FOREWORD
by Nicholas Hewlett, Headmaster
I am delighted to share with you this summary of St Dunstan’s community benefit and partnership work across 2018-19.
We know that classroom learning forms only one part of the educational journey at St Dunstan’s. Learning from service to others and involvement in wider communities, both local and beyond, is of equal importance in shaping compassionate and confident young people, keen to make positive choices in their pathways through life. We celebrate the opportunities afforded to us by being located in such a diverse and vibrant context and want to capitalise upon it. We also realise that we hold a privileged position as an independent school, both in terms of our facilities and the experiences and curiosity of our staff and pupils; it is vitally important to us that this can be of benefit to, and enhanced by, the communities that extend beyond our College gates.
The enormous value of the arts is reflected in the widening use of our facilities for musical events, dance and drama productions. This year, The St Dunstan’s Festival, which is generously sponsored by local estate agents Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward, hosted events open to the public which included a historical tour of the College and an evening on Diversity and Leadership with panel members including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, as well as collaborations with local schools on a community drama project directed by the National Theatre’s Kate Beale.
We are fortunate to have ever evolving and extensive sports facilities in the centre of Catford which we enthusiastically offer for community use. Our Jubilee Ground is now widely used by local clubs, offering increased opportunities for hockey, tennis, basketball and netball, as well as cricket, football and rugby across the borough of Lewisham and beyond.
I am particularly proud of the involvement of our pupils in community projects and charities. They choose to support a range of charities, both through fundraising and also through giving their time and talents. We know that charitable initiatives allow pupils to give and learn in equal measure, to the benefit of both the wider community and the College. In doing so, our current pupils not only colour their journey through the College, staying true to our motto, but also continue and enhance a valuable heritage of active service and contribution in our local community.
I hope you will enjoy looking through this summary and find it as heartening as I do. We continue to welcome any dialogue with local charities and community groups keen to support stronger links between St Dunstan’s College and the many communities of which we are proud to be a part.
Mr Nicholas Hewlett Headmaster, St Dunstan’s College
Reaching out through
The St Dunstan's Benevolent Fund supported 8 families through hardship, gifting more than £18,000
Bursaries
542,172
was provided through our Bursary programme
In total 48
families received bursary assistance of some kind
was given to the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, supporting their work improving social mobility through excellence in 16+ education £50,000
Rathfern Primary School was given
free use
of our Great Hall to host their annual Christmas celebration
12
St Dunstan’s students visited Rathfern Primary School weekly to help local children develop their reading skills
Kilmorie and Rathfern Primary Schools were provided with free use of our Jubilee Ground for their Summer Sports Days
Lewisham Historical Society had free use of our facilities for their monthly lectures
Our swimming pool was made accessible every week to support Rathfern Primary School’s swim programme
Our partnership with Bonus Pastor and Trinity schools enabled a great many Lewisham students to attend regular masterclasses hosted at St Dunstan’s
St Dunstan’s Jubilee Ground hosted football trial days for Holbeach School
Reaching out through THE ARTS
St Dunstan’s provided community access for those children wanting to enter Associated Board Music examinations
Our musicians aided community worship by singing at Southwark Cathedral, All Hallows by the Tower and St Augustine’s Church
The Jubilee Ground hosted the Catford Arts Trail, showcasing numerous local artists
We hosted the community vintage fair, ‘So Last Century’
The Jubilee Ground supported the 2019 Catford Film Festival with an outdoor showing of ‘A Star is Born’
St Dunstan’s College was home to Vibe Arts Catford, offering local children expert theatre and dance instruction by West
End Professionals
The St Dunstan’s Festival 2019 provided free tickets for all drama performances to drama students from across Lewisham
The Festival welcomed National Theatre Director, Kate Beales, who orchestrated a piece of community drama involving students from across the local area, including Harris Crystal Palace and Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys
150 free
Over tickets were provided to the community for the College’s performance of Chicago
A special piece of drama –Nightingales – was put on at the Catford Broadway theatre to raise awareness of mental health issues.
The evening raised £646 for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust
£100
A Tag Rugby event raised a further £100 for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust
Reaching out through SPORT
Football Swimming
Over 13,000 hours of hire of our synthetic sports pitches were made available to the community
The St Dunstan’s Jubilee Ground provided free access to Lewisham School Games Football events. The Borough finals took place over 3 days and involved 32 different local schools with 118 team entries and over 900 local primary school children
Free use of our pitches was provided for Lewisham’s district football squad
Lewisham’s London Youth Games football squad were given free access to train ahead of the event
5 hours a week of free pitch use was provided to Catford and Lewisham police units for training and fitness.
swimming lessons were delivered to local children at the St Dunstan’s Swim School
The pool hosted Orpington Ojays swim school on Friday evenings
The pool was an IQL (Institute of Qualified Lifeguards) registered training centre
St Dunstan’s Enterprises was awarded Football Partner of the Year 2019 for its continued support of Dalmain FC (Lewisham’s only girls football team)
St Dunstan’s Jubilee Ground became Tottenham Hotspur FC Southern Football Centre offering holiday development programmes with premier league standard coaching to local children
St Dunstan’s Jubilee Ground was home to Academy One sports education helping local footballers create new opportunities through education and access to professional clubs
Grass Pitch Hire / Sport Hire
Our partnership with Super Camps delivered Ofsted registered holiday activity camps spaces for over 2500 children from the local area.
1700 hours of public hire were made available in our sports hall, including the support of cricket, badminton and netball
St Dunstan’s College hosted Goldsmith’s University Varsity Day with multiple sports being played across the main College and Jubilee Ground sites with over 500 participants and spectators
St Dunstan’s offered its annual support for the MCC Community Cricket Hub, providing local children with 13 weeks of free
cricket coaching Rugby
The Jubilee Ground hosted 4 Under 12 London Schools cricket fixtures
The Lewisham Schools annual Under 11’s cricket tournament was supported for free at the Jubilee Grounds
Cricket General Hockey
6 Lewisham School Games events in total were booked at the Jubilee Ground for Boys and Girls Football, Netball, Mixed TAG rugby and a Multi-Skills festival day
Lewisham Rugby Girls Competitions were hosted throughout the year
The Jubilee Ground hosted the Lewisham Tag Rugby event for Years 5-6
Netball
4 Brand New
netball courts provided additional training space for local clubs including Beacon’s, King’s College, Sabina and Raiders
We hosted 3 Lewisham Secondary School Sports Association Netball Tournaments free of charge
We hosted an annual Fast 5 Netball Tournament as part of The St Dunstan’s Festival
We hosted league tournaments for both Blackheath Hockey Club and Panthers Hockey Club
Lewisham Schools Hockey tournament was held at the Jubilee Ground.
‘Hockey Fun’ festivals were hosted for local Junior school children in Years 3-6
34 hours weekly hire were made available to local community clubs
Reaching out through
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND CHARITY
302
students from all year groups were involved in the Youth Volunteering Programme with over 20 different volunteering opportunities
students took part in CatArt, an art group dedicated to making art for Catford 12
7 paintings were donated to a local care home
students looked after the Catford Bridge Station book exchange corner every week and brought in new books for the local community to enjoy
students in Year 12 volunteered at King’s College Hospital and made a difference for families and patients The Jubilee Ground played host to Remark Community Deaf Junior Football Training.
students represented St Dunstan’s College in the regional final of the Goldsmith’s Award
