Ashford School Foundation - Annual Review 2017

T HE ASH F O RD SC H O OL F O U ND A T IO N Charity No, 1165474

Annual Report 2017

Supporting Adventurous Learning

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CONTENTS

T HE ASH F O RD SC H O OL F O U ND A T IO N

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Letters from the Head and the Chair of the Foundation

Gifts to the Foundation 2016/17

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Investing in the Adventure

Assisted Places at Ashford School

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Parent interview

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Cricket Project

The Ashford School Community

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S C H O O L

F O U N D A T I O N

A N N U A L

R E P O R T

THE HEAD A spirit of generosity, and acts of giving, lie at the heart of every great school. Teachers give their time, care and expertise to pupils, who in turn give their enthusiasm for learning and their open minds and hearts - to their teachers, and to the wider community of which their school should be a part. That’s certainly the case at Ashford, and it’s one of the things that makes life and work here so rewarding.

None of it would be possible without the generosity of our donors, both in the past and today. Individual and corporate giving has, since the time of our foundation, inspired other gifts, and brought us stories from past pupils and parents which inspire others to bequeath to their successors the means to enjoy an outstanding education at Ashford. Every donation - including all those detailed in these pages - has a story behind it, contributing to the deeper narrative of Ashford School. Without them, we could not hope to be the school we are, with the reach we have, and the ambition to be even better in the future. For that, I am of course most sincerely grateful.

I hope you enjoy reading this Annual Report, and feel equally inspired by the stories it seeks to tell.

Mike Buchanan Head

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A THANK YOU FROM

A S H F O R D

A THANK YOU FROM

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THE CHAIRMAN It has been a year since the Ashford School Foundation was

to provide - and to provide it to as a broad a range of boys and

launched and it’s my great pleasure and privilege to introduce

girls as possible. I am delighted that so many of you have chosen to

the Foundation’s first Annual Report. Since our launch we have

support us as we continue to honour the legacy of our predecessors

been very busy creating the infrastructure which goes with

at Ashford and cherish long-held values into the twenty-first century.

forming a successful development charity. With the support of

Thank you for your continuing support of our School.

Mike Buchanan and Tom Wilding from the School we have begun the task of supporting deserving pupils through the award of Foundation Assisted Places, supplementing the scholarships and bursaries already on offer via United Learning and building a shared platform for assessing need and monitoring performance.

At present the School and the Foundation combined support 40 pupils on means-tested Assisted Places. This is some 8.7% of the current Senior School pupil base.

Our aspiration for the future is that any pupil who is suited to an education at Ashford be able to attend the School without regard to the income of his or her family. I’ve no doubt that the journey towards this “needs blind” admissions policy will be a long and hard one but every long journey starts with just a few steps and I’m very pleased with progress we’ve made in the past year.

In the year to 30th September 2017, the Foundation has received gifts and pledges to the value of £91,055 (£102,146 with Gift Aid) from 136 past pupils, parents and other supporters, with gifts ranging from £5 to £10,000. My particular thanks go to David Young, Foundation Director and to the group of former students who gallantly manned the phones during the August Telethon in support of the Annual Fund which raised £50,000 in just two weeks.

Every single donation to the Foundation makes a difference to the long-term future of the School and its pupils; and I therefore want to thank each and every one of you for being part of this story and helping the Headmaster and Governors to realise their ambitions for the School. I look forward to meeting many of you at the Donor Celebration Evening in Brake Hall on 3rd November.

I continue to be struck by the depth of affection people feel for Ashford, and the recognition that, in challenging times, fee income alone is not sufficient to maintain, let alone enhance, the high

The Venerable Stephen Taylor OBE

quality of education which we rightly expect the School to continue

Chairman, The Ashford School Foundation

OUR ASPIRATION FOR THE FUTURE IS THAT ANY PUPIL WHO IS SUITED TO AN EDUCATION AT ASHFORD BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE SCHOOL WITHOUT REGARD TO THE INCOME OF HIS OR HER FAMILY.

