Bolton School Giving Report - 2023-24 by Bolton School

The Bolton School FoundationAn Enduring Success

The Bolton School Foundation (‘the School’), the charitable foundation which combines the Boys’, Girls’ and Primary Divisions of Bolton School, has continued to flourish during the 2023-24 academic year, with a staggering breadth of activity, achievement and endeavour of which we can all be proud.

Pupil numbers remain high across all three Divisions, with recruitment for Year 7 entry in September 2024 sustaining the high levels of the previous year. In summer, two sets of excellent examination results at A Level and GCSE were rightly celebrated by pupils and staff, having ensured that each young person was able to realise their individual potential and successfully pursue their ambitions, of whatever hue.

Earlier this year, the Boys’ Senior School and Park Road, the Boys’ Junior School, received a glowing inspection report in which they were assessed as having met all five of the standards judged by the inspectors, with their programmes of extra-curricular and outdoor learning activities commended as being a “significant strength” - a plaudit which recognised our national leadership in this area.

I am delighted to report that, during the 2023-24 academic year, the School continued to benefit from the long-standing tradition of philanthropy within our community. In that 12-month period, an outstanding £2.54 million was donated to support the School’s bursary scheme, with a further £140,000 donated to

support hardship grants and an additional £186,000 gifted to support extra-curricular funding for bursary pupils, academic prizes in all three Divisions, university scholarships and a host of other projects and activities.

The number of individuals giving their time, energy and expertise to support the School and its pupils has also grown, with 272 individuals volunteering in some way during the last academic year. From my fellow Governors and Trustees, to the multiple parents and Alumni who serve the Old Boys’, Old Girls’ and Parents’ Associations, to the many Alumni, parents and friends who offer careers advice and mentoring support to current and former pupils – the support within our community is outstanding, and I thank them all for their voluntary service to the School.

During the past year, the Governing Body has been keenly focused on preparing for the imposition of VAT on independent school fees, which was confirmed in the new Labour Government’s first Budget in October. This policy presents a significant challenge to the entire independent school sector and the implications thereof will undoubtedly be felt for many years ahead.

When undertaking that planning, the Governing Body began by reaffirming its commitment that Bolton School must remain open to children of families from all income levels – those who can comfortably afford our fees, those who are making deliberate financial choices to be able to do so and those who require a bursary to join us. The diversity this enables, and the social mobility it drives, has been at the root of the School’s success for over a century and must continue to be so.

That approach has underpinned all of the financial planning relating to this challenge, which concluded with the decision that the School would share the financial burden of the VAT with parents, smoothed over several years, with an annual fee increase – inclusive of VAT – of no greater than five per cent. This approach has only been possible thanks to the astute financial planning and careful stewardship of the School’s finances over many years. To afford it, the Governors determined to redirect part of the School’s annual surplus that is usually reinvested in bursaries, and to draw upon its reserves, in order to reduce the level of our fee rises. This decision was taken on the basis that such a seismic change in how independent education is taxed required an extraordinary response, to ensure that the School’s firm financial footing could be maintained. We believe this is the right

approach for the School and its pupils, and have been pleased to hear from Alumni and other members of our School community who share that view and endorse our approach.

Regrettably, this approach will have a considerable impact on our ambitions for the further growth of our bursary scheme. Whilst we will not move backwards from the current level of support – to one in five Senior School pupils – it will considerably delay the progress towards our long-held ambition of increasing that support to reach one in three pupils.

We know that the entire School community shares both our disappointment at this delay to our ambitions for the bursary scheme and our belief that it must be mitigated. We are determined that should be the case and will be launching a philanthropic campaign later this academic year to harness the generosity of all those who share that view.

The support of our School community during the past year has made a huge difference to all that has been achieved and to the Governors’ confidence in the bold financial decisions that the current political situation has demanded. Thank you, sincerely, for your generosity to the School and its pupils throughout the past 12 months –it is truly appreciated by all of us who lead the School.

With my best wishes for the festive season.

Ian Riley (Class of 1981) Chair of the Bolton School Governing Body Trustee of the Bolton School Bursary Foundation

The Bolton School Bursary FoundationA Flourishing Endeavour

The Bolton School Bursary Foundation (BSBF), the charity through which the School’s bursary funds are raised, held and granted, is now well established and works successfully to fulfil the aims the Governors had when they created it in 2022.

