MILTON ABBEY ANNUAL GIVING REPORT 2016
MILTON ABBEY SCHOOL Milton Abbey is a small, pioneering co-educational boarding and day school set in a stunning rural location in mid Dorset. We provide a traditional alternative, promoting difference and the pursuit of personal strengths and preferences, and our all-encompassing bespoke education challenges and stretches each pupil within a caring and supporting environment. Pupils leave Milton Abbey as confident and resilient young adults, who are well prepared for life and armed with the skills to enable them to succeed in the global workplace.
CONTENTS Welcome from the Chairman of Governors
1
A message from the Headmaster
2
The 2020 Vision – Our Road Map for the Future
4
Development Update
6
Part of the Community
10
Getting Involved
11
Our Supporters
12
Development Board
14
WELCOME Having succeeded as Chairman of Governors this term, I am delighted to have the opportunity here to express my thanks to all of you who have given your support to the School over the past year. As an old boy and former parent, I have seen many changes to Milton Abbey over the years and it is with considerable pride that I see us going from strength to strength at this time. Like all independent schools we face many challenges at present with the uncertainty of a post-Brexit future and what this will look like for our economy. Challenges for our development plans also include the uncertainty over the continued charitable status of independent schools and the new laws being considered around responsible fundraising practices. Despite this climate of change, Milton Abbey is looking set fair with increasing pupil numbers, dynamic and committed staff, strong leadership and a unique educational offer that is continuing to build our reputation. With all this in our favour we are planning for the future so we can accommodate our growing community and provide the very best facilities to support our pupils. Your support at this time will help us to navigate these challenges and build a strong and secure future for our school. Without the vision and commitment of all those who help us – with time, expertise, guidance and gifts – we would not be able to continue to achieve our ambitious plans. My thanks to you all and I hope you will enjoy seeing what you have already helped us to achieve highlighted in this report.
Patrick McGrath Chairman of Governors
1
A MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER Like writing a pupil’s report, I find that providing a summary for an annual review does little justice to the many challenges and celebrations of a typical school year. Milton Abbey is a community that is constantly changing and evolving, shaped by our staff, parents, alumni and the pupils themselves. It is this evolution I see coming through most clearly at a time when the School is enjoying an increasingly high profile, gaining national recognition for our unique educational offer and responding to increasing demand for places. The attraction of our parallel pathway of A Levels and vocational qualifications 2
can be seen in the growing popularity of our Sixth Form offer, which resulted in one of the largest ever intakes in the Lower Sixth Form this September, and our ability to provide a genuinely bespoke education means that these boys and girls will leave Milton Abbey as confident, well prepared young adults. In order to support the range of opportunities our pupils can benefit from through this pathway we are continuing to plan for the future so we can provide the academic, pastoral and extra-curricular facilities required to underpin our offer. As highlighted in this year’s report, plans are progressing
well with the first phase of our new Centre for Countryside and Equine Management and the new Gallery and Art Centre, as well as the fantastic support we have received for various items through the Milton Abbey Fund. However, we are also looking ahead to see how we can best support the redevelopment of our core teaching facilities at the heart of the campus. All this is part of achieving the aims of our 2020 Vision, which will put the School on a strong footing to continue to thrive and evolve during the next few years. This report is an opportunity for us to show what a difference you have
helped to make to life at Milton Abbey. My sincere thanks to all of you who have embraced our vision and chosen to invest in the future of Milton Abbey by supporting the various programmes highlighted in the report. Your support will help to shape the School going forward and I look forward to sharing our continued successes with you during the year ahead.
Magnus Bashaarat 3
THE 2020 VISION OUR ROAD MAP FOR THE FUTURE This year has seen our unique educational offer gain national recognition. Reflecting our aim to provide every pupil with a bespoke education, the increase in choices and opportunities provided by the growing BTEC programme, alongside a traditional A Level offer, means that our boys and girls can choose the best path to help them towards their future goals. Our 2020 Vision, which was launched last year, aims to underpin this offer and provide the facilities to put Milton Abbey at the forefront of independent school education. The Vision has three main aims: 1. To enhance and expand the boarding accommodation 2. To transform and modernise key school educational and sporting facilities 3. To expand pupils’ career opportunities via building stronger and more creative external partnerships with the business community, academic institutions and leading cultural and sporting organisations.
Pupil numbers are continuing to increase with nearly 245 pupils on the roll this year and with girls now making up nearly a third of the School. Growing numbers mean that both boys and girls are able to participate in more competitive sport, music and drama without losing the strengths and traditions of being part of a small school.
we are looking to develop our outdoor sports facilities with a new hardcourt, refurbished Astroturf, new cricket nets and an Equestrian Arena. The next major project in the pipeline is to replace the core teaching complex with a state-of-the-art landmark building in the heart of the School campus, incorporating our Centre for Entrepreneurship.
