Love & Service Fund Booklet | Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School

From the Headmaster

Following more than 10 years of frozen funding, with costs rising year-on-year, we now find ourselves in a period of further uncertainty: the long-term impact of Covid-19 on school funding still remains to be seen. At this moment, however, state schools remain in the worst position financially that I have known during my 34 years at the Vaughan.

Over the decades, and even more so in recent times, we have been privileged to have an extremely generous community of parents, alumni and friends who are willing to make investments in the school. The excellent teaching and learning environment which our pupils enjoy today is the direct result of pledges and donations made to the school at all levels. My thanks goes to all those who have so enthusiastically given their support for the benefit of others.

In these uncertain times, we need more support than ever before; we aim to increase participation across the whole school, with even more families giving in whatever way they can, and encouraging others to do the same.

If we are to maintain the high standard of education offered to pupils at Cardinal Vaughan we must continue to ensure that the advantageous conditions which they enjoy smaller sets, longer teaching hours, well-qualified staff and unmatched extra-curricular opportunities can continue. The state looks unable to provide this, so it is incumbent upon us to consider what we can do to make The Love and Service Fund a success.

Paul Stubbings

Funding Challenges

Schools have seen an increasing gap between the government funding they receive and the cost to run. In the academic year 2022-23, the funding gap at Cardinal Vaughan is set to be over £600k.

Why the increasing gap?

There has been an over 16% reduction in real-terms funding since 2010. Reasons for this include decreases in government funding, reallocation of funds away from city schools, alterations to Sixth Form funding and rising staff costs (including pay awards and pensions) year-on year as we successfully retain our strong staff.

Costs at the Vaughan are particularly high. Three key reasons are:

During a recruitment crisis in teaching we are successfully retaining exceptional staff. Staff costs make up an increasing proportion of our budget.

We are funded for four forms of entry with 32 pupils per class and 3.5 hours teaching per subject at A Level. We run five sets up until the Fifth Form and 4.5 hours per subject per week at A Level for the benefit of our pupils.

Our extensive extra-curricular provision.

Making a Gift that is Right For You

In 2021-22, nearly 60% of our families had contributed to The Love and Service Fund. The focus is on increasing this collective effort with everyone considering how they can play a vital role in the success of the fund for the benefit of all pupils.

We encourage you to consider making a gift at a level that is right for you and your family, taking your existing commitments into account. Your gifts, combined with those of other parents and members of out community, will enable us to maintain the exceptional standard of education offered to those who attend the Vaughan, both now and in the future.

If you are a UK taxpayer please remember to tick the Gift Aid box on our pledge form and add 25% to the value of your gift– at no extra cost to you. This will also enable you to claim tax relief in your Self-Assessment tax return if you are a higher-rate taxpayer.