A Step Change - Emanuel School

Meeting young people’s needs today and tomorrow

GIANT STRIDES...

Founded and endowed by Lady Anne Dacre in 1594 and granted its Royal Charter in 1601, Emanuel School has a history of philanthropy and social purpose. Its original mission was for the education and provision of 10 boys and 10 girls regardless of background or means. These early commitments to gender equality and social mobility were visionary and are principles that remain at the core of our philosophy today.

It will allow us to transform our educational offering and provide invaluable opportunities to children. We will create inspiring spaces for teaching and learning across the sciences, sport, and the creative/performing arts, as well as making more funded places available in the years ahead.

Each month, more than 1,000 local school children participate in our award-winning outreach programmes and use our facilities. With the development of our site and continuing to build a robust bursary programme, Emanuel will remain one of the leading co-educational schools in the country educating our pupils and beyond for decades to come.

I encourage you to consider ways in which you might help Emanuel School; future generations and our local community; continuing a tradition of building on the shoulders of others, which has been the foundation of our school and evident at times of significant change.

Robert Milne Headmaster

OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO DATE OPENS A NEW AND EXCITING CHAPTER FOR EMANUEL SCHOOL.

A GOOD EDUCATION HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF A PERSON’S LIFE.

This has been my personal mantra since becoming a governor at Emanuel ten years ago, because it holds true for me.

When I arrived at Emanuel as a new pupil, my life prospects seemed limited. As the son of parents from two different continents, who spoke English only as a second language and who had no local social capital, what could I expect of life? Emanuel changed that. Thanks to the encouragement of my teachers, I left Emanuel seven years later inspired, and full of aspiration. And my life since then has been so much better than my 11-year-old self ever imagined.

But I don’t want children to have the same opportunities I had; I want more for them. This is why, as Chair of the Emanuel School Governing Body, I am proud to see the school doing so much to improve children’s life opportunities: Giant Strides lies very close to my heart. Thank you very much indeed for all your support for the school as it strives to help young people unlock their potential.

Markus Jaigirder Chair of Governors Pupil 1975-1982

Giant Strides will see our school transformed. We will dramatically improve our facilities for the sciences, the arts, sports, and day-to-day school life while providing access to quality education to young people through our funded places initiative.

OUR PLACES

CRITICAL BUILD PLAN

Delivering on the most ambitious site transformation in the school’s history, significantly improving the experiences of every boy and girl and the wider community.

OUR PEOPLE

WIDENING ACCESS

Offering more funded places than ever before to those who would not otherwise be able to attend Emanuel School, helping to diversify our community, increase opportunity and foster talent.

CRITICAL BUILD PLAN

The Critical Build Plan focuses on the vital needs of the school, current and future pupils, as well as those beyond Emanuel. It will allow us to transform our offering, further our award-winning outreach initiatives and provide even greater access.

Launched in 2022 with the extension of our Sixth Form building, Emanuel’s 10-year estates plan will result in a site-wide transformation – the largest since our relocation to Wandsworth at the end of the 19th century. We will blend our historical buildings with new purpose-built spaces.

Giant Strides will raise crucial funds to establish a new science and refectory building and dramatically enhance our off-site sports facilities, as well as improve space for the arts and humanities. Emanuel is committed to innovation, creativity, and performance.

GIANT

Sixth Form Centre

Artist impression of science block

The world of innovation and discovery relies on the combined expertise of diverse disciplines across the fields of science. Emanuel is committed to stimulating interest in these subject areas, fostering cross-collaborative working, and inspiring our future thinkers with the establishment of a state-of-the-art science block.

Designed by award-winning architects, Design Engine, our new 4,000+ sqm flagship building will provide:

• Specialised laboratories for biology, physics, and chemistry

• Multi-use laboratories for computing, coding, and artificial intelligence

• Modern and spacious multi-functional classrooms and break-out spaces

• Large flexible 400-person refectory doubling as an assembly area

The adaptable building will give our pupils and local school children an opportunity to explore, innovate and push boundaries, and will equip Emanuel with facilities to adapt to these ever-changing and expanding subject areas.

GIANT STRIDES CAMPAIGN

SCIENCE BLOCK

Estimated

cost:

The new building will create significant opportunities for our award-winning outreach programme. Not only will we enhance our current Primary Ambitions, Ascent and GCSE booster programmes but we will extend our reach within our local community. With increased facilities, we will offer a range of activities from professional development for primary school teachers to hands-on science days for disadvantaged families and laboratory access to local schools. We will design inspiring programmes to explore and tackle global issues. Collectively, new facilities allow us to build science capital in our community.

Stuart Turner

Deputy Head: Co-curricular, Partnerships and Admissions

Creative subjects encourage self-expression, communication, and imagination, as well as build self-confidence. Emanuel sees the transformational power of the creative and performing arts for our pupils. Our awardwinning creative curriculum will be enhanced through repurposed and redesigned spaces for music, drama, and the arts.