During the last academic year, BSBF received some £2.5 million in gifts to benefit the School’s bursary scheme. This significant sum is, of course, indicative of the generous support that the Bolton School bursary scheme enjoys from across the School community, and our donors’ shared belief in the transformational power of a Bolton School education. Gifts from regular donors, individual supporters, charitable trusts and those who have remembered the School’s bursary scheme in their wills have combined to deliver this exceptional total, for which I and my fellow Trustees are extremely grateful.

As Ian Riley has outlined on the previous page, the imposition of VAT on independent school fees by the new Labour Government presents a significant challenge to the School’s ambitions for its bursary scheme. BSBF was established with the sole aim of driving the future growth of the bursary scheme, in order that it will eventually support one in three pupils at the School. Prior to the budgetary decisions the Governing Body has had to make in response to the imposition of VAT, that goal was on track to be realised by 2030. Now, it is likely to be 2035 at the earliest before that rate of support is possible for those joining the School in Year 7, and 2042 before one in three pupils are supported throughout the entire Senior School.

The thought of such a delay is incredibly disappointing to everyone who cares about the School. Bolton School is a special place. For generations, it has been open to all who would thrive here, regardless of their background, resulting in a rich, inclusive community of pupils who then choose to give back to the School, and thus pay forward the opportunity they received to benefit future generations.

The Trustees of BSBF are determined to mitigate the impact of the Government’s VAT policy on the growth in bursary provision to the greatest extent possible.

In the spring the School will launch what we intend will be the most transformational giving campaign it has ever embarked upon. It is our hope that the School community will work together to ensure that Bolton School remains a place of educational opportunity for all who can benefit, driving social mobility in Bolton and beyond.

We are very grateful for the support of everyone who has donated to the bursary scheme during the past academic year, and hope that their generous support will continue, and will inspire others to join them, in the years ahead. If you feel able to, we would be honoured if you would endorse our cause to others in your network, and encourage them to follow your lead in supporting the School. If you are considering other ways in which you might augment your support for the School, please do contact the Development Office, who would be delighted to assist you.

If there was ever a time to support Bolton School’s bursary scheme, that time is now. If you have not yet offered your support, please do consider doing so. We strongly believe that, if the whole School and Alumni community plays their part, and supports us as they are able, then our goal of ensuring that the School continues to grow its contribution to social mobility across the town and beyond will be achieved.

With my sincere thanks once again, and best wishes for the new year.

John Craven (Class of 1982) Governor of Bolton School Chair of Trustees of the Bolton School Bursary Foundation

Your Support

During the 2023-24 academic year the School community gave donations totalling £2.87 million to support the School and its pupils, with £2.54 million given to support the continued growth of the bursary scheme, £140,000 gifted to provide hardship funding for fee-paying families experiencing financial difficulties, and £186,000 donated to support a host of other projects and activities benefiting the School and its Alumni.

A Lasting Legacy

£1.03 million was left to the School by four Alumni and Friends of the School who chose to remember the School’s bursary scheme in their wills, and whose legacies collectively provided in-year funding for 100 bursary recipients.

A Departing Gift

£48,000 was donated to the bursary scheme by 188 families of the Class of 2023, who gifted their child’s deposit back to School in order that subsequent generations of pupils might follow those children through the School.

A Transformational Impact

The impact of your generous support was transformational.

During the 2023-24 academic year the School spent £3.59 million on means-tested bursary funding, supporting 374 children – one in five members of the two Senior Schools – to enjoy a Bolton School education which would otherwise have been out of their reach.

Furthermore, thanks to your generosity:

• 91 grants were awarded to bursary recipients from the funds established specifically by donors, in order that every child might take part in the extra-curricular trips and activities which make a Bolton School education so special;

• 25 fee-paying pupils received hardship funding to alleviate the financial burdens upon their families during challenging times;

• 23 recent leavers received either a Leverhulme Centenary Scholarship, a Warburton Scholarship or a Popplewell Scholarship to fund their university careers; and

• 121 Boys’ and Girls’ Division pupils received 148 separate prizes recognising their academic achievements and commitment to the life of the School.

In addition, the philanthropic support of the School community enabled the continued operation of the Boys’ Division’s Community Cricket Hub, which provides training facilities and coaching for female cricketers from across the borough; supported the development of the School’s sports and performance facilities; enabled the Clifford Ingham Fund to open up adventure opportunities to pupils in the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions; funded the development of the Leverhulme Woodlands at the outer edges of the Levels; enabled the purchase of a RIB boat at Patterdale Hall; funded the Girls’ Division’s annual Platt Fisher Lecture; sponsored branded kits and playing tours for many of the School’s senior sports teams; and funded travel, uniform and ancillary costs for a number of bursary recipients.

It is your generosity which enables Bolton School’s continued success. Thank You.

The Power of a Bursary Place

A Bolton School education can be life-changing – a bursary-funded place even more so.

In August, 50 members of the Class of 2024 completed their time at the School, having received a bursary funded thanks to your generosity. They left us having learnt - in their own words - the value of “resilience”, “teamwork” and “giving back” to help others, and embark upon their adult lives with “confidence” and “determination”.

In the A Level results published in the summer, 54% of those bursary recipients achieved grades A*-B. 39 of them left to take up places at university - including 25 who secured places at the prestigious Russell Group universities - studying subjects as diverse as Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Aerospace Engineering and Medicine. Others were awarded a Degree Apprenticeship or entered employment.

All of their futures are bright, thanks to your support.

Popular University Destinations of Bursary Recipients, 2024

“As a result of the support I’ve received through this bursary, I’ve gained more abilities and am more determined than ever to make an impact. I am immensely grateful to be a recipient of this bursary and all the opportunities it has opened for me, and I am committed to making the most of every opportunity that comes my way”. Class of 2024 Bursary Recipient

The Gift of Time

During the 2023-24 academic year 272 Alumni, Current Parents, Former Parents, Friends, Governors, Trustees and other members of the School community volunteered their time to support the Bolton School Foundation and its pupils, past and present.

The names of all of those volunteers are listed in the Roll of Honour overleaf, and include:

• 173 volunteers who offered their time, knowledge and energies to support the School’s careers and enrichment programme, which benefits pupils at the School and young people in the wider community. Activities and events undertaken included the Sixth Form Entrepreneurship mentoring scheme, the halftermly Perspectives Lectures, the monthly A-Z of Careers talks, the bi-monthly World of Work and Women of Work virtual sessions in pupil form times, the annual Year 12 Interview Skills evenings, the annual Junior Careers Carousel, the International Women’s Day careers event, the annual Tillotson, Platt Fisher and Hulton Lectures, and many more events besides;

• 46 Old Boys and Old Girls who acted as volunteer mentors for fellow Alumni through the Old Boltonians’ Association’s Find Your Path mentoring scheme and the Old Girls’ Association’s Steps to Success mentoring scheme;

• 30 Alumni who served as officers and members of the committees of the Old Boltonians’ Association and the Old Girls’ Association;

• 17 individuals who served as members of the Bolton School Foundation Governing Body, and six Trustees of the Bolton School Bursary Foundation, each of whom directed their talents and expertise to ensure the continued success of the School through good governance and the continued growth of the School’s bursary funds; and

• The officers, committee members and volunteers of the Parents’ Associations of the five schools within the Foundation, and of the Friends of Bolton School, who volunteer their time to support School activities and events, and to fundraise, in order to enhance the educational experience of every child who studies at the School.

Using Your Donations Responsibly

We are honoured to receive the philanthropic support of so many members of the Bolton School community and take our responsibilities in the stewardship of their gifts incredibly seriously:

• Every donation received is used to support the bursary scheme or for the purpose directed by the donor: the operational costs of the Development Office are paid for by the School;

• Outside the School day, our buildings and facilities are used to generate income, with the annual profits from the School’s trading arm, BSSL, and the School’s Nursery gifted back to the School to support the bursary scheme;

• The management of the invested funds held by the School and by BSBF is overseen with care by the two charities’ respective Investment Committees, whose shared objective is delivering sustainable growth in the School’s bursary provision whilst preserving the real value of the capital invested;

• Each year the Trustees of BSBF determine the level of grant to be made to the School for bursary support, in order to preserve and grow the real value of the bursary funds in an endowment style and thus ensure financial support remains available to both current and future pupils. Once that grant is received the School’s Governors then determine the total funds available to spend on bursaries in the following academic year; and

• All bursaries are entirely means-tested, awarded via a transparent and rigorous allocations process designed to ensure that financial support reaches those who are the most deserving of it. This allocations process, which includes detailed financial checks and individual interviews, is reviewed annually, with every bursary award then being renewed entirely at the end of Year 11, before a child’s admission to the Sixth Form.

Contact Us

The Development Office is responsible for all fundraising activity undertaken in support of the Bolton School Foundation and on behalf of the Bolton School Bursary Foundation. If you would like to make a gift to support the School’s bursary scheme, or are considering remembering the School in your will, please contact Laura Firth, Director of Development, Alumni Relations and Marketing, on 01204 434718 or at development@boltonschool.org, who will be happy to discuss with you, in confidence, how you might choose to support the School. More information about supporting the School can also be found using the QR code below.

Thank You

The School is sincerely grateful to all of those donors who have offered their financial support and to all of those volunteers who have offered their time during the past academic year:

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Borkin

Mr David and Mrs Ingrid Brackley

Mrs Rebecca A Brayshaw

Reverend A Douglas Brear

Mr John and Mrs Diane Brennan

Mr and Mrs P Brennan

Mrs Susan Briggs

Mr Philip Britton, MBE and Mrs Rachel Britton

Mr Stuart Brooks, CMG

Mrs Kathryn Brophy

Mr Kevin Broughton and

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Carmichael

Mrs Elizabeth Carr

Mr Roger Carr

Mr David and Dr Helen Caswell

Mr Darren and Mrs Lisa Cavanaugh

Mr James Chadwick

Mr Andrew and Mrs Eileen Juan Ai Chae

Mr Cheuk Hung Chan and Mrs Pui Ling A Lui

Mr Chun Ting William Chan and Ms Lizhu Lai

Dr Debra Charnley

Dr J Charova and Dr T W Kundodyiwa

Mr Zaheer Cheema and Dr Khalida Javaid

Mr E H Cheers

Mr Kexing Chen and Mrs Yanting Cao

The Late Mr Graham Chesters

Mr Chi Kui and Ms Lisa Cheung

Dr Sanjiv and Mrs Upasna Chopra

Ms Margaret Clare (née Baldwin)

Miss Katherine Clinton

Mr Lynnton and Mrs Joanne Close

Mr and Mrs P Cockram

Mr Ian and Mrs Victoria Coll

Dr Christine Cottam

Mr John Craven and Mrs Nancy Craven (née Gaskell)

Sir Philip Craven, MBE

Dr Andrew Crawford

Mrs Helen Critchlow

Mrs Effie Crompton

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Mr Adam Crook, Goldman Sachs Gives

Mrs Gillian Crooks

Mr Simon and Mrs Sarah Crowther

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Mr Stephen Curtis

Dr and Mrs I Dady

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The Late Mrs Hilary Davenport, in memory of The Late Mr Thomas Davenport

Mr Anthony and Mrs Kimberley Davey

Mr and Mrs T Davies

Mr Peter Davis

Mrs Judith Dawson

Mr and Mrs S Death

Mr Irfan Y Dema

Deutsche Bank

Mr Martin Dey and Miss S Williams

Mr Mvuama Diakabana and Mrs Giselle Zozo

Mr G Alex Dickinson

J Dickinson & Sons

Ms Karen Diggle

Mr Tom Diggle

Dr Michael Dillon

The Dilworth Family

Mr Stephen and Mrs Vanessa Dixon

Mr Alan and Mrs Sarah Dodd

Mr Ray Doldon

Mr Andrew Doran

Mr John Doyle and Miss Jane Ogden

Mrs Joyce Duckworth

Mr Bill Duncalf

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Mr Stuart Fletcher and Miss Jeannette Roberts

Mrs Doreen Fort

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The Friends of Bolton School

Mr Tony Galloway

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Gardner

Mr David Garton

The Late Mr Fred Gee

Mrs Jean Gerrard

Mr M Barney Gerrard

Mr Allan Gibson

Dr Victoria Gibson

The Late Mr Peter Gilbert

Mr David Glassman

Ms Juhi Gore

Mr Steven Gornall

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Mr Omar and Mrs Yusra Yousaf

Mr Xian Zheng and Ms Pui Yee Lin

Mr Yu Zhou and Miss Chun Shang

Mrs Kathleen Zimak

TRUSTS AND FUNDS

British Schools and Universities Foundation

Clifford H Ingham Fund

The Dr Edith Forsyth Scholarship Award

The Enid Hargreaves and Philip Hargreaves Memorial Fund

The Essen Fund

The French Huguenot Church of London Charitable Trust

The George Lancashire Bursary Award

The George Lancashire Community Action Award

The Kirk Fund

The Leverhulme

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VOLUNTEERS

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The donors listed above pledged their support, or made a gift to the School, between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024, or have remembered the School in their will.

The volunteers listed above gave their time to support the School, its pupils and its Alumni, between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024.

Every effort is made to ensure that the Roll of Honour is accurate, and we apologise wholeheartedly if there are any inaccuracies. Please do inform the Development Office is that is the case.

Bolton School

Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 4PA

Registered Charity No: 1110703

t. 01204 434718 e. development@boltonschool.org w. www.boltonschool.org

Support the Bolton School Bursary Foundation

Registered Charity Number: 1196968