributions of those across our community: be they staff, pupils, Seniors, parents or Friends, those who give of their time and expertise, and those who donate valuable funds, improving our beloved institution and positively transforming lives.
All independent schools are operating in a rather uncertain financial climate at present, but for Benenden the commitment to community remains undiminished. I know that Ms Bailey and her incredibly dedicated team of staff will continue to ensure its activities have the widest impact possible.
Anne McNab
Benenden School: A Complete Education
Over the last two years, Benenden has doubled down on its commitment to offering A Complete Education to all its students with a revised model of its core philosophy. The School strives to ensure girls leave Future Ready, having nurtured skills and interests in the following fields:
– Creativity and Culture
– Service and Responsibility – Global Outlook – Personal Development – Innovation and Enterprise
Benenden nourishes students in these areas through three key channels: an innovative academic curriculum, outstanding co-curricular opportunities, and an all-encompassing commitment to students’ wellbeing, all of which are tied together by the warmth and support of the Benenden community.
The vision at Benenden is inspiring future thinkers and leaders to shape a better world. The mission is to – through its Complete Education – create a culture of intellectual curiosity, ignite a passion for creativity and innovation, nurture the value of community, and to inspire each individual to make a difference.
Benenden’s pursuit of these aims has been graciously rewarded in recent years. The School was a finalist for the Most Dynamic STEM programme, as part of Muddy Stilettos’ Best School Awards 2023. It was also shortlisted for Spear's Awards 2023 School of the Year. In addition, the communications around the opening of our beautiful new Centenary Buildings won Benenden the
Communications Impact prize at the 2023 AMCIS awards.
Recent years have shown countless examples of exceptional achievement on an individual and communal level. A team of Upper Fifth Chemists won the Cambridge University Davidson Inventors Challenge. In 2023, pupil Claudia Collins was selected for Women of the World’s Young Leaders Directory. In the same year pupil Annalise Worraker received the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, and attended a ceremony at the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
Whilst in Six One, Mariia Muntian won first prize in an essay competition organised by HMC Projects in Central and Eastern Europe, while Nancy Rowlands finished in second place in the Advanced category of the British Council’s National Chinese Speaking Competition.
Creative opportunities have abounded. Lower and Whole School productions have continued to light up the stage in the Benenden Theatre.
Benenden’s Musicians have enjoyed a tour across Spain, Symphony Orchestra and Ensembles Concerts, and Jazz Concerts – among countless other individual and group performance opportunities.
Sport has seen some impressive achievements especially in growing areas, with the 15A Cricket Team winning the Kent Cricket County Tournament in a year that saw Benenden compete in its first league Cricket matches. Benenden's trampolinists were both individual and team champions at the Kent Schools Trampoline Championships in 2022. The School continues to find success in lacrosse too with excellent performances in the National Schools Championships.
Entrepreneurship remains an important focus for Benenden students, and the Enterprise Challenge continues to welcome compelling entries from Sixth Formers founding creative new businesses. Benendog won in 2023 for a range of Benendenbranded accessories for pets.
These are just a handful of the countless ways Benenden students have reflected the nourishment the School provides in the key areas outlined above – achieving success through their creativity, their innovation, their service to others and awareness of the wider world, and their individual ambitions. These students and their classmates embody Benenden’s Complete Education and the Future Ready young women it produces.
“The vision at Benenden is inspiring future thinkers and leaders to shape a better world.”
Academic Highlights
Academic highlights over the last two years have been numerous, as the School has sought to further establish itself as a hub of forward-thinking and inspirational learning opportunities.
The opening of the Centenary Hall and Sir David K.P. Li Music School has greatly expanded the resources available to Benenden’s musicians, who are benefitting from a state-of-the-art concert venue alongside stunning spaces to learn and enjoy music.
In the Autumn of 2022, Benenden hosted its Art of Disagreeing Well Conference, welcoming students from 20 visiting schools to join our Sixth Formers for an event organised in collaboration with the Girls’ Schools Association and University College London. Attendees were fortunate to hear from Danish author and sociologist Anette Prehn and BBC Broadcaster Mishal Husain.
Ahead of the Centenary year, Benenden unveiled its Centenary Curriculum, incorporating a revised timetable to allow for more lessons, including new subject Creative Technology which combines traditional art studies with cutting edge design software and technological innovation. The new curriculum added Elective courses, which focus on extra-curricular topics as varied as British Sign Language, The Science of Happiness and Decrypting Crosswords. These classes are not examined, but instead have been designed to encourage learning for the love of learning. A complementary
lecture series for Sixth Formers has also included titles from The Psychology of the Paranormal to The Rise and Fall of the Hemline. The Lower School Diploma curriculum has also been reimagined to focus on the following skills for life: Collaboration and communication, Resilience and adaptability, Empathy and global outlook, Analytical thinking and problem-solving, Technological literacy and innovation, and Empowerment and leadership (CREATE).
The revived ACE Talks series have given students opportunities to deliver entertaining and informative lectures on a broad range of topics to their peers, with subjects including the metaverse, imperialism, authorship, meditation, and the influence of social media on elections.
Benenden’s speaker programme has allowed students to hear from a diverse selection of visitors, including celebrity chef Marcus Wareing and politician Baroness Barran MBE M1976.
▲ Students across the country have benefitted from Benendenʼs recent conferences
Exam Results
The last two years have seen a gradual return to the public exam norm in a post-Covid world, and while the general expectation has been that exam results would waver, Benenden students have continued to impress – returning to and even exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Having sat their very first public exams only that year, Benenden’s 2022 leavers’ results were in line with results pre-Covid, with the top performer claiming an outstanding seven A* Levels. At GCSE, the 2022 Upper Fifth achieved an incredible 50 per cent of all grades at Level 9 – the highest available grade.
Despite warnings that results would drop as public exams made their return in full, Benenden’s 2023 leavers outperformed the pre-pandemic year for top grades, with 57 per cent of grades at A or A*, up from 55 per cent in 2019. At GCSE, 82 per cent of all grades were at Levels 9-7 – the highest rate seen since 2016 excluding Covid years.
Leavers’ Destinations
*based on THES University tables
**QS World University rankings
Co-Curricular Highlights
One of the three pillars of the School’s Complete Education, Benenden’s Co-Curricular is extensive, exciting and enriching, giving students a huge breadth of avenues to explore new interests and passions. Over the last two years, co-curricular opportunities have formed many of the highlights of life at Benenden.
A boarding school needs an active and attractive Weekend Programme and here at Benenden there’s always something exciting happening. The Weekend Programme is an unrivalled array of socials, outings, creative, physical and cultural activities – and great fun. It’s no wonder that on any given weekend, two thirds of students decide to stay in School!
Benenden’s Model United Nations delegates have continued to make their mark on debates up and down the country, including visits to Haileybury, Reigate and Epsom among others. At Benenden’s own sixteenth MUN conference in the 2023
Autumn Term, a record number of visiting delegates (surpassing 400 visiting students and staff) joined Benenden students in debates on Artificial Intelligence, Gender Equality, Covid-19 and the Illicit Arms Trade, among others.
Sport has continued to expand, facilitating new opportunities for Benenden students and the wider community. This includes a collaboration with Sissinghurst Cricket Club and visits from incredible coaches including three-time hockey Olympian Steve Batchelor, and Saracen Razia Quashie who plays netball for England. Football has increased in popularity while the Cricket Team’s first hardball league matches were played in 2023.
The School’s Drama productions have been hugely successful over the last two years, including a dazzling interpretation of the musical Chicago, and a magical and imaginative take on Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations by the Lower School in 2023. Music opportunities have proliferated since the opening of the Centenary Hall and Sir David K.P. Li Music School, and over the last two years the School has enjoyed
being able to welcome the public as well as students, staff and parents to studentled Symphony Orchestra Concerts, Ensemble Concerts, Evensong and a Remembrance Mass with the Benenden and Tonbridge Chapel Choirs. There have also been Jazz Concerts and many other performances by both ensembles and soloists. Benenden musicians have enjoyed masterclasses with esteemed musicians such as Katherine Baker, renowned flautist from the Royal Opera House.
The Combined Cadet Force continues to increase its numbers, with Benenden pupils and those from The John Wallis Church of England Academy coming together with huge success. The Cadets have enjoyed an array of activities, from field days and residential camps to leading Remembrance Day services.
The Centenary Vision
Since 2014, Benenden School has undertaken a transformative programme of investment in its facilities and partnerships.
The School’s Centenary Vision has brought huge change to Benenden in the ten years since its launch. Completed projects in this period have included the All-Weather Pitch and Pavilion, the modernisation of Medway and Marshall, and new staff housing which has helped the School recruit and retain exceptional teaching staff. Most recently, the support of our community has enabled us to complete our ambitious Heart of Benenden project and build the beautiful and impactful Centenary Buildings.
Without the endowment enjoyed by many equivalent boys’ schools, Benenden is reliant on donations from our generous global community. We are so grateful to every single Patron and Supporter who has donated towards our Centenary Vision so far. Gifts of different values have come together to create change that has not only positively impacted today’s School and its pupils, but will resonate well into the future as Benenden enters its second century.
Ten years on from the launch of the Centenary Vision, we now turn our attention to launching the final phase – The Centenary Campaign. The new campaign will put focus on the need to restore
Hemsted, invest in our Middle School Boarding Houses, make enhancements to SPLASH, and complete the first phase of our Be the Change bursary and partnerships programme. We look forward to sharing information on these projects, and the impact they will have.
To those who have supported us – thank you. We look forward to sharing details of the difference your support has made, and hope to see you at a future Patrons’ event.
Kyle Johnson Director of Development
Perfect Pitch Campaign Income
Heart of Benenden Campaign Income
The Generous Support of our Community
The Centenary Buildings
The Centenary Hall and the Sir David K.P. Li Music School
Our beautiful new buildings have truly been an incredible addition to our School.
The opening of the Centenary Buildings, following the success of our Heart of Benenden Campaign, has transformed Benenden life. The spacious Hall now allows the entire School to come together, whilst flexible seating and state-of-the-art acoustics have created a high-quality performance space for both internal and external productions. Since opening, Benenden has already hosted prestigious groups including the English National Opera and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the space has become known as one of the foremost concert halls in the South East of England.
The Gibbs Bar and Jat Atrium create a beautiful and relaxed social area for pupil gatherings and community events, whilst the acoustically engineered Bonnie Yeung-Tsang Recital Hall houses performances
for up to 120 people, perfect for e vents such as the popular Lunchtime Concerts given by pupils. The new practice rooms and classrooms offer increased opportunities for students to take up and enjoy music in stunning, dedicated spaces such as the Metherell Song Room, Wright Performance Room and Amelie Jat Studio.
The new facility has also enabled the School to launch its Hemsted Park commercial events brand, in which members of the public enjoy professional music, drama, comedy and theatre in the Centenary Buildings as well as the Theatre and the School’s outdoor spaces. Hemsted Park is not only filling a local cultural need by providing London-quality performances close to home, it is widening access for the general public to benefit from the School’s facilities, helping Benenden to become a local hub for the community.
“The Centenary Buildings really are – as intended – the Heart of Benenden, drawing countless students to them for morning Prayers, lessons and rehearsals, or to work in the Jat Atrium.”
Edward Whiting Director of Music
“Everyone crosses through the Centenary Hall, the Jat Atrium, or the Sir David K.P. Li Music School almost daily, it is such an integral part of everyday life.”
Hailey McNally Hemsted/Oaks pupil
“The Music School has had a very great impact, with the performances inspiring all students, musician or not.”
Beatrice Hickman Marshall/Beeches pupil
All students are benefitting from this stunning new set of buildings.
£5.1m
£165,000
donated towards the Heart of Benenden Campaign also donated towards a fleet of 24 new Yamaha pianos
23
500
practice and teaching rooms in the Music School music lessons now held weekly
50%
increase in Music Scholars and Exhibitioners from five years ago
Heart of Benenden donors
capacity of the new Centenary Hall
Boarding House Refurbishment
Echyngham and Guldeford House Studies
Following the modernisation of Marshall and Medway in 2021, the programme of works to Boarding Houses continues. The Summer of 2023 saw significant change in Echyngham and Guldeford with investment particularly focused on both House Studies.
Following consultations with students and staff, designs were produced for each space to enhance house character and inject colour. Echyngham was designed to be a cosy and relaxed space, where its
architectural features are now highlighted with colour rather than hidden. Guldeford’s House Study has been transformed in the style of a café bar, with seating and bar stools leading to an open kitchen. Each space is unique and is working to bring all layers together in a warm and welcoming centre within each Boarding House.
Alongside the extensive work to the House Studies, additional works to the Houses include new washrooms in Echyngham,
and incidental seating in corridors in Guldeford, which provides students with additional areas to sit in, either on their own or with a few friends.
“This room [Echyngham House Study] has significantly transformed the way everyone within the Boarding House acts towards each other. We feel as though we are one large layer rather than having separate and distinct layers in the Boarding House.”
Imaan Khan Echyngham pupil
The Centenary Campaign
The final phase of the Centenary Vision is made up of four elements. It marks the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the School’s history.
Rejuvenating an Icon Restoration and Modernisation of Hemsted
We require substantial investment to secure Hemsted building for future generations. Elements of the fabric of the building are coming to the end of their lives. Despite work, the roof in particular needs significant attention, which must happen now to avoid further deterioration and even greater restoration costs in the future.
At the same time, dormitories and communal spaces will be modernised, whilst retaining the unique and much-loved features of Hemsted.
Home from Home
Modernisation of Echyngham and Guldeford
It is essential that we bring our Middle School Boarding Houses up to the same standard enjoyed in other houses. Dorms, washrooms and communal spaces are all in need of investment including new furnishings as well as electrics and infrastructure. This will truly make the spaces feel like home, providing a modern boarding environment to best enable the pupils to flourish, while also preparing them for life beyond Benenden.
Future Fit SPLASH upgrade
Our much-loved sports complex needs upgrading after more than 30 years of use. Our priority is the upstairs fitness area, where equipment is limited and becoming dated. The space can be reconfigured and opened up to allow more, new equipment to be installed. A separate studio will also be put in place for dance and fitness classes.
It is of vital importance that this space is welcoming and allows as many pupils as possible to engage in fitness to improve health and wellbeing.
Be the Change
Bursary and Partnerships programme
The fourth element of the Campaign is the completion of the first phase of Be the Change, our important bursary and partnerships initiative.
Benenden is committed to providing academically gifted girls from all backgrounds with the opportunity to benefit from A Complete Education. Be the Change also supports our partnerships programme which includes our work with other schools and volunteering within the local community.
To find out more about current and future development priorities and how to support them, go to:
The Be the Change Campaign launched in January 2022. Its goal is to extend Benenden’s partnerships work and support the expansion of the School’s means-tested bursary programme to triple the number of girls able to attend Benenden on a fully-funded place from eight to 24 by the end of 2024.
24 girls by 2024
As a School, we are committed to providing academically gifted girls from all backgrounds with the chance to benefit from a Benenden education. Bursaries are advantageous not only to the girls who receive them but every single pupil, by ensuring a diversity of thought and experience within our student body.
In 2023, 18 girls attended Benenden on life-changing, means-tested full bursaries. As part of the School’s Centenary Campaign, we will be continuing to raise the funds needed to ensure 24 girls can attend Benenden on a full bursary at any one time.
Identifying Bursary Recipients
Benenden works with the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation, a charity which aims to identify children who would benefit most from a boarding school education and environment, and then matches them to partnership schools. We also work with other parties including our partner school The John Wallis Church of England Academy. All bursary students earn their places at Benenden by passing entrance exams and demonstrating they have the attitude and aptitude to flourish at our School.
Ways of Giving
There are various ways members of our community can support the initiative:
Regular and single gifts at all levels.
Parents foregoing the return of the deposits they left when their daughters joined the School, via the Founders Scholarship programme.
Leaving a gift in your Will. Legacy donations that are either unrestricted or directed towards Be the Change are vital to support bursaries at Benenden.
Bursaries
Benenden is proud to offer bursary support at a variety of levels to pupils who attend our School, from 10% to 110%. We continue to work hard to expand our provision and give the gift of a life-changing Benenden education.
current students in receipt of a bursary between 10% and 110% students receive a bursary of 70% or higher of pupil body receiving a bursary
bursaries as a percentage of gross income 2022-23
“My bursary has changed my life completely… I have so many opportunities here that I didn’t have at my old school. Being in such an inspiring place where there are such incredible facilities really helps. You definitely feel encouraged that you really can do anything, and that’s what I love so much about Benenden.
