It Takes a Village

Since September 2018 the Loughborough Schools Foundation has provided fee assistance to 296 pupils. In 2020/21 alone, 184 pupils benefitted from fee assistance. But how does a bursary come to fruition?

The process from first enquiry to first day at one of our Schools can often be a journey of more than a year. We went behind the scenes to find out what happens – from initial outreach to the lived experience of a bursary pupil - and to meet some of the people that make a Loughborough Schools Foundation bursary a reality.

In most cases, it starts with outreach. Sam Lister, Registrar at Loughborough Grammar School explains. “My role is to develop links with local primary schools and the community at large to raise aspirations, expand engagement and increase awareness in the kinds of opportunities that Loughborough Grammar School can provide.” Programmes that the Schools run help to create strong relationships between Loughborough Grammar School, Loughborough High School, Loughborough Amherst School, Fairfield Prep School and participating local schools and pupils. These include summer schools and masterclasses that enable local children to discover new subjects, talents and interests through interactive activities and workshops delivered by our teachers and sixth formers.

Sam sees the consequences of these programmes every day. “Once we start to develop relationships and engage through these initiatives, we are able to generate more enquiries for bursaries

“For many families we are their first experience of an independent school. I want them to feel welcome.”

Alison Anderson

“We aim to encourage and challenge every pupil to become the very best version of themselves”.

Dr Julian Murphy

from the schools we are involved with.” And although it takes a lot of work, she says, “It’s all worth it when the boys arrive here in school and discover an extraordinary range of opportunities to develop their passions and skills, so that they get to know themselves and acquire the emotional intelligence needed to thrive.”

At Loughborough High School, Alison Anderson is there as Registrar to take girls through the applicant journey and is one of the first people that a potential bursary candidate will meet. “Warmth is an essential characteristic for the role,” she says. “Some people may have a preconceived idea about the School, and for many families we are their first experience of an independent school; I want them to feel welcome. The School buildings are large and imposing, and you don’t get to see much beyond that in the first instance – so it’s important that we can give people a sense of who we are.”

Once Alison has an application registered, she’ll pass it on for financial assessment, and then steps in again to help organise the assessment process and entrance exam. She’ll hold the candidates’ hands until they are in the school, helping with their uniform, transport issues and anything else that’s needed. Each school has its own approach to bursaries. Dr Christopher Barnett, Head of Loughborough Grammar School, describes a process which demands very individual attention from the Head to secure the best and most deserving candidates. He estimates that as many as 50% of applications to the school will be for bursaries at some level. After a highly personalised process, he will make offers for the seven places that, on average, he has available every year.

“Loughborough Grammar School has a transformative impact on boys’ lives. Everywhere you look, you discover a school bursting with activity, where boys have huge respect for the varied talents of their peers and learn as much outside the classroom as within. Bursaries enable us to provide the highest quality education and a world of opportunities to those whose families wouldn’t otherwise have the means to access it.”

“Tom joined us from a small primary school in Year 7 and grew in confidence and capability, inspired by his teachers and supported by friends. He got involved in all aspects of the School; from playing the trumpet in Big Band to joining the RAF section in the Combined Cadet Force. Here, Tom experienced RAF camps, leadership courses, fundraising, flying planes and shooting. He set himself a goal to become an RAF Officer and I am absolutely delighted to see Tom has realised his ambitions and become a pilot in the RAF.”

Dr Fiona Miles, Head of Loughborough High School, is a Head who likes to be involved from the first open event right through the process. She is passionate about bursaries, but mindful, too, that it’s crucial to make sure the awards go to the right pupils - and she sees her active involvement as vital in this. She is also very clear that a bursary is about more than a girl joining the school; that it’s about the whole family joining the LHS community, and establishing strong, mutually supportive relationