IMPACT REPORT 2020
Thank you from the Headmaster
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the School in recent years. Time after time, we have been able to do things as a School which would not have been possible without the generosity of our wider community. This has been so apparent in the Founding Futures Bursary Fund and the Phoenix Fund, which we report on here.
Ipswich School continues to be a wonderful community. This has been emphasised by the joy we have all felt in returning to School on site, after six months of lockdown. The return has been challenging, with necessary precautions in place, but I am pleased to report that we have an almost full programme of co-curricular and academic education on offer and it is a delight to see our young people experiencing this to the full.
It is, therefore, such a privilege when we are able to admit students to the School to experience this rich education, even when it would be otherwise beyond the reach of their families. Our efforts, with your support, to increase the funds available for Means Tested Bursaries through Founding Futures, are already bearing fruit, and the worthy recipients
are seizing the opportunities on offer. We also have been heartened to witness the support being shown to current families who have experienced significant economic hardship this year and therefore need support to maintain their children’s education via the Phoenix Fund.
It is so pleasing that so many of you tell us of the value you see in an Ipswich School education, either your own, or of others you have seen going through the School. And it is humbling to see that feeling replicated across the age range, from our most recent leavers to our oldest Old Ipswichians - all those who want to give back because of what they once received, themselves.
I hope that we can count on your continued support as, step by step, we work to build these funds to give more young people the exciting chance of their own extraordinary future.
NICHOLAS WEAVER HEADMASTER
Your Support in Numbers
We are delighted to report information on donations and pledges received over the last 18 months:
Total donations and pledges to all funds
£465,271
Donors by age spread
We are currently able to help 3 in every 11 applications for 100% bursary provision but would like to do even more with your support.
LEGACY PLEDGES AND DONATIONS
£25,500
177 Donors
The Impact of Giving
We believe an Ipswich School education should be an opportunity available to any child who has the potential to thrive here regardless of their financial means or background. And so, every year we support children at Ipswich with bursary support.
The Bursary Fund
Wendy’s Story
Coming to the UK at the age of 10, I had to adapt to a completely new lifestyle and education system. I struggled in my first two years of secondary education, which was at a state high school. I did not get much support as an ESL student and the classroom atmosphere was often quite chaotic. My parents recognised that I was not fulfilling my full academic potential and decided to transfer me to a private school. After some research and advice from friends, we tried Ipswich School’s Year 9 entrance exam.
Whilst waiting to hear back about my results, we discussed the possibility that, even if I did get in, we probably couldn’t afford it. Without some financial support such as a scholarship or bursary, it would be a heavy burden on the family. So when we received the acceptance letter and saw that I had qualified for the bursary scheme, we couldn’t even believe it. It seemed too good to be true.
Thanks to the bursary scheme, I was lucky enough to have experienced
high-quality education at one of the best schools in the country. My time at Ipswich School enabled me to thrive academically and helped pave my way for my future university and career path. I also met some amazing people during the five years at the school and made long-lasting friendships.
I am so grateful for all the help I received. It is the generosity of the bursary scheme and the amazing
teachers that have allowed me to become who I am now. I sincerely hope that, in the future, more students from less-privileged backgrounds can be given this opportunity to aim high in life and receive the education they deserve.
Thank You.
WENDY SUN OI (2012-17)
The Phoenix Fund
Every year there are members of the pupil community who need unexpected financial support. Redundancy, illness and a change in circumstances can all mean a child’s education at the School could be in jeopardy.
Approximately 40-50 families will need Phoenix Fund support this year.
This is a unique time for the country as we fight against Covid-19. Now, more than ever, we will call upon the Phoenix Fund and the generosity of our supporters to help keep pupils educated at Ipswich School. We are asking the Ipswich School community to help us make sure no child has to leave due to financial circumstances.
Matt and Colin’s Story
When we were children, our father John operated a fast-growing computer business: he bought a farm, and sent the two of us to Ipswich Prep School, which he had attended in the 1950s. But while we were still at the School, Dad was killed in an accident. Life became tough. We lost the farm and moved to central Ipswich, but even after a lot of belt-tightening, our mother – a full-time teacher – didn’t know how we could stay on at the School. Ipswich School helped. Geoffrey Barnard – the Chairman of Governors and a lawyer – advised our mother on managing the insurance money to cover our School fees, and thanks to Matt’s academic scholarship, it lasted through the end of sixth form. We can’t overstate how important that continuity was in the first months and years after we lost our Dad. The behavioural and emotional support the School gave us was so important. And, of course,
the School gave us the support, confidence and education that led both of us to University, business school, Chartered Accountancy and our successful careers in finance and Management Consultancy. We have also managed to help a lot of people in all sorts of ways, thanks to the values the school instilled in us.