I want to go on to study History & Politics at University and then go on to be a political journalist. I am looking to apply to Oxford University which I would never ever have dreamed was possible. It’s been incredible to be so well supported throughout that journey.”
Ava Charlton Echyngham/Beeches pupil
“To me, enabling those of different backgrounds to have the incredible opportunity to obtain such a wonderful education is vital for benefitting the experience of all students and families of Benenden.”
Isla Forbes Hemsted/Oaks and Head of School 2022-23
spend on means-tested bursaries 2022-23
Giving Day
Benenden’s first ever Giving Day in November 2022 saw the whole School community come together to raise money for Be the Change.
We were grateful that several Patrons generously provided matched funding for our Giving Day, so that the first £75,000 raised by our community could be matched pound for pound. Giving challenges were set, such as 40 donors outside of the UK giving, and 30 members of staff donating. The completion of these challenges unlocked further matched funds throughout the Giving Day.
In School, the pupils enjoyed participating in fun House competitions and challenges to help raise money for the Be the Change Campaign. These included Battle of the House Bands and the Sustainability Challenge.
Calling Campaign
The 2023 Calling Campaign saw 12 current students and recent leavers calling and connecting with Seniors, Honorary Seniors and Parents of Seniors.
During the Campaign, callers shared and heard stories from the School and spoke to our community about the Be the Change initiative.
The Calling Campaign has been an important part of Benenden’s regular giving programme, building our number of regular monthly donors who have all come together to support fully-funded bursary places at Benenden.
“I phoned Seniors from all over the world, and got to hear so many incredible stories of what they have been up to since leaving Benenden.”
Amelia Shen G/L2023
“It was great speaking to China, and thanks for contacting me. Be the Change sounds like a wonderful initiative, and I’m really pleased to help in any small way to open Benenden places as widely as possible.”
Julia Howes G1971
Seniors, Honorary Seniors and Parents of Seniors connected with a Benenden student of those chose to donate to Be the Change gifts pledged to Be the Change regular gifts single
328 32% 107 43 64 £80, 256
pledged over six years
Donors by Boarding House
Why I Give
Senior, Parent of a Senior and Benenden School Seniors’ Association (BSSA) Chair, Caroline Johnstone, explains her reasons for giving and why coming together to support our School truly has an impact.
There are a number of reasons why I wanted to donate to Benenden, not least to give something back to the School which gave me so much – not just academics, but a belief in community, strong values, fun, and great friends for life.
We were fortunate that my parents were able to send me and my sisters to Benenden, and three of the next generation have also benefitted from a Benenden education. I loved having my daughter there, hearing about what was new, how things had or had not changed, and sharing stories of our respective times. I would like to think that future generations of our family will also be Benenden girls, but fear it unlikely they will be able to afford it, and am keen to do what I can to help.
For Benenden to continue to be at the forefront of education in this country over the next 100 years, it must develop and evolve to ensure it remains competitive with other top schools on every level.
Unfortunately, girls’ schools do not have the endowments that the much older boys’ schools have, and so are more reliant on donations from the current community. A very good reason for people like me to give anything we can.
The next few years are likely to be very challenging with higher costs and taxes making it even more vital for the Benenden community, whether current or past parents, Seniors or loyal friends to give their support.
If more Seniors were in a position to give a little (or a lot!) it would make such a difference. Whether it be for bursaries to help those who could not otherwise afford the Benenden fees, to go towards improving the facilities at the School, or for projects such as the roof and fabric restoration work of Grade II listed building Hemsted House, every penny helps.
Caroline (Mathias) Johnstone H1978
Why We Give
Parents Grace Zhu and JJ Shi write about their family’s experience of Benenden, and the importance of contributing to our School’s future.
As parents, choosing Benenden for Tina was one of the best decisions we have ever made regarding her education. Looking for a pleasurable and fulfilling environment, Benenden drew us in with its concept of A Complete Education, and after tasting two years of the curriculum, we continue to be captivated by the School’s nurturing environment and outstanding educational opportunities. Alongside its excellent academic foundation, Benenden’s supportive and encouraging community has become Tina’s and our favourite part of the School. Seeing my daughter grow into a more confident and upbeat version of herself has truly been a joy and hugely gratifying.
From our perspectives as parents, it is also important to us that Benenden continues to flourish and offer exceptional opportunities for future generations. This is why we believe that maintaining a solid financial foundation is essential for the School's prosperity, and why we, along with other parents and community members such as Seniors, continue to contribute. From our and the School’s point of view, every
donation, regardless of its size, will make a significant impact and helps uphold Benenden’s high standards and rich traditions.
The Be the Change bursary scheme holds a particular significance and weight to our family and our values, as Benenden strives to provide deserving students with opportunities they might not otherwise have. Additionally, the Centenary Campaign and the future restoration of Hemsted are also initiatives that we strongly support for the reason that they venture to preserve the School's heritage and enhance its facilities, ensuring Benenden remains a leading institution for the next 50 years.
Lastly, we want to say that we are very proud to be able to support Benenden, and we hope to encourage others to contribute in any way they can. Every piece of support will help secure a brighter future for the school and for our daughters.
Grace Zhu and JJ Shi Current Parents
The Benenden Society
The Benenden Society encompasses the entire Benenden community of parents, Seniors and their parents, staff and Friends of the School. The Society’s President is Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, and membership of the Society is lifelong.