Our plans for the future are ambitious, with exciting developments already underway with our new Centre for Countryside and Equine Management and the re-development of the Art Department to create a new Gallery and Art Centre. In addition to these
To support the 2020 Vision and ensure every pupil has the opportunity to achieve their full potential, we are seeking those with the vision to invest in the School’s future to help us achieve these goals.
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE This year has seen our activities in the Development Office reach out into many areas of the School community. From our Benefactors’ Shoot last November, to the reception at Painters’ Hall in March for our parents, alumni and friends, to a lunch here in May for our Life Governors, we have supported many areas of School life. Not only is our focus directly on raising funds to support the Vision through our various programmes and projects, but one of our key aims is also to widen engagement with the School from all parts of our community. This will enable us to build our base of support for the future and will allow us to work with our volunteers, donors and friends at all levels. Thank you for getting involved and helping us to achieve so much during the past year.
CAPITAL PROJECTS The most exciting development this year has been progress with our two main building projects. In March, a Principal Designer was appointed to undertake pre-construction, planning, contractor selection and project management for both the new Centre for Countryside and Equine Management and the new Gallery and Art Centre, and both projects are moving forward as outlined below. Centre for Countryside and Equine Management This project will be completed in two main phases: 1) the re-development of the old stable block; and 2) the creation of a new teaching centre in the Abbey Woods. The stable block will be redeveloped to provide dedicated classroom spaces, along with changing rooms and toilets, plus new storage space and an improved tack room. The Abbey Woods Centre will feature a unique two-storey barn style building, 6
with a ground floor open teaching area, first floor resource centre and adjoining tree top teaching balcony. Nearby will be a new single storey building in a similar style containing a mechanical vehicle store and workshop, plus new equipment storage facilities. The Centre will also feature newly planted woodland areas with a landscaped outdoor teaching area. Following the appointment of the Principal Designer, initial investigations showed the old stable block building would require further work to enable the redevelopment to go ahead. Despite this set-back, the revised plans for the project have now been completed and initial work has already been undertaken on a new roof and improvements to the tack room. Planning permission for Phase 1 was received in November and the job is now going out to tender with the aim of work starting early in 2017. We are
enormously grateful to all of you who have supported this project and enabled us to proceed with the first phase of this key development. Plans for Phase 2, the new Abbey Woods Centre, are being developed by the architects and we are now seeking funds to support this exciting facility. Equestrian Arena Alongside the Centre for Countryside and Equine Management, plans are continuing with the aim of building a new Equestrian Arena near the stable block development. This will enable horses to be trained and exercised on site so pupils will be able to spend more time working their horses without having to travel off campus to use an arena in the local area. Some support has already been generously given for this project and we are seeking a further ÂŁ70,000 to enable the work to proceed. New Gallery and Art Centre Since the appointment of the Principal Designer, the plans for the re-development of the Art Department to create a new Gallery and Art Centre have been further developed, providing an exciting and innovative vision for a contemporary space within this Grade I listed building. The planning and conservation officers for North Dorset have commented positively on the plans and we are now seeking the remaining ÂŁ260,000 needed to enable the project to progress. 7
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BURSARY PROGRAMME
LEGACY PROGRAMME
Following the launch of the new Milton Abbey Bursary Programme in 2015, support has been received for both the new Life Governors’ Bursary Fund as well as the general Bursary Fund. Our aim is to secure further donations to provide at least two full bursaries during 2016-2017, which will support pupils who would not otherwise be able to afford to come to Milton Abbey or whose circumstances merit support to remain at the School. The programme is building on resources already in place, including the Toby Mann Fund and the William HolyHasted Trust. Our thanks go to all those who have generously chosen to support this important initiative.
Following our first 1954 Society Lunch at the School last year, we are now delighted to include more than a dozen members in the scheme. The Society allows us to recognise those who have pledged to support the School with a gift in their Will and enables us to acknowledge their generosity during their lifetime. Legacies are a vital source of support as they can be used to fund long-term priorities, such as the Bursary Programme, and can help to build an endowment. As a ‘young’ school, Milton Abbey has no endowment and leaving a legacy gift is one way our alumni, parents and friends can help us to provide security and ensure the future growth and prosperity of the School.