Ten years ago, we approached the School with a question: how could we help pupils who, like us, lost a parent at a critical point in their education? Now, by joining with the Phoenix Fund, we can help students
stay in School and achieve their potential. We don’t need to know their names, just that our funds have been needed, allocated and used. That’s all that matters. And they are used every year for families who find themselves in the most difficult of circumstances.
We hope we can grow the support for the fund to help more children through times of crisis.
Thank You.
MATT SCOTT OI (1976-85) AND COLIN SCOTT OI ( 1975-86)
The Gift of a Lifetime
In 1482 the well-known Ipswich merchant Richard Felaw bequeathed his Foundation Street home to the School, where it remained for many years. Ipswich School is thus built on a foundation of philanthropy, and in particular legacy giving, where the School is included in a donor’s will.
Over the School’s 700-year history, many benefactors have followed in Felaw’s footsteps by leaving a gift to the School in their wills. It is due in part to this tradition of generosity that Ipswich School thrives today, and is able to pass that educational opportunity from one generation to the next.
William’s Story
I will be forever grateful to Ipswich School for the generosity expressed to my brother and I. In the mid1960s, when we were young pupils, family circumstances made it seem impossible for us to remain at the School. The Headmaster, Mr Mermagen, and the Head of Prep, Mr Gleave, stepped in: They organised for our tuition fees to be paid by Essex County Council (as we had passed the 11+), and our boarding fees to be covered by the School per a Bursary. I believe that the education and confidence I gained there have shaped my life ever since.
I arrived at Junior House in 1960 and spent 12 years at the School as a boarder. In those years I made friends who are still on my Christmas list, 50 years later. It was a very different place back then. The UK was still emerging from the austerity caused by the War.
We could freeze water under our cast-iron beds in winter; and even on the coldest days we scaled a
fire escape ladder from the first floor dorm to our mandatory earlymorning swims – HSE today would have a nightmare! I looked forward to games three afternoons a week – I was lucky to be in the unbeaten 1971 1st XV, as well as playing hockey and cricket. The sporting camaraderie and friendships I gained have been, and will be, with me forever.
After I left the School at 19, I eventually chose an Insurance career ultimately qualifying as a chartered loss adjuster – a career which has enabled me to work on three continents over the years. In Hong Kong I met my Californian wife, and after returning to the UK we moved to the USA in 1999, where I ended my career in 2018.
My life was shaped by a combination of the School and my dear mother: the broad education and confidence I gained created opportunities I wouldn’t have had if they hadn’t stood up for me in those difficult times. That’s why I have left a legacy to the School. It was my privilege to have had this opportunity, and I want to pass on my good fortune to the next generation. My legacy gift will help future pupils who might otherwise have to leave due to family circumstances, and never fulfil their potential. It will also offer bursary support to talented children whose family circumstances mean that an Ipswich School education is out of reach.
I firmly believe that a good education, once acquired, can never be taken away from you.
WILLIAM LATTA OI (1960-72)
Your loved ones come first, but if you have been inspired to support Ipswich School, please do consider leaving a gift in your will. We will use your gift to continue to make a huge impact on individual lives.
Please let us know
A will is one of the most important documents of your life and is a sensitive matter. But should you wish to bestow this kindness upon the School we would be delighted to know to give us the opportunity to thank you during your lifetime. It also allows us to better understand your intentions, and ensure your gift is used as you wish. By leaving a legacy to the School you will automatically be a part of the Elizabethan Society and invited to the annual event held in the Spring. You are free to opt out of the Society if you wish.
Professional advice and tax implications
Anyone wishing to make or amend a will should seek legal advice to do so. Please contact a solicitor who will also be able to advise you on the inheritance tax advantages of leaving a gift to the School. Any gift left to charity in your will is free from inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax. If you leave at least 10% of your estate to charity, the inheritance tax due on the rest of your estate is reduced from 40% to 36%.
Why we give our support
“Education is the most valuable legacy that one generation can bestow on the next. The recipient of the bursary which I funded will, I am sure, relish their good fortune, but the benefit extends to the wider School community. It is a privilege to have made the contribution and I urge others to do likewise.”