We would encourage anyone not yet registered to do so at:
benendenconnects.com
The Society was created to bring our School and its full community together. It has provided opportunities to widely share our development and partnerships work via the Benenden Society Newsletter, as well as documents such as the Impact Report. In addition, Society events, in-person and online, enable the School to bring together wide audiences who all have a connection and a care for Benenden.
Benenden Society newsletters are now distributed twice a year to over 5,000 households. They provide updates on our development initiatives, Society events and our vital partnerships work.
Launched in 2020, Benenden Connects, the online home of the Benenden Society, is still growing and continues to foster and sustain connections between members of the Society. It can be used to book events, access videos of concerts and other occasions and, perhaps most importantly, link members of the Society with each other. The mentoring function continues to support Sixth Form students and young Seniors as they look to life beyond Benenden.
2,690
Over the 2022-23 academic year:
429
New users
13,674
Total page views
39
Events posted
13
Jobs posted
266
Networking connections
Nick AddymanBenenden Parent Eloquently puts the Case for Giving
Benenden Seniors
Seniors and current students are linked through their shared Benenden experiences.
Seniors and Honorary Seniors are a huge part of Benenden. They play a vital role in the life of our School and many support our students. Seniors are supported by the School’s Seniors’ Officer, and the Benenden School Seniors’ Association (BSSA).
Seniors enjoy a wide range of events from regional gatherings to year group reunions, industry-specific networking events and the much-loved annual Seniors’ Day. Many support students by speaking at clubs and societies, by holding workshops, or offering mentoring and other advice through Benenden Connects. The BSSA helps fund
select events as well as initiatives such as the eXtend, eXcel, eXplore (XXX) award. This award provides financial support to Seniors who are seeking to improve themselves or contribute to the wider community through academic projects, voluntary work, courses or expeditions, re-training, or a change in career direction.
27
daughters, grand-daughters and great-granddaughters of Seniors in the School at present
756
Seniors and Honorary Seniors attended Seniors’ events in 2023
106
Seniors contributed to the 2023 Senior magazine
33
Seniors have been awarded a total of £39,144 via the eXtend, eXcel, eXplore award since its inception in 2017
61
different countries in which Seniors live around the globe
3,801
Seniors receive the monthly e-newsletter
60% of members on Benenden Connects are Seniors
403
members of Benenden Connects are offering to mentor a Benenden student
If you would like to get involved with the Seniors or feel you could offer advice or mentorship to current students or young Seniors, email seniors@benenden.school or sign up to: benendenconnects.com
Leaving a Lasting Legacy
Benenden Angels are a growing number of Seniors, Honorary Seniors, parents and Friends who are supporting our School through choosing to leave a gift in their Will.
Legacies to Benenden can be directed to a variety of different areas. Some Angels wish to give to bursaries, whilst others want their gift to improve the School’s facilities and resources. Other Angels decide to leave unrestricted gifts, which allows Benenden to direct invaluable funding to wherever the need is greatest.
The generosity of those who have given in this way has already greatly impacted the School and its pupils. These gifts have provided an education for girls who could not otherwise afford it, transforming lives in the process. They have also improved facilities and enriched learning and co-curricular opportunities.
Did you know?
“I feel incredibly fortunate that my daughter has had the privilege of a Benenden Education which has afforded her unique opportunities and will undoubtedly have a continuing positive impact throughout her life.
I am delighted to leave a legacy in my Will – the gift of A Complete Education – to enable future students to also have a life-changing educational experience who otherwise might not be able to do so.”
Kerri O’Neill Current Parent
As we are a charity, legacy gifts can be free of Inheritance Tax, with possible legacy gifts including money, land and buildings or stocks and shares.
Legacies do not have to be a large amount to make a very real difference.
There are different types of legacy you can leave. You might want to leave a set sum, or a specific percentage of your estate to reduce the impact of inflation.
A legacy gift could be the biggest and most transformative donation you make, even after friends and family have been taken care of.
If you are a beneficiary of a Will, you may use a deed of variation to redirect or distribute assets you will receive.
Those who leave or who are remembered through a legacy gift or deed of variation, can have their important contributions recognised through the naming of buildings, spaces, rooms or even specific initiatives.
If you have already remembered Benenden in your Will and have not told us, please get in touch so we can thank you and invite you to special events for Benenden Angels.
If you would like more information about including Benenden in your Will, please contact Hannah Thackwray, Head of Philanthropy at: hth@benenden.school or on 01580 236701 .
Benenden Angels (known)
2022-23
Financial Year at a Glance
The last couple of years have seen Benenden operating in an inflationary and turbulent economic landscape. The School’s finances have been carefully managed during this time and we have focussed on efforts to find alternative revenue streams and decrease a reliance on school fees.
INCOME
EXPENDITURE
£24.11m
£7.37m
£4.34m
£179,000 Grants, awards and prizes
£396,000 Community engagement and fundraising
£4.83m Welfare
£5.96m Support and governance
£382,000 Trading
£657,000 Finance and investment
“Benenden, like other girls' schools, does not have an endowment that many boys’ schools are able to rely on. In recent years, we have been able to undergo works such as Lower School Boarding House modernisations through our modest surplus funds. However, a continued inflationary economic environment has impacted the ability of schools to invest in their futures. Benenden continues to make progress and maintain a solid financial position in difficult times through the support of our community and the hard work of Benenden’s Senior Leadership Team and staff.”
Anne McNab Chair of Governing Council
SCHOOL LIFE
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Benenden continues to place Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at the heart of everything we do.
Benenden is guided by its EDI strategy and the evolving needs of our student body. The roles of the EDI Grey Jumpers and the wider EDI committee continue to develop: the first key aim is meaningful representation, to ensure the entire School is recognised, valued and celebrated. The second is to ensure student voice, especially if support or help is needed.