£102K DONATED FROM PAST PUPILS, PARENTS AND OTHER SUPPORTERS

FORMER STUDENTS RAISED £50K WITH TELETHON

A S H F O R D

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The following people and organisations gave financial assistance to the Foundation in the year to 30th September, 2017:

GIFTS & LEGACIES

GIFTS AND LEGACIES 2016/17

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Mr Tim & Mrs Beata Adams

Mrs Gyllian Grantley-Smith (Marks)

Mrs Carolyn Smith (Waterhouse)

Mrs Carol Alston

Mrs Jane Green (Ardouin)

Mrs Valerie Snell (Hayward)

Miss Felicity Amor

Mrs Rachel Greer (Davies)

Mr Sebastian & Mrs Rhoda Solomon

Mr O Antsiferov & Mrs A Bassova

Dr Anne Hall

Mr Gregory & Mrs Sophie Steel

Mrs Valerie Arends (Davies)

Mrs Dilys Harlow (Lougher)

Mrs Rae Stollard (Sasson)

Mr Jonathan & Mrs Jocelyne Arnell

Mrs Sally Harris (Tapp)

Mr Andrew Ball & Ms Kim Wilford

Mrs Susan Hickman

Mr Amicable Tangawamira & Mrs Fortunate Chimusoro

Mr Edwin & Mrs Linda Bekoe

Miss Amy Hollands

Dr Anthony & Mrs Andrea Bell

Mrs Jennifer Howells (Fairbairn)

Miss Anna Benford

Mr Andrew & Mrs Rebecca Instance

Mrs Amanda Bennett (Collins)

Mrs Jo Jackson (Waite)

Mrs Elizabeth Bennett (Page)

Mr Nigel & Mrs Margaret Kemp

Ms Marian Blackmore

Mrs Ann Keogh (Chalklen)

Mrs Alison Bland (Beaumont)

Mrs Katrina King (Macrostie)

Miss Olivia Boeree

Mr Kam Ho Lam & Ms Y Chen

Mrs Juliet Bowell (Brown)

Miss Victoria Lees

Mr Timothy & Mrs Tessa Boxall

Mr John & Mrs Karen Levitt

Mrs Tessa Bradnock (Hawkins)

Mrs Suzanne Lloyd (Turnpenny)

Mr Alexandr Brega & Mrs Yana Melnikova

Dr Abdul & Dr Bushra Abdul Malik

Miss Cheryl Bridge

Mrs Ann Marwood (Bullpitt)

Mr Paul & Mrs Nicky Brightling

Mrs Jacky Mellon (Mount)

Mr David & Mrs Lorraine Browne

Mr Alexander & Mrs Claire Miller

Mr Mike Buchanan

Mrs Louise Morgan

Miss Jean Bucknell Mrs Jessica Burke-Peters (Burke) Ms Andrea Bysh Mrs Jan Campailla (Coles) Mrs Judy Catlow (Liddell) Mrs Carolyn Chamberlain (Nelms)

The Venerable Stephen Taylor Mrs Pat Threadgill

Mr Nicholas & Mrs Jacqueline Threlfall Mrs Dorothy Toyn Mrs Nichola Valencia (Craven) Mrs Loba Van de Bijl Westgate Social Enterprises Lady Jean Wood Mrs Madelaine Woods

Mr Colin Woollard & Ms Lydia Davison Mr Wai Yau & Mrs Lui Mr David & Dr Sarah Young

Mr Allan Yusuf & Miss Inesa Dargyte Dr Rashid Zai & Dr Sadia Rashid 2 Donors who wish to remain anonymous

Mr Darren & Mrs Kirsty Morland Mrs Tricia Morris (Timbers) The Countess Mountbatten of Burma Mr Roland Muri & Mrs Christine Gattiker

THE 1898 SOCIETY

Mr Xiangrong Chen & Mrs Runxiang Hu

Mr Peter Myers & Mrs Robiane Tortello-Myers

Mrs Lynette Coote (Shrubbs)