JOHN
POULTER
, FORMER GOVERNOR
“With Covid-19 so disrupting young lives, and for some having to also struggle to stay on at the School is a double blow. The Phoenix Fund is an effective way to support their continued education which I am pleased to support.”
MARK EVANS OI (1964-73)
“When I first attended the School the facilities were very few but I believe the School still gave me an excellent background for my future. I now support the School and the Bursary Fund because I would like another student to have the same opportunities I had. I believe public schools produce fine students and must continue to do so. Our funding is essential.”
GEOFFREY BELL-JONES OI (1947-54)
“It is so necessary for Ipswich School to be able to provide bursaries for boys and girls who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to come here – my education at this School gave me so much and I am delighted to have been able to give something back.”
KARL DANIELS OI (1944-53)
FORMER CHAIR OF GOVERNORS
“My brother and I both attended Ipswich School and loved our time there, and I have been lucky to be involved with the School more recently through the OI Committee. I have seen first-hand the extraordinary work that the Development Office is doing to allow pupils, regardless of financial background, to benefit from an Ipswich School education. It feels right to leave a legacy so others can enjoy the School and all it has to offer in the future.”
SALLY WEBBER OI (1993-95)
How to Support Ipswich School
Nothing transforms a life like the gift of education.
Giving to Ipswich School, whether your donation is large or small, immediate or as part of a legacy gift, makes a significant difference to the prospects of the children we support. And for this we are eternally grateful to you, our benefactors. Your gift is helping to provide a firstclass education in an environment built to help children achieve their potential. In doing so, you are also helping to change our region through social mobility, by giving a unique opportunity where it might otherwise be absent. If you would like to help transform the lives of children in our region, there are a number of ways you can support Ipswich School:
Online:
Give a one-off or regular gift securely online at www.ipswich.school/foundingfutures
In person:
Please contact the Development Office to arrange a visit.
Cheque:
Donations by cheque should be payable to ‘Ipswich School’.
By bank transfer:
Ipswich School, account number: 06485430, sort code: 30-94-55, reference: your name.
Legacy giving:
Via a gift in your will (see page 7 for details).
Special gift:
If you would like to leave a special, non-monetary gift to Ipswich School we would love to hear from you. Such gifts may include assets, works of art, auction gifts or anything else you wish the School to have and utilise for the benefit of pupils present and future.
BSUF:
US-Based donors wishing to support the School are invited to donate through the British Schools and Universities Foundation (BSUF) and choose Ipswich School.
Gift Aid:
Don’t forget to opt in for Gift Aid (if applicable) as this allows us to claim an extra 25% on top of your donation from the government at no cost to you. If you are a higher rate tax payer, you can also claim the difference between the higher rate and the current basic rate of tax.
For more information about how you can support Ipswich School, please contact Nikki Brown, Development Director on 01473 298961 or email nlb@ipswich.school
Thank you
We would like to say a sincere thank you to all of our supporters who have donated or pledged to support the School.
Old Ipswichians, parents, Trusts and friends of the School have all contributed to the central pillar of our mission: the ability to offer transformational opportunities to children in the area.
Contributors’ support comes in many ways: a donation or legacy pledge to the Bursary Fund or the Phoenix Fund, supporting capital projects, or by taking part in a challenge event to raise funds for the School. And while many of our donors are thanked by name below, we want to take a moment to also recognise those who have chosen to remain anonymous. In whatever way you pledge, it is through this collective effort that we can make a big impact on individual lives.