As a community we continue to promote our diversity with established events throughout the year, such as Cultures Week, Black History Month, LGBTQ+ History Month and religious and cultural festivals such as Lunar New Year. Similarly, celebrating neurodiverse experiences has been an important focus, both through Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a burgeoning Neurodiversity Committee and staff and student training and awareness. The other student-led groups continue to be a core place of expression and support: these now include the Asian Student Society, Afro-Caribbean Society, and
Prism, our LGBTQ+ group. Building links with the equivalent societies at Tonbridge School continues to be an aim, with joint Prism trips and meetings now a regular part of the diary.
Another key aspect of representation has been to focus on wider identities and experiences at Benenden, especially as our student diversity has increased. Introducing Day Boarders and expanding our bursary places, for example, has improved the economic and social diversity within our student body. Addressing complex issues pertaining to social and economic inequality has therefore never been more important. Members of the Upper Fifth have helped prepare PSHE lessons for younger students, focusing on language and attitudes in school, and how we can all examine our perspectives and behaviours. Much of this work has been supported by our Partnerships strategy, as Benenden continues building strong relationships with wider community groups and partner
schools. Another goal has been examining how we respond to incidents of discrimination in a way that creates real change and learning. Making sure that everyone has their voice heard, and that our responses are meaningful is vital.
Academically, continual review and refinement of the curriculum remains an important part of our strategy, through simple actions such as ensuring diverse figures from the history of Mathematics are on display in classrooms and that the texts we teach present a global view of the world. The Crossing by Manjeet Mann, for example, is now a set text for the Upper Fourth, with the aim of ensuring modern refugee experiences are part of how we explore social responsibility. The Sixth Form also benefit from an established inclusive leadership course, and the whole student body from elective offerings with inclusive perspectives embedded within them, such as African Literature, and the Science of Happiness through a Neurodiverse Lens.
Finally, two conferences we have held, Disagreeing Well in 2022 and Women and Wellness in 2023, have aimed to promote a supportive and nuanced approach to EDI. The first was in direct response to an increasingly polarised cultural climate, where views and opinions are often weaponised to create divisive conversations. The second brought together Sixth Form students, their families and local women to explore different aspects of women’s lives, from mental health, to nutrition, to menopause awareness. Both events provoked important discussions about identity, critical thinking and empathy. We look forward to continuing this kind of innovative and important EDI work in Benenden’s second century,
Jess Granatt Head of EDI
Partnerships Programme
Benenden has continued to grow its reputation for the range, quality and diversity of its partnerships, building and strengthening genuine links both within the local community and further afield.
Throughout the last two years, the School’s partnership activities have continued to grow with a wide range of established events and our relationships are thriving. Benenden staff are heavily involved in supporting our partnership projects. The work they do ranges from teaching primary students in STEM workshops and providing CPD at our Early Career Teachers conference, to swimming coaching for two primary schools and a Memory Café for the Tenterden Social Hub. Our partnerships programme is a busy one that seeks to make real and lasting impact whilst offering a full range of valuable opportunities to our local community.
The Sixth Form volunteering programme is now firmly established within the School with Tuesday afternoons in the Autumn and Spring Terms set aside for a range of volunteering opportunities. Benenden has five local primary schools, two pre-schools, the village shop, on-site Memory Café, Sissinghurst Castle Gardens and Tenterden Social Hub forming the placement matrix, offering students a wide choice of experiences. Pupils can learn about conservation at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, lead elements of Schemes of Work in a primary classroom or learn about customer service in the village shop. All of this enables them to gain skills and experience outside of the main academic programme. They have a truly enriching experience, and it is a popular part of the School week.
Alongside the close relationships that grow through our weekly volunteering programme, we have also strengthened our ties to local schools through opportunities for collaboration. Each school has worked together with Benenden in various ways, from taking part in the annual Shakespeare in Schools performance in the Benenden Theatre, supported by the onsite technical team and coaching from Benenden drama staff, to coaching with our cricket specialist. We have also completed another successful year of The John Wallis Academy mentoring programme. Former mentors and mentees have often kept up communication and even met up at university. The genuine connections made between the two sets of students is something which continues to demonstrate the value of the partnership between the two schools.
In our regular initiatives, we have seen growing enthusiasm from a record turnout for the biannual Careers Convention, with over 350 visiting students from local maintained schools, to increasing support for the Benenden STEM Convention. Our reputation for providing high-quality support and opportunity to local secondary and primary schools continues to strengthen.
There is such a passion within Benenden to engage on so many levels with our local community, be that with the schools, charities or residents. This framework
▼ Benenden Memory Café Tea Dance
of partnerships not only allows students to see the value in authentic partnerships, but also ensures that they take an active part. Through our strong relationships with local schools, children learn to swim, have the experience of taking part in an excellent, technically supported drama production, learn about wildflowers and forests, or use STEM equipment to support their learning. The multifaceted programmes Benenden provides are of true value and are making a lasting positive impression on all its participants.
Nick Rendall Director of Partnerships
“The volunteering programme helped me further my own interests leading to me pursuing an education degree at university with the option afterwards to go into teaching. I would recommend this programme to anyone who is willing to learn new skills and to gain valuable experience working with people.”
Benenden Sixth Former
Volunteering
▼ Sixth Form
with The
“Thank you for your generosity, kindness and commitment to providing enriching experiences for the community.”