Mr Charles & Mrs Janet Nicholls

Miss Becky Chantry

Mr Ed & Mrs Wheezie Cottrell

Mrs Jane Norris (Lefevre)

Mr K Cho & Ms F Hsiung

Mrs Julie Curtis (Haslett)

Miss Amina Orenuga

Mr Man Wah Law & Ms Chan

Mrs Doreen Davies (Evans)

Mrs Sarah Peppiatt (McKenzie)

Mrs Jane Loudon

Mrs Christabel Davies (Chown)

Mr Will & Mrs Sara Peppitt Mrs Rosemary Plommer (Howard)

Mr Peregrine & Mrs Dee Massey

Mrs Hazel Davies (Byrne) Miss Alicia De Moubray

Mr Munish & Mrs Rashapel Rattu

Mrs Penny Dembrey (Todman)

Mrs Sue Record (Blacklocks)

Mrs Alice Dickinson (McGee)

Mrs Jessie Redfern (Armstrong)

Mr Steven & Mrs Shelley Doorey-Williams

Mrs Ann Reed (Revill)

Mrs Jennie Duncan

Dr Gillian Roberts

Mr Rijian Yang & Mrs Huiyan Ji

Mr Martin & Mrs Carina Edwards

Mr Anthony & Mrs Laura Rousell

Mr Z Zhou & Ms B Wang

Mrs Denise Faehndrich

Mrs Anne Salkeld (West)

Mr Nima Farkhondeh & Ms Rachael Purchas

Mrs Antoinette Schatzmann

Mrs Penny Fawkner (Hoes)

Mr Colin & Mrs Anne Marie Schrader

Mrs Rosalind Field (May)

Mr Dominic & Mrs Tracy Scotton

Dr Simon Fisher & Dr Anitha Vidhyadharan

Mr Ray & Mrs Helen Seamer

Mr David & Mrs Felicity Fleming

Mrs Anne Sheldrake (Holliwell)

Mr Giorgi Gabashvili & Mrs Irine Kldiashvili

Mr Gavin & Mrs Debbie Shields

Mrs Valerie Arends (Davies)

Mr Jeremy & Mrs Vivienne Gardener

Mrs Judith Simmonds (Turner)

Mrs Carolyn Chamberlain (Nelms)

Mrs Deborah Geering (Farrant)

Mr Neil & Mrs Sarah Smelt

Mrs Jane Loudon

Mrs Sue Gibson

Mr Nicholas Smelt

Mrs Norma Smyth

Miss Juliet Arnold

Mr Vladimir & Mrs Tatiana Prets Mr Shou Kun Tan & Mrs Xin Mei Lin Miss Valerie Walker Mr Hongbin Wei & Mrs Xiaoyan Li

THE LILIAN BRAKE SOCIETY

ASSISTED PLACES

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THROUGH OUR ASSISTED PLACES FUND WE AIM TO PROMOTE GREATER SOCIAL MOBILITY IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, WIDENING ACCESS TO ASHFORD SO THAT MORE CHILDREN, WHATEVER THEIR BACKGROUND, CAN BENEFIT FROM A LIFE CHANGING EDUCATION.

40 WE SUPPORT

PUPILS AT A TOTAL COST OF £238,000 PER ANNUM

ASSISTED PLACES AT ASHFORD SCHOOL Ashford School is a special place and we recognise that there are

Ashford’s Assisted Place programme currently supports 40 Senior

many girls and boys who would make a great contribution to the

School pupils who receive awards with a total cost of £238,013

School community while benefitting from its unique atmosphere

per annum. All Assisted Places awards are means-tested on

and educational offering, but whose families might not be able

a financial basis by an independent assessor to ensure that

to afford to pay school fees. Through our Assisted Places Fund we

each recipient reaches our criteria for support. Awards are

aim to promote greater social mobility in our local community,

usually re-assessed each year that the award is required.

widening access to Ashford so that more children, whatever their background, can benefit from a life changing education. Our target is to raise both capital and, in the longer-term, an endowment to put Assisted Places on a firm and sustainable financial footing.