Independent School of the Year Award for Performing Arts, 2022

With the development of a new science block, Emanuel will expand its creative subject areas by transforming some of the vacated laboratories to develop a space for the performing arts at the rear of the main building. This will establish a creative hub focusing on music, drama, film, art, and design.

ENHANCED ART FACILITIES

Estimated completion date: 2026

Project cost: £4,500,000

Philanthropic target: £500,000

Pupils’ creative achievements, notably in art, drama and music, are exceptional.

Independent Schools Inspectorate

Sport is an important part of our culture. Not only does Emanuel provide the opportunity for development through a variety of sports, but we provide talented girls and boys a chance to excel through access to outstanding coaching and competitive inter-school fixtures.

Sport goes beyond physical health and well-being. It supports academic success and provides development in problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, and resilience. Our commitment will be demonstrated through the investment in our off-site sports facility in Raynes Park. It will be a focal point for girls, boys, and spectators and will also enhance our community sports programming. In three-phases, the school will develop:

All-weather pitch for netball, hockey, tennis, and football

12 cricket wickets (3 hybrid) and 4 hard courts for tennis

Modern pavilion with viewing platform, changing rooms, and warm-up facilities

Will Hanson

Director of Sport

design

The new Astroturf, cricket nets, and hardcourts will be used extensively by pupils throughout the year and increase the provision of hockey, netball, football, cricket, and tennis. Access to the facility will significantly reduce the travel time to rented external facilities and allow the sports department to increase the number of training sessions and competitive fixtures for our pupils and the wider community.

Frances Low Deputy Director of Sport

TRAINING & SPORTS FACILITIES

Estimated completion date: 2026 Project cost: £7,000,000

Philanthropic target: £1,000,000

WE ARE PROUD TO DELIVER A PROGRAMME THAT PROVIDES NOT ONLY ELITE PATHWAYS BUT MASS PARTICIPATION.

WIDENING ACCESS

WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING AN EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION AND ENHANCED OPPORTUNITIES TO TALENTED CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND OR FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

I am proud to work in a school which strives to fulfil its obligation to the whole community and seeks to enable aspirational children from any background to access all that we have to offer. Over my time at Emanuel, I have witnessed many pupils who have been supported by funded places making the most of the opportunities available to them. They have flourished and emerged as outstanding young men and women who have been able to make their own valuable contributions to our society.

Jane Peters

Deputy Head: Academic and Staff

Thousands of pupils started their young adult lives at Emanuel; a journey that began with a walk down the long drive from Battersea Rise or over the bridge in recent times. Our ambition is to ensure all aspirational girls and boys have the chance to follow in their footsteps.

With significant growth in recent years, the school has seen impressive outcomes at both GCSE and A Levels, and we now host over 1,000 pupils each month from local primary schools through a variety of Emanuel School community programmes.

As it was in 1594, widening access remains at the core of Emanuel’s institutional priorities. Our aim, supported by our community outreach initiatives, is to increase this significantly, ensuring we can support any young person with distinctive promise on a funded place – core to our founder’s vision and at the heart of Giant Strides.

FULLY FUNDED BURSARIES

Estimated timeframe: 2026

Philanthropic target: £2,500,000

GIANT STRIDES

£1.5m

AMOUNT RAISED TO DATE

Whilst Emanuel School can fund the majority of the critical build plan using a mix of long-term financing and school reserves, the additional support from our community will be vital in ensuring we continue to provide a broad and inspiring education for years to come.

Philanthropy founded Emanuel School and remains crucial to our success.

Capital gifts are not just investments in infrastructure, but an investment in young people and their futures. Your support in developing our fully funded places initiative or the critical build plan will help achieve our aims and further our educational growth.

We encourage you to invest in Giant Strides – the people and places that will define and inspire the next generation of Emanuel School thinkers, leaders, and innovators.

TOTAL CAMPAIGN TARGET

£5 m

GIANT STRIDES IS A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY, A STEP CHANGE, AS WE COMMIT TO RAISE MORE MONEY THAN EVER BEFORE, SECURING OUR FUTURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

GIANT

WAYS TO GIVE

Become a Giant Strides major donor with an investment of £50,000 or more and receive recognition for your gift through the naming of a bursary or physical space (ie. Smith Family Bursary or Smith Family Laboratory) or your name on a permanent donor board along with the benefits of bespoke reporting, invitations to special events and an annual event hosted by the headmaster.

Join our Founders’ Circle with an annual gift of £1,594 or more and enjoy invitations to key school events, an annual report showcasing the impact of Giant Strides, as well as your name listed in relevant places as a member of the Circle.

Become a Giant Strides regular giver with a monthly donation and enjoy opportunities to hear more about how Giant Strides is developing and from those who have benefited from your generous support.

Join the 1594 Club with a legacy gift and be recognised as a Club member in publications, receive invitations to school events and enjoy an annual Club event hosted on site.

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