THE MILTON ABBEY FUND The re-launch this year of our annual giving programme as the Milton Abbey Fund has provided a new focus for supporting the School through regular gifts. The Fund underpins the 2020 Vision and will be used to support the School’s immediate priorities in terms of providing additional equipment and facilities to help improve activities and opportunities for our pupils. Projects supported this year include: • Arts and crafts tools for Countryside Management •
A 3D printer for Design Technology
•
Equipment for the New Barn Theatre
•
A rugby scrum machine
•
Funds towards mobile lights for Sport activities
In addition to these projects, during the Summer Term we saw the installation of the new electronic cricket scoreboard, funded in large part by our alumni community through a campaign on JustGiving, and we received new equipment and kit for the Clay Pigeon Shooting team thanks to the generous support of parents, Robert and Tanya Lewis. We are currently in discussion with another parent about funding for new cricket nets, which are much needed and we hope to have in place ahead of training for next season. Alongside the fantastic support we have received for new equipment as noted above, a very generous initiative from current parents Peter and Anne Bond resulted in donations of nearly £9,000 being received as gifts in lieu of parents paying for flights to the hugely successful MASPA wine tasting trip to Tuscany in June. Support where it is needed most We are enormously grateful to those who have supported the Fund and to those who choose to make unrestricted donations to the School as these give us the flexibility to respond quickly to the areas of greatest priority and need.
Projects for 2016-17 include professional camera equipment, a digital microscope, a wood-turning lathe and support to refurbish the School’s beautiful Steinway grand piano.
PART OF THE COMMUNITY Not only is the School focussed on building support that will benefit our pupils but there is also a programme of activity that is aimed at providing benefits to the wider community. Great Stare Project The School is working in partnership with the Diocese on ‘The Great Stare’ project at Milton Abbey, which received a £1.2m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund this year. The project aims to restore the Abbey Church, revitalise the surrounding internationally significant landscape, reveal the rich history of the site, provide visitor facilities, and provide activities and events which will involve visitors and volunteers. The project is named thanks to Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, the renowned landscape artist, who created the landscape around Milton Abbey. He referred to his dramatic flight of steps between the Abbey and St Catherine’s Chapel as ‘The Great Stair’. Subsequently, he was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape that he called the whole site ‘The Great Stare’. We are delighted to be involved in this project with the Diocese and during the summer the School hosted an exhibition as part of the national CB300 project celebrating 300 years since Capability Brown was born. Round Square We are proud to be a member of the Round Square association of schools, which share a commitment beyond academic excellence to personal development and responsibility. The 10
Round Square philosophy of IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service) is integrated into school life and includes activities that involve pupils undertaking service to support residents within the local community as well as international aid projects. Community Support Outreach to local groups and organisations this year included a series of music workshops with pupils at Milborne St Andrew First School, as well as a primary schools’ golf event which gave 60 visiting children an introduction to golf. The School also supported the charities Julia’s House and Walking with the Wounded and funds raised during the year included over £1,400 from our annual Friends of Milton Abbey Summer Fete in June. Other groups and organisations that benefit from the School’s community and outreach activities include: Milton Abbas Parish Council, Milton Abbas Sports Club, The Abbey Swimming Club, Bere Regis Swimming Club, Bere Regis Cricket Club, Kingston Maurward College, Milborne St Andrew First School.
GETTING INVOLVED As members of the Milton Abbey community, we welcome all our alumni, parents, former parents and friends to be involved with the School in some way. There are many opportunities to join in: as volunteers (to host or help with events), as mentors (to provide careers advice, guidance or work experience) and as guest speakers (to give life-experience talks to current and former pupils). The Milton Abbey School Parents’ Association (MASPA) offers an exciting programme of activities throughout the year for all our parents and former parents. This provides an opportunity to get to know other parents from the School in a more social setting. Last year’s activities included a yoga and meditation retreat, an Italian bread baking workshop, private tours of Holkham Hall in Norfolk and the Robert and Tanya Lewis Motor Museum in Surrey, a weekend skiing in Switzerland, a private view of Amanda Wakeley’s latest designer collection in London and a wine tasting weekend in Tuscany. Our thanks go to all those parents who have helped to arrange these activities and have supported the programme.
The Milton Abbey Association (MAA) aims to support all former pupils via a network of contacts, offering careers advice, business links, sport and social events, all of which are promoted via its online community, The MAA Hub (www.miltonabbeyassociation.org.uk). The MAA also supports our current pupils as part of our 2020 Vision with a programme of work experience placements, careers talks and visits, and a mentoring programme, all of which have been hugely successful during the past year thanks to the generous support and participation of our former pupils. The Friends of Milton Abbey School (FoMAS) is a forum for keeping in touch with news from the School via a monthly newsletter and invitations to attend events at the School. Members can join a mailing list to receive regular bulletins and updates and receive invitations to key school events by visiting www.eventsatmiltonabbey. co.uk/newsletter/ 11
OUR SUPPORTERS The Headmaster and Governors are extremely grateful to all those who have supported Milton Abbey School during the 2015-16 academic year. Your gifts and donations have helped to support the 2020 Vision and shape the future of the School and we would like to express our sincere thanks for your generosity.
Benefactors who have given between September 2015 and August 2016 Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Mr J F A Baring (A’89) The Lady Elizabeth Barne* Mr A N C Bengough (H’72) Mr & Mrs G Benson* Dr & Dr Broggi Professor A Bruce of Crionaich (D’78)* Mr T Carson (D’78)* Colonel O J H Chamberlain (A’68)* Mr A Chatikavanij (H’80)* Mr & Mrs C Chitty Mr O C Clark* Captain P Cleife (H’57) Mr & Mrs P Constantinidi Mr R Coulman (A’91) General Sir Jack Deverell* Mr & Mrs T Devine-King Mr T D Edwards-Lunn (T’95)* Mr J Egerton-Warburton (B’81) Mr R E C Evans (H’94) The Revd A Faludy (H’98) Mr & Mrs M Fenton Mr & Mrs M Fresson Mr F C Fulford (H’70) Mr M Gardner Mr T G Getty (D’86)* Professor & Mrs S Gleeson Captain N Hadden-Paton (A’71) 12
Mr N F Handslip (H’89) Mr P H Harrison (T’61)* Henry C Hoare Charitable Trust Mr & Mrs P Hill Mr & Mrs M Hodson Mr A R J Langton (D’65) Mr M J C Lavers (A’66) Mr & Mrs R Lewis Mrs A Ludovici Gray & Dr L Burton Mr P W McGrath (H’78)* Mr L T Messel (A’68) Mr D C P Nesbitt (A’71) P F Charitable Trust Mr A Quinton (T’64)* Mr C R F Raw* Mr F J W Robarts (D’73)* Sir William & Lady Rollo* Colonel & Mrs C M Roskelly* Mr W A Scott (A’74)* Mr & Mrs J Simpson Mr & Mrs H Smith Mr P M G Stopford-Adams (‘60) Mr & Mrs M Stürken Mr G H Tatham (T’64) Mr & Mrs S Tordoff-Gibson Mr & Mrs C Treasure Mr & Mrs C Warburton Mrs L Waterfield Sir Philip Williams Bt*
*denotes those who make a regular (monthly/annual) donation to the School
In addition, we would like to thank those who have given their support for the benefit of our pupils via the Toby Mann Fund and the William Holy-Hasted Trust. Milton Abbey Careers Programme We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those parents and alumni who have so generously given their time and expertise to support the Careers Programme in various ways this year, including careers talks, visits, trips and activities, work experience placements – we were delighted that 22 of our Lower Sixth Form pupils were placed with former pupils during the careers week in June – and acting as mentors for both current pupils and recent leavers.
The 1954 Society Members The 1954 Society enables us to recognise and thank, both during their lifetime and beyond, those who have chosen to name Milton Abbey School as a beneficiary in their Will. If you have not yet informed us of your intentions, we would be delighted to hear from you and welcome you as a member of the Society. Lady Barne (Life Governor) Mr J E A Barnes (Life Governor) Mr A N C Bengough (H’72) Mr J V Booth (T’79) Mr J H Burder (T’57) Mr G de Soissons (Former Parent; deceased) Mr M D de Soissons (H’75; deceased) Mr R V de Soissons (H’75) Captain N Hadden-Paton (A’71; Life Governor) Mr P H Harrison (T’61) Mr P W McGrath (H’78; Governor) Mr A Quinton (T’64) Mr D J Reason (Former Staff)
Your generous support is greatly appreciated
DEVELOPMENT BOARD We are enormously grateful to all those on the Development Board who have helped to provide their valuable guidance to support the School’s philanthropic activities during the past year. • Alastair Ames (T’73) • James Burgess (Parent) • Katharine Butler (Governor) • Mike Chattey (H’79; Former Parent) • Ruadhri Duncan (D’86) • Justine Elmendorff (Parent) • Penny Freer (Parent) • Alice Fresson (Parent) • Nigel Hadden-Paton (A’71; Life Governor) • Michael Hatchard (Former Parent) • Amanda Hill (Parent) • Harry Jarman (H’07) • Patrick McGrath (H’78; Governor) • Charles Vivian (H’85) • Magnus Bashaarat (Headmaster) • Lindsey Kelly (Development Manager)
The Development Office was established at Milton Abbey with the sole aim of supporting philanthropic giving to the School. If you would like to discuss making any sort of donation to the School, please do not hesitate to contact us at development@miltonabbey.co.uk or 01258 882234.
Milton Abbey School | Blandford Forum | Dorset DT11 0BZ t. 01258 880484 www.miltonabbey.co.uk 14
Registered charity number 306318