At present Assisted Places are available only to pupils in the Senior School and mainly to day pupils. We aim to broaden the availability of support to other pupils as our resources grow.

Awards range from 10% of school fees to full fee remission for

Until 1997 and the Government’s withdrawal of the nationally-

those pupils whose families with severe financial constraints.

funded Assisted Places Scheme, Ashford had no difficulty

Nevertheless many recipients of Assisted Places awards are also

maintaining access to deserving children from every part of our

outstanding pupils whose contribution may also be recognised

community – up to a third of our local pupils had their school fees

with the public award of a scholarship. Currently around half

paid or underwritten through this mechanism. Today no form of

of our Assisted Places pupils also receive scholarship awards

government financial support is available to independent schools

with an additional cost of £116,340. Through this combining of

and Ashford funds its costs through school fees, distributions

Assisted Place and scholarship funding we can ensure that pupils

from the United Church Schools Trust (United Learning) and

of great promise do not miss out. Our initial ambition is to build

the generous support of our parents and former pupils via the

an Assisted Places Fund of £4,000,000 which would be enough

Foundation. In this, Ashford is no different from most mainstream

to endow the equivalent of a full-fees-equivalent place for each

independent schools which have recognised the importance of

year group in the Senior School. While this seems a large sum,

maintaining a healthy social balance within our classrooms: in

we believe that this should be a priority for Ashford as it seeks to

2017 the ISC (which represents over 1,300 independent schools)

keep its doors opened as wide as possible to children who would

reported member schools giving 45,563 pupils means-tested

most benefit from an Ashford education.

assistance with school fees at a cost of £362 million.

THE 1898 SOCIETY - TRANSFORMING YOUNG LIVES Whether you make your donation by a single annual gift or by a regular monthly direct debit payment, those whose annual donation to the Foundation is £1,898 or more will be invited to become members of the 1898 Society. In recognition of the fact that some younger Ashfordians might be interested in supporting the School, but not at this level, there are special tiers of membership for alumni under 35 years of age and for recent leavers.

Recent Leavers (<23 yrs)

All members of the 1898 Society will receive recognition in the annual Donor Report and priority invitations to events.

Monthly Gift - Net £1.26

Annual Gift - Net £15.18

Young Ashfordian (<35 yrs)

Value of Gift to Us (Gift Aided) £18.98

Monthly Gift - Net £12.65

Annual Gift - Net £151.80

Value of Gift to Us (Gift Aided) £189.80

Full Membership

Monthly Gift - Net £126.50

Annual Gift - Net £1,518

Value of Gift to Us (Gift Aided) £1,898

A S H F O R D

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shared priorities in life and, until recently, we have been able to afford independent school fees for our children by working hard in our separate businesses and making savings and sacrifices. Why? because, as a result, our older children have benefitted from the very best of starts in life and have grown into self-aware, confident and decent young adults who, even when confronted with particular difficulties and troubles in life, have had the knowledge and resilience to make their situation better and move on.

JON ARNELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SON WAS AWARDED A MEANSTESTED ASSISTED PLACE WHEN HE TRANSFERRED FROM THE PREP SCHOOL...

This is what we want for our youngest child, Sam, who had been doing wonderfully well at Ashford Prep when a combination of family problems and business setbacks cast into doubt the likelihood of his being able to continue his education at Ashford into the Senior School. Whilst we are working hard to recover the situation, over the past few years we have had to dig deep to keep afloat and the offer of an Assisted Place covering that part of the school fees which we are unable to meet at the moment has been a true life saver for us. Without this Sam would not have been able to continue at this wonderful school. We really cannot thank the School and the donors to the Foundation enough: seeing our son working and playing happily with his school friends and reaching towards his full potential as an individual is the greatest gift we could have received.

