Boarding schools and philanthropy: engendering an ethos of kindness and compassion

Matthew Godfrey Senior Deputy Head, Downe

One of the joys of boarding is being a part of an eclectic school community, offering pupils, families and staff the opportunity to come together to create a ‘local community’ that unites and stretches across the globe.

With both pupils and staff living on site, boarding offers the extra time together to share and highlight issues that are important locally and globally, but also personally. Through their house teams, pupils are supported to collaborate, be creative and bring others with them as they share and rally behind causes that are close to their hearts.

A culture of helping others is part of the very fabric in boarding schools and everyone is encouraged to get involved. In a boarding environment, it is inherent for pupils to be compassionate and creative, to work collaboratively and, importantly, to be outward-looking. At Downe House this is all part of the DNA that evolved from the ethos of kindness established by the school’s founder, Olive Willis.

2022 marked the centenary of Downe House on its campus in Cold Ash, where the school stood throughout World War Two, and where it welcomed refugees from other countries with open arms. Here is the testimony of Rosemarie C (Downe House Alumnae, 1943): ‘I arrived in December 1938 at the age of 14, a refugee from Austria, with hardly a word of English, to be greeted by Miss Willis in evening dress, surrounded by her Samoyed dogs. Thanks to her hospitality and caring concern I was able to continue my education, and in three years I gained admittance to the University of Reading, and subsequently to the London School of Economics. The friendships, the learning and the concern for others, were among the invaluable riches I enjoyed at Downe House and they have been an inspiration to me throughout my life. Besides myself, there were three or four other refugee children during the war years, who were also given the opportunity of a new life.’

In recent years, a large proportion of charitable activities have been led by pupils with the result that a broad range of activities and causes have been supported, reflecting the many cultures and beliefs represented in a diverse boarding school community. Pupils are taught to understand that ‘education has the power to change lives’ and as such activities always include an element of education for the wider school community. This could be through assemblies, displays and talks by pupils, themed evening and weekend events, or visits by representatives from organisations. Nominations come from the heart and often reflect very personal causes, as well as important issues across the world and topics that affect young people today, wherever they are.

Different parts of the school are involved in longer-term support too. Upper School boarding houses each have an international link charity supported by fundraising events but also by visits from pupils volunteering their time. Charities include HOPE Asia, Open Arms Malawi, Sparkes Homes Sri Lanka, Reality Gives India and Tiger Kloof Combined School, South Africa. Lower School boarding houses collectively support the OSCAR Foundation. The common theme with these longer-term associations is the empowerment of children and young people. Generations of boarders have spent their time together productively to play their part in forging and maintaining these strong associations.

Donating The Gift Of Time

Supporting charities local to boarding schools enables pupils to donate the gift of time, and to reach out and give something back to the community where they spend a large part of their young lives. For example, every year at Downe House pupils collectively volunteer more than 1,000 hours supporting local organisations. Schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) actively encourage charitable engagements. For Downe House pupils these have ranged from helping to manage local woodlands, to busking for the charity Swings & Smiles, to supporting the Cottismore Gardens ‘Growing2gether’ project, which promotes interest and awareness in local food and building a garden facility to enable people with learning difficulties to access horticultural therapy.

In 2022, the swell of support for people affected by the crisis in Ukraine has been felt across the globe. In support of Ukraine, a school concert in March 2022 raised over £2,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) fund via Christian Aid. The school’s choir, Prima Voce, performed A Prayer for Ukraine, learnt over two nights in its original Ukrainian language, and later released on social media to support further donations to the DEC fund (https:// fb.watch/cC7Z8n9nQY/). Coordinated by pupils and boarding house staff, the whole school community also supported a local charity, Racing to Help Ukraine, by collecting emergency aid supplies which the charity drove to Ukrainian refugees at the Ukrainian/Polish border with a convoy of horseboxes.

The Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) has also reported examples of support from its member schools, many of which are boarding schools, for those who have been directly impacted by the invasion of Ukraine. Examples have included raising funds to support the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and providing clothing, food and shelter to Ukrainian refugees. For more information, go to https://www.hmc.org.uk/hmcmember-school-support-for-ukrainianrefugees/

Matthew Godfrey is a graduate of Durham University and also holds a Master’s in Education. He started his career with the global consultancy firm Accenture but switched to teaching after seven years in business. He has taught English at secondary schools – both maintained and independent – ever since. He is Senior Deputy Head at Downe House and before this he held posts at Brighton College and Caterham School.

Girls and Boys, Day and Boarding, Nursery to Sixth Form

We have a long tradition of working closely with Forces Families

Pay only 10% of the fees, around £1,000 per term*

*This applies to Service Families who are eligible for the Continuity of Education Allowance, entering our Schools 2023/24. Additional means-tested support, subject to availability, may be offered to families who lose the CEA.

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