EXCLUSIVE UPDATE 2024
INTRODUCTION
Kellett is a not-for-profit school with a strong philanthropic culture. Kellett’s strengths lie in our educational facilities and skills in teaching and learning. Outreach and our bursary programme seek to leverage these for the benefit of children living below the poverty line in Hong Kong.
As one of our major donors to bursaries and Outreach we are committed to bringing you greater insight into the impact your donations have made. This update is shared exclusively with our major donors, and we very much encourage you to educate others on the impact of bursaries and Outreach as we continue to move towards our target of HK$26m by 2026.
In future Outreach will be wrapped into the AMD Fund given they both serve the same constituents, children living below the poverty line in Hong Kong. Previous donations made specifically to AMD Fund for bursaries or to Outreach will be honored. Moving forward, unless stated otherwise, donations to AMD Fund will be used for either bursaries or Outreach depending on where the funds are needed most. Please get in touch if you would like to know more about this decision.
*as of June 2024
26by26 - our goal to raise 26 Million HKD by our school’s 50th Anniversary in 2026
The AMD Fund provides children in Hong Kong living below the poverty line with access to Kellett quality education, by offering full-time bursary places at Kellett, as well as Outreach sessions on weekends.
LIFE-CHANGING BURSARIES
We currently have seven bursary students (two girls and five boys) in the Senior school, the vast majority of whom are from the refugee and asylum communities. Two additional bursary students, both female, will join in August this year, having attended Outreach, bringing the total to nine. We remain committed to providing two bursary places per annum.
Hayley Wilson, Deputy Head of Senior School, who oversees the wellbeing of bursary students in the Senior School remarked, ‘The bursary students continue to integrate really well into the Kellett community. As a culturally diverse school, the bursary students contribute important perspectives to our classrooms, school teams and community activities.’
All Senior students are asked regularly to respond to a survey assessing their wellbeing, including questions around belonging, bullying and confidence. Bursary students are responding positively, with no issues of note.
Bursary students continue to make the most of the opportunities available, attending a diverse range of ECAs, from swimming lessons to rock climbing.
In addition, they are making a positive impact on the student community representing the school in sports, one is a House Council Representative and combined they have earned over 100 house points and received 24 postcards for positive contributions to the school.
“My child has changed so much from the first day of joining. He has built so much confidence and grown into an independent person. I have seen a big change, he has learned so many skills and he feels that he can do so many new things that he has never done before. He is happy and proud to be a Kellet student. The bursaries provided by Kellett have a great impact on our kids’ lives, mending broken hearts and souls, and a promising future life ahead.”
Parent of a bursary student
Ms Wilson caught up with some of the students recently. One noted that he had learned to swim and had been competing in House swimming competitions, as well as representing the school in rugby and athletics. One student said they were very happy at school, noting how many opportunities there were, and how welcomed and supported they felt. Another played basketball for the school and was enjoying studying new subjects like DT and innovation, whilst a peer said the teaching and learning was much more engaging and interesting than their previous school and they were being pushed academically and supported.
One bursary student will soon be relocating to Canada. This is normal for families granted refugee status. Once the status is granted they are expected to move to a third country where they can receive full citizenship. He has expressed a willingness to act as a mentor to future bursary students, and given his positive experience at Kellett giving more back to the community. We hope to be able to share more from him about his experience in future.
Ms Wilson volunteering at Outreach
As with bursaries, Outreach aims to offer opportunities to those who would benefit from, but are unable to access, a Kellett education. Outreach also enables us to identify children suitable to join the school fulltime on a bursary.
Outreach sessions provide weekly academic sessions led by qualified teachers, whilst External coaches run afternoon sporting activities such as swimming, football, tennis, badminton, cricket, yoga, rugby, dance, climbing and Lego. All children attending Outreach are provided with breakfast and lunch, transport to and from School, as well as a uniform.
Children are referred to Outreach by various NGOs in Hong Kong. All children are from families living below the poverty line and need to have a reasonable grasp of English to be able to access the learning.
If you have yet to visit Outreach and would like to see it in action then please let us know. We’d be absolutely delighted to show you around.
IMPACT 2023-24
The second year of Outreach began September 2023 and will finish June 2024. There are currently 112 children attending academic and enrichment sessions on term-time Saturdays. Demand continues to grow with applications for Outreach throughout the year.
Undoubtedly Outreach is having an enormous impact on the children who attend, giving them a love of learning, and opportunities they would otherwise not be able to access. More than that though Outreach is creating meaningful connections between communities in Hong Kong who might not otherwise engage with one another.
“We have witnessed firsthand the positive impact of your Saturday programme on the lives of these children. Through your unwavering deciation, you have helped them develop essential skills, broaden their horizons, and build the confidence they need to face the future with optimism.”
Alexander Pforte, Executive Director, Branches of Hope
IMPACT ON ACADEMICS
Below is a sample of children comparing assessment test data in English and Maths from the start and end of the 2023-24 year. Any score over 105 is high performing.
The results demonstrate a clear progression in ability throughout the year. Whilst the children will make progress in their school from Monday to Friday, the supplementary activities taught at Outreach in English, as well as the emphasis on collaboration and child-centered learning, have supported child development.