Andy Abram OI
Eddy G.N. Alcock OBE OI
James Anderson OI
David Bacon OI
Daphne Badcock
Charles Bagnall OI
Hugh Bain OI
Carrie Baker
John Bambridge OI
David Barker MBE
Malcolm Barnett OI
Eric Bauly OI
Rowell Bell
Geoffrey Bell-Jones OI
John Berry OI
Birketts LLP
Baron Robert Gillespie of Blackhall OBE OI
Colin & Elisabeth
Blackmore
Brian Blomfield OI
Peter Bloomfield OI
David Blyth OI
Bramacare
Alexander Brooks OI
Pierson Broome OI
Nikki Brown
Roisin Buckley OI
Jim Burt OI
Colin & Esther Caskie
Canon Cedric Catton OI
Terry Chapman OI
John Chappell OI
William Charnock OI
John Chessher OI
Douglas Chivers OI
Christchurch
Veterinary Practice
Howard Clarke OI
Andrew Cockrill OI
Nigel Connor OI
Graham Cook OI
Ben Cordle OI
Frank Cross OI
Karl Daniels OI
Stephen Dawson OI
George W De Stratton OI
Chas Doig OI
Olivia Donaldson OI
George Dunnett OI
James Dunnett OI
Will Dunnett OI
Ray East
Robert Erith OI
Mark Evans OI
Nik Fairweather OI
Richard Fairweather OI
John Felgate OI
Mike Fenn OI
Bruce Finch OI
Friends of Ipswich School (FOIS)
Dick Garrard OI
Mark Gladwell OI
Spencer Gladwell OI
Joshua Glanvill OI
Kevin Goldsmith
Vicki Gordon
David Gould OI
John Graham OI
Archie Gravell OI
Andrew Gray OI
John Green OI
Jack Griffiths OI
Thomas Groot-Wassink OI
Roger Hailey OI
R.I. Harcourt OI
Iain Harris OI
Martin Holland OI
Mr & Mrs Howard
Tony Hubbard OI
Andrew Hull OI
Philip Hunn OI
Tony Jackson OI
Jamie Lee Smith Catering
Roger Jarrold OI
David Jillings OI
Roland Johnson OI
Owen Jones OI
Keeper Recruitment
Simon Kightley OI
Christopher Kite OI
William Latta OI
Stuart Letten OI
Robert Lewcock OI
James MacLachlan OI
Jean Macleod
Andrew Macnab OI
Stephen Marks OI
Christopher Mather OI
Eric Maule OI
John Mayhew OI
MHA Larking Gowen
Mills Heating
Mary Mindham
Ian Montgomery
Colin Nears OI
Needham Electrical
J. Keith Nelson OI
David Newell OBE OI
Nigel Ogilvie-Robb OI
Nick O’loughlin OI
Ian Orger OI
Mike Palmer
Richard Passmore OI
Tim Passmore OI
Christopher Penrose OI
John Perrin OI
Emma Perkins
Alan Francis Norman
Poole OI
Ranulph Poole OI
Richard Porter OI
Robert Porter OI
Jonathan Pulham OI
Charles Pulham OI
Redwald Estate Agents
Nigel Rendle OI
Peter Rolph OI
Steve Runnacles OI
Ryan’s Insurance
Andrew & Maggie Ryan
James Salmon OI
Elaine Seifert
Julian Sharman OI
Jon Sheppard (Shed) OI
Albert Smetham OI
Nigel Smith
Julian Spettigue OI
Michael Spivey OI
Richard Staines OI
Dominica
Tammas-Hastings OI
The Lord Belstead
Charitable Trust
The Old Ipswichian Club
Joel Thomas OI
Sadie Thomas
Chris Thorogood OI
Tim Townshend OI
Kelly Tsang OI
Paul Turner OI
Union
Paige Walshe OI
John Ward OI
Michael Warner OI
Sally Webber OI
Andrew Weston OI
John Westmacott OI
Whybrow
David Williams OI
Richard Wilson OI
Stuart Wilson OI
John Winyard OI
Peter Wrinch OI
Trevor Woods OI
Alan Wyatt OI
Alexandra Wynter OI
Bridget Wynter
Katherine Wynter OI
Jonathan Fieldsend OI and Helen Clarkson-Fieldsend
Care, Communication, Passion and Potential – Ipswich School’s four core values shine through in this Impact Report.
Page 3’s Giving in Numbers communicates clearly the generosity of so many who recognise the power of giving to transform lives. But it is what lies behind those numbers that really counts: for it is care – for the individual, for the School community and for each other – that this Report is all about.
Your generosity unlocks the potential in children to succeed, to grow and to realise their potential. At a time when a global pandemic is wreaking havoc on so many young people’s lives, your support is needed more than ever.
As the quote (falsely) attributed to Winston Churchill states so eloquently: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
Thank you for making a difference.
RICHARD WILSON OI (1970 - 1981) DONOR, GOVERNOR AND CHAIR OF THE FOUNDATION AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Nikki Brown Development Director
Ipswich School Development Office
Henley Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 3SG
Telephone: 01473 298961
Email: nlb@ipswich.school @ipswichschool /ipswichschool /ipswich_school
www.ipswich.school/foundingfutures