We are deeply grateful for the support that our son has been given.

We hope that many more children with their families will be able to receive this same opportunity and support in the future.

Jon Arnell

We really cannot thank the School and the donors to the Foundation enough: seeing our son working and playing happily with his school friends and reaching towards his full potential as an individual is the greatest gift we could have received.

PARENT INTERVIEW

Education has always been at the top of both my wife and my

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COMMUNITY

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THE ASHFORD COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT The number of people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; parents, former pupils, past parents and staff and other friends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who support Ashford every year by volunteering their services to the School is so large that there is not space enough in this report to mention them by name. These people help make Ashford the place it is in so many ways: through the offering of careers advice, guidance, counselling, work-experience placements, talks to pupils, helping out with fairs and events such as Ashfest and serving on School, ASA, and PTA committees.

We are truly grateful for the widespread support of these volunteers and helpers, without whom Ashford School would not function as smoothly as it does, nor have the inclusive family atmosphere we all enjoy.

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Cricket is thriving at Ashford thanks to an excellent coaching team headed by Mr Richard Black, Head of Cricket and the laying of three new cricket squares at Great Chart, the first two of which came into limited service last summer for the first time. Next year we’re expecting two significant new developments at Great Chart. The first is the construction of changing rooms and a pavilion for players and spectators waiting to play or sheltering from the rain as the case may be! The second is the introduction of girls’ cricket for the first time in Ashford’s history, something that many former pupils we’ve spoken to are delighted about.

In order to progress the sport the School will be making the funding of grounds equipment a priority for the Annual Fund. We aim to fundraise to purchase some or all of the following items of equipment: Sightscreens – so that batsmen can pick up the ball more easily against the background.

Wet Weather Equipment – Covers, Tarpaulins, an Astroturf Strip - to protect the grass pitches during wet spells to ensure that as much cricket is played as possible.

Boundary Ropes – so that we can see whether the ball has crossed the perimeter.

Cricket Nets – to permit players to practice and warm up on site, rather than in the sports centre at East Hill.

If you’d like to support the Ashford Cricket Project, please get in touch with David Young, in the Foundation Office on 01233 619 525 or foundation@ashfordschool.co.uk or Richard Black, Head of Cricket on blackr@ashfordschool.co.uk.

CRICKET PROJECT

ASHFORD CRICKET PROJECT – ANNUAL FUND 2017/8

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OUR AMBITION

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INVESTING IN THE ADVENTURE Our ethos of Adventurous Learning

As announced at the beginning of last year, with the support of United Learning, the School has embarked upon the first phase of the building programme which, over the coming years, will see further development of the facilities offered

means that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always looking

at both the East Hill and Great Chart sites.

to innovate and develop new and

In 2018 the new sports facilities at Great Chart

better teaching methods, pushing the boundaries to ask more of ourselves and our pupils.

As we change our methods, so our buildings must also evolve.

will be complemented by additional changing facilities and a new sports pavilion designed by CLArchitects which will include a social area for parents and visitors. We will also be expanding our nursery offering by opening a new prenursery at Great Chart based in a largely new building on the old stable site.

Work continues on defining our precise future needs on East Hill and how these can be best met as the school incrementally grows and without significant impact on the daily lives of the pupils and those who live on the Hill.

Will Peppitt Chair of Governors

ADENTUROUS LEARNING

I woudn’t be half the person I am today without Ashford School, and will always be immensely grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given.

I loved my time at Ashford under Miss Brake and I’m delighted that new generations of pupils are being given such a great start in life through the Foundation.

Amberley, Year 11

Val (Davies) Arends 1954

T H E A S H F O R D S C H O O L F O U N D AT I O N If you would like to find out how you can support Ashford School, please contact David Young in the Foundation & Alumni Office at Ashford School, East Hill, Ashford TN24 8PB +44 (0) 1233 619 525

foundation@ashfordschool.co.uk

ashfordschool.co.uk

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS