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Without the financial backing of the generous donors to the Bursary Fund I would not be where I am today. Every penny that is given to a bursary is given to a student that wants to thrive, wants to learn and wants to engage.”
OE HARRY CLARK 2017 BURSARY AWARD HOLDER
King Edward’s School, the oldest school in Bath, was founded in 1552 and has held a special place in the city for well over four and a half centuries.
Throughout our history, we have remained true to our founding charter of providing an excellent education to local children, including those who require financial assistance to attend KES. Today, the School provides support to these children through its Bursary Programme, enabling them to access a KES education, despite their financial circumstances. However, unlike many independent schools, King Edward’s does not have a historic endowment, so we look to our school and the wider community for opportunities to secure philanthropic support.
As we approach the School’s 475th anniversary in 2027, our ambitious vision is to increase the number of transformational bursaries that we can provide, to widen our existing partnership and community programme and to enhance the educational environment at King Edward’s.
Working to widen educational opportunity is integral to our identity and we believe that education has the power to transform individual lives. This year, we are supporting nearly one in five pupils with a means-tested bursary in the Senior School. For these pupils, this support is enabling them to learn in an inspiring environment, irrespective of their financial circumstances. We are proud that the £1.3m we provide in means-tested bursary support is proportionately much higher than many other independent schools. Yet each year we are forced to turn away children and their families who apply for a place at the School.
Our vision is that our Bursary Programme will be able to provide the necessary support so that any pupil offered a place can attend, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. In other words, we want to change more lives.
Evidence shows that children on free school meals living in Bath are far less likely to go on to university than their peers. We believe that by funding more bursary awards each year, we can enable more disadvantaged children in our city to progress to higher education and achieve better life outcomes.
Our ambitious target is to raise £250,000 every year so that we can fund an additional 15 transformational bursaries.
Our definition of a transformational means-tested bursary is one which provides 70%-100% remission of school fees.
It really is difficult to put into words how much the bursary has helped me. The award has allowed me to not be held back by finances and be able to access a high level education so I can make the most of my academic talent with the fantastic teaching offered at KES. A bursary is something that can really change people’s lives.”
OE MARTIN MORA PANCORBO 2023 BURSARY AWARD HOLDER
Our location is one of the many great strengths of KES and enables us to play a central role in working with state schools and other community organisations in Bath and the local area.
There is a genuine desire among pupils and staff to engage in partnership and charitable work and we are looking to increase our activity in the following strands over the next five years:
Working in partnership with a number of local state primary and secondary schools
Volunteering opportunities in the community for our sixth form pupils
Supporting local, national and international charities and community organisations
KES has a long history of working in partnership with local state schools, ranging from our sixth formers visiting primary schools on a regular basis, to KES staff delivering lessons and workshops for local schools.
For example, through our long-standing partner, Bath Philharmonia, KES Music undertook a community outreach project in 2023 where KES music staff and pupils, and members of the Bath Philarmonia’s Creative Learning Team, organised a three-day percussion workshop with 80 pupils from St Martin’s Garden Primary School, including pupils from the Margaret Coates Centre who have a diagnosis on the Autistic Spectrum. The workshop culminated in a final live performance involving all 80 children.
“It was such an amazing experience for the children that took part, and they still talk about it. Thanks so much for taking the time to be so inclusive and allow all our pupils to take part.”
MICHAEL BOGG SENCO AT ST MARTIN’S GARDEN AND HEAD OF THE MARGARET COATES CENTRE RESOURCE BASEOur community service programme is an important part of school life and 30 of our sixth form pupils regularly volunteer in local organisations, including local primary schools, the Royal United Hospital and homes for the elderly. The programme gives our pupils the opportunity to learn the value of service to others whilst seeing how they can contribute to society outside of the classroom.
It currently costs the School more than £40,000 to support these activities. We want to increase the number of partnerships and activities so that we can transform the lives of more young people within our local community.
From our founding in 1552 through to the present day, philanthropy has played an essential role in the growth and development of the School. Many of the facilities at King Edward’s have only been made possible by donations from our community, helping our pupils to have the best possible learning experience and to achieve the best outcomes imaginable.
The options for joining us in our vision to transform lives are given below. We hope that you will find an option to suit you. All donations, of any size, will make a meaningful difference.
Donations can be made via the website www.kesbath.com, by scanning the QR code or contacting the Development and Alumni Relations Office (see details below).
Regular gifts enable us to plan in advance, particularly helpful when reviewing the bursary support available for current and new pupils. Regular gifts can be made via Direct Debit or Standing Order on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.
All your donations, no matter the size, are invaluable. It is the number of people who donate and take part that is important, demonstrating how many people in our community are supporting the future of a KES education.
More and more, we are using philanthropic donations to fund bursaries for those children who need significant support – more than 70% of fees - to attend KES. Sometimes, we need to support children with a 100% bursary, if they have no other means to access an education at King Edward’s.
• £34,500 to sponsor a sixth form pupil (two years)
• £119,250 to sponsor a pupil through our Senior School (seven years)
Leaving a gift in your Will, whether large or small – after you have provided for family and friends – can have a life-changing impact. It is one of the most personal and significant ways you can help our School and support the future of KES and generations of talented young people.
Over the next three to five years, with your support, we will begin to implement a programme of development to improve the educational environment at KES. Our plans include modernising and refurbishing the Sports Pavilion at our Bathampton playing fields and building a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Centre, which will support our music and arts provision, as well as serving the wider cultural life of the Bath community.
The British Schools and Universities Foundation was established to enable tax efficient giving from the USA.
To make a gift and take a U.S. income tax deduction, you may make a donation to the British Schools & Universities Foundation (Federal Tax ID 13-616-1189), a charitable organisation approved by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under code Section 501(c)(3). Write your cheque to the order of the British Schools & Universities Foundation. You should express a preference for King Edward’s School, Bath, in your transmittal letter, not on your cheque. Such preferences are respected by the Foundation, but all grants are made at its sole discretion, as required by the IRS.
Post your cheque to the British Schools & Universities Foundation, 575 Madison Avenue, Suite 1006, New York, NY 10022-2511
Alternatively, to donate online, please visit www.bsuf.org/donate
We would be grateful if you would inform us if you make a gift in this way, so we are able to confirm if your funds have been received by the School.
DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE:
To discuss your donation or leaving a gift in your Will, please contact:
Alison Heyes Development Director
King Edward’s School, Bath North Road
Bath BA2 6HU UK
Tel: +44 (0)1225 464313
Email: a.heyes@kesbath.com
Registered Charity No. 1115875