“My daughter is so happy with what she is learning from Kellett, especially swimming and math. Before she didn’t like math but with the fun way of learning in Kellett she likes math now.”
Parent of a child attending
IMPACT ON WELLBEING
Children attend Outreach with enthusiasm and eagerness to engage in active learning. This can be supported by our Wellness Survey, with many stating that ‘Outreach is my favorite day of the week’.
“When speaking to the students 1-to-1, they always tell me how excited they are to come back. I think that’s a very special part of this journey and I feel very privileged to be a part of it. Outreach has given us that authentic and incredibly rewarding opportunity to invest our time with these communities and really connect with them. ”
Hayley Wilson, Deputy Head of Kellett Senior School
REAWAKENING LEARNING
Maria* is the only ethnic minority child in her government school. Her lack of understanding of Cantonese when she started school meant she was excluded from much of the learning. Over time Maria became an elective mute. After much coaxing from her parents, Maria* joined Outreach, where staff quickly identified her academic potential. We were able to find a speech therapist to work pro-bono with Maria*, who is slowly making progress. The child’s parents tell us repeatedly that Outreach is the most enjoyable and impactful school experience Maria* has ever had.
PROVIDING RESPITE AND JOY
A new family joined Outreach this year, with four of their five children attending. The family live in a 300 square foot apartment, equivalent to the size of a car garage or generous master bedroom. Each week the children take home uneaten food from Outreach for their younger sibling and parents. Rahul* is playing for the new Outreach football team and was recently named man of the match after scoring three goals. Whilst the eldest sibling, Jon*, is now receiving counselling aimed at addressing undiagnosed social and learning needs identified by Outreach staff.
* Not their real name
IMPACT ON KELLETT COMMUNITY
Beyond the benefits for the children attending, Outreach enables Kellett students to experience meaningful service to the local community by volunteering to help. Volunteer students assist with lessons, support with reading, writing or translation, and have also planned and led sessions on the use of technology, E-safety, art and music.
“I first joined Outreach to fulfil my service hours for HKAYP but had no clue what to expect but I ended up falling in love with it and forming some amazing friendships with the students. Now, I actually look forward to waking up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday. The environment is just so welcoming, and it is super easy to get involved and make a difference. It has become a real highlight of my week. ”
Sophie, Kellett Student, Year 11
OTHER NOTABLE SUCCESSES & DEVELOPMENTS
Two children attending Outreach this year have accepted a bursary and will join Kellett in August this year in years 5 and 7.
SPLASH, an NGO provided swimming lessons. Many children had never had lessons before. They also offered free lessons to Outreach parents to enable families to swim together.
Counselling services have been provided to children with specific needs and speech therapy for a child diagnosed as elective mute.
Year 6-9 visited M+, the first time any of the forty children had visited.
Press Start Academy will hold an entrepreneur’s day, as well as academic sessions incorporating technology to develop storytelling and literacy skills.
OTHER NOTABLE SUCCESSES & DEVELOPMENTS
Weekly music sessions offered, with 49 children now having weekly sessions with Kellett students learning either violin, guitar, piano or drums.
An Outreach Library established which allows children the opportunity to read during break times and take books home. Room-to-Read will offer children and their families free books in English and in their mother tongue.
HKIS and GSIS volunteer students taught Outreach lessons, the latter teaching sessions through their own NGO ‘Not So Serious Science’.
Asia Adventure Sport will offer new sports in the afternoons and a full day of team building. Training and competitive matches for a newly established Outreach football team have already started.
FUNDING
Bursaries, as they have since their inception in 2018, continue to be made possible by generous donations made by the Kellett community.
The cost for one child to attend Outreach is $25,000HKD per year. Outreach this year was only made possible with exceptionally generous donations from individual donors, support from HK companies and Foundations, along with school fundraising events such as a Christmas campaign ‘Give the Gift of Education’ and the recent sponsored Move-A-Thon. We are immensely grateful to the supporters from within the Kellett community who have helped keep Outreach up and running, whilst we continue to seek more sustainable funding revenues.
Next academic year we will hold another Kellett Charity Ball in the aid of the AMD Fund for bursaries and Outreach, thanks to the immense generosity of our venue sponsor, the fabulous Mira Hotel, and our dedicated Parents’ Committee. As individuals who share the School’s commitment to giving back to the wider HK community, we very much hope you will organise a table and bring along some like-minded Kellett friends.
KELLETT CHARITY BALL 2023
RECEPTION STUDENTS WALKING FOR THE KELLETT MOVE-A-THON
THANK YOU
PAUL TOUGH, PRINCIPAL & CEO, KELLETT SCHOOL
Your donations for bursaries and Outreach enable us to share our School, teaching and resources with others. This serves as a powerful life lesson for our students, as they enter the adult world and begin to think about how they can use their skills and resources to give back. Thank you for your ongoing support as we seek to raise $26m by our 50th anniversary in 2026.
ALEX WOODTHORPE, CHAIR OF THE KELLETT FOUNDATION
Kellett has long been a generous and thoughtful community. The development of the bursary programme and Outreach are models for schools around the world, benefitting some of the most disadvantaged children, enriching the School community and its long-standing history in Hong Kong. Thank you on behalf of the Kellett Foundation for supporting the school’s philanthropic vision.
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