Local primary teacher
total hours of partnership work have being undertaken by Benenden staff each year
£100,000
2,000 is the equivalent staff cost each year for the number of hours our members of staff volunteer
11
different local institutions are being supported by our volunteering students
50+
Six One students each year mentor Year 10 John Wallis students through their first year of GCSEs
▼
at Benenden Primary School
mentoring
John Wallis Academy
Benenden’s Approach to Environmental Sustainability
The three core areas of sustainability – Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) – are integral to implementing sustainable and ethical practices. Benenden is committed to minimising its environmental impact across all its activities and has begun to implement the first phases of its environmental strategy. Key to its success is involving all members of the School community in our sustainability efforts.
Involving the School Community in Sustainability
Though the School fully supports all 17 UN Sustainability Development Goals, it has selected, via the pupil-led Sustainability Committee, the following six as the focus of efforts:
Good Health and Wellbeing
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages.
Quality Education
Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Affordable and Clean Energy
Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Reduced Inequality
Reducing inequality within and among countries.
Responsible Consumption and Production
Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Climate Action
Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Sustainability in Education
The School’s Environmental Sustainability Education Development Plan embeds sustainability into the culture by incorporating long-term environmental projects into our curriculum. Each year group hands their sustainability project from one cohort to the next, fostering a sense of continuity and responsibility. These activities are linked with visits to local ecological sites, providing pupils with a deeper understanding of environmental issues.
Working with the expert team at Sissinghurst Castle Organic Vegetable Garden, Fourth pupils have been exploring alternative options for intensive farming and putting their knowledge to practical use in our vegetable garden. In time, pupils will use produce grown here within Benenden’s kitchens and as a donation to the Benenden Village community shop.
Upper Fourth students have been taking part in the resurrection of the old orchard, linking their work with a study day at Brogdale National Fruit Collection.
The School has been trialling remote wildlife cameras in a number of locations to monitor the diversity of wildlife across the site. Looking forwards, we hope we can expand this network, and continue to add more sustainability electives to our Elective programme.
Protecting and Enhancing our Natural Resources
Our 250-acre site offers a diverse range of habitats. The Eco-Classroom serves as a base for monitoring the garden's seasonal changes. A key component of the sustainability plan is the development of an Ecology Area centred on the School lake. This will create an area of high ecological diversity with wetland, rewilded grassland, ancient woodland, and recent tree plantations, offering a rich environment for hands-on learning.
Another focus of Benenden has been to amend its schedule of mowing and maintenance of its dressed areas, reducing the amount and frequency of mowing to promote biodiversity across the site. Specifically, the original Deer Park area between the front of the School and Park Pitches, will be left to become a Wealden grassland and wildflower meadow as part of long-term efforts to maintain soil health and biodiversity.
Reducing our Environmental Impact
Over the past two years we have begun the process of monitoring Benenden’s carbon emissions and are working hard to reduce these in all areas:
LED lighting is being installed in a rolling programme.
Tonnes of CO2 per student has been reduced from 2.53 in 2022 to 2.48 in 2023.
2,300 square metres of attic space has been insulated to reduce thermal energy losses.
Six boilers have been replaced to improve heating efficiency.
Active movement to green electricity is taking place through a certified chain, with the biomass boiler in the science block brought back into operation.
Matt Commander Director of International and Strategic Projects
Roll of Patrons
Our sincere thanks to all those who have so generously supported Benenden’s Centenary Vision. Your donations are vital in helping Benenden retain its place at the forefront of girls’ education.
We would also like to thank the many individuals, families and organisations who donated prizes to past fundraising balls or those who bought those auction items; donors to the Seniors’ Courtyard appeal; the ‘Name a Seat’ donors for the All-Weather Pitch and Pavilion; to all our Supporters including those who gave during our Giving Day and Telephone Calling Campaign; and to all those who have chosen to give anonymously.
HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Benenden Society
The Princess Anne’s Charities Trust
The President’s Circle
Giving of £100,000 or more
Nick and Lucy Addyman
Hunter and Tracy Baker
The Hon Anna (Marshall) Birkett M1977
Sir Damon and Lady Buffini
Adrian and Siobhan Cassidy
Tracy Chen
The Benny Chong Family
The Curtis Family
Matthew and Sally Ferrey
Andrew and Tembe Gibbs
Stephen N Green
Susanna (Lo) Jat H1985
The Koong Family
Ching Ching Kwok
The Lam Family
Michael Leung
Adrian and Bonnie Li
Sir David K.P. Li and Lady Penny Li
Julian and Sara Metherell
Bun Chak Poon
Seaview Trust
Bonnie (Yeung) Tsang Ma1994
Mr Tse
Garfield Weston Foundation
Charlotte (Leung) Wong H1991
Hong and Kathleen Yeoh
Sanhuo Zhang and Ting Hao
And numerous anonymous donors
Gold Patrons
Giving of £50,000 or more
Duncan and Hilary (Rivers) Brand Ma1962
Professor Henry Chan and Mrs Shirley Chan
The Chow Family
Paul K C Chung
Pan and Cherry Hung
Mark and Margaret Kelly
Marina and Robert Kirkup
Gloria and Patrick Lam
Mr and Mrs Kenneth Lau
Audrey (Chung) Lee M/El2006
JJ Shi and Grace Zhu
Bernard Sunley Foundation
Daniel Szeto and Kathleen Ng
Nigel Wiggins
C Wright
And numerous anonymous donors
Silver Patrons
Giving of £25,000 or more
Mr and Mrs Barbour
Benenden School Seniors' Association
Gordon and Grace Chau
Honyee Chiu and Queenie Lee
Alastair and Louise Clarke
Jiang and Susan Deng
Rupert and Hilary Evenett
Jonathan O. Fackelmayer
JFT Fenwick Settlement
Cynthia Gee
James and Birgitta Gough-Cooper
Katherine and Jeffrey Hedges
Mark and Justine Jankovich-Besan
Mr and Mrs Eric Lee
Hamish and Flora McLean
Kenneth and Nontakarn Ng
Bartholomew and Jane Peterkin
Phill and Fiona Platts
The Rattakul Family
Paul and Stephanie Sheppard
Peter and Jane Smith
Martin and Lucy Stapleton
Brian and Frances Tsang
Germaine and Gordon Tso
Song Wang and Xiaohong Lyu
Alison (Hutchison) Wintgens M1969
Maria (Poon) Wu Ma/El2000
And numerous anonymous donors
Bronze Patrons
Giving of £10,000 or more
Colin Banfield and Emilie Chau Banfield M1987
Alexander and Nicola Banks
Owen Chan and Jasmine Ho
Samuel Chee
Justina Cheuk N/L2003
Pont and Joyce Chiu
Guan-Hock and Wendy Chua
Barnaby and Megan Collins
Nicola Crichton-Brown
Mr and Mrs Eichmuller de Souza
Joe and Lindy Fok
Stephen and Amandine Freidheim Foundation
Paul and Fiona Geddes
Simon and Dana Gluckstein
Frances and Tabitha Graham N2021
The Greenberg Family
Alisha Hsu E/B2025
Miss Bianca Law E1996
Vincent and Vivian Lee
Duncan and Yvonne Letchford
Willie and Anna Lui
Sarah and William Macpherson
The McLeod-Clarke Family
Duncan and Tania McNab
Peter and Gurcharan Merton
Masaaki and Tazu Sato
David and Clare Sismey
Kirstie and Henry Spence
Anthony Tomazos
Max and Florence Tung
Mark and Catriona Woodhams
And numerous anonymous donors
Patrons
Giving of £2,000 or more
Simon and Virginia Airey
Dayo and Folake Akinkugbe
Jeffrey and Connie Alam
Mark Anderson and Katherine Sandford-Anderson
Charles and Sophie Bankes
Robert and Louisa Barham
Mr and Mrs P Barley
The Boyce Family
Joanna (Fairtlough) Bridges Webb G1950
Caroline (Fitzgerald-Moore) Brocklehurst G1977
Mark and Naomi Budd
Jillian (Van den Bergh) Cameron M1952
Riccardo and Ali Capelvenere
Daniel and Angel Chan
Harold Chan
Chan Wing Chin
Man Wai and Teresa Chiu
Dr Lorraine Chow
Constance Chu
Bonita Chuang
Randolph and Catherine Churchill
Mr and Mrs Ted Chwu
Rupert, Fleur and Cordelia Cook H/B2020
Rosanne (Burman) Corben M1959
Fiona (Cameron) Cornish M1977
Penny Cracknell
Tim and Astrid Drayson
Michael and Nicola Dryden
James, Michèle and Lexie Dykes Ma/L2021
Phil and Sarah Elliot
Sally N1985 and Giles Everist
Paul and Nicki Flintoff
Giles and Esther Frost
Elizabeth Gomersall Bradley M1976
Patrick and Emily Goodall
Michael and Emma Gouriet
Siddharth and Parul Gupta
Jane (Todd-Young) Hayes E1979
William and Wiggy Hindmarch
Sarah (Harmsworth-Brooks) Holcroft N1974
The Hong Choy Family
Caroline and Gerry Human
Sushovan and Tracie Hussain
Guy and Nicola Johnson
Angus and Melissa Johnston
Belinda Keheyan E1987
The Kidd Family
Geoffrey and Wendy King
Annamaria and Heinrich Koerling
Calon Kwan
Jane (Mishcon) Landau Ma1967
Carina Lee Ma/El2023
Alexandra Lewis-Evans E/B2022
Mr and Mrs P Loxton-Barnard
CN and Mary Ma
Jamie and Camilla (Dalton Holmes)
Macdonald G1987
Jill Mackay
Pandora Mann G/O2021
Will and Tamsin Mann
Patrick A J C Marshall
Sophia and Charles Mason
David Mathias Trust
Jill (Langham) May M1978
The Mayall Family
The McNab Family
Famille Mouen
Paul and Virginia Nabavi
Mrs Odunsi
Caroline Elizabeth Olds
Brenda and Jim O'Leary
Queenie Poon N/El2005
Charlie Power and Ameneh Ziai
Melanie Ma1991 and Fabian Roberts
The Rowlands Family
Joffy and Fide Sale
Andrew and Sally Salmon E1980
Catherine and Simon Salzedo
George and Loelia Santis
Judy (Trafford) Scott N1970
Ruchi and Amitabh Shrivastava
The Sivananthans
Clara Smith H/B2020
Claire (Southgate) Sohn E1976
Mr and Mrs RL Spencer
Henry and Anne Stanford
Alexander Stiller
In memory of Mary Strong
Mark and Amy Syn
Patricia Thoburn
David and Deanne Thomas
The Thornton Family
Johnny and Noelle Tseng
Ziyi Wang and Sara Lee G2030
David Warriner-Brown
Annalisa and Rodney Webb
Gillian Whitmee N1953
James and Sara Whitmore
Sam and Alice Williams-Thomas Juliette Winter
Gigi Wong G/El2004
Nicola Wood H/B1998
The Wooldridge Family
Christopher Wyke
Min Xu and Jialun Zhang
Graham Young and Caroline Swann
And numerous anonymous donors
If you have donated yet your name does not feature on this list, it is because we do not hold your formal permission to list you as a Patron of Benenden School.
If you would like your support to be recognised in future or if you would like to be acknowledged in a different way, please let us know by emailing development@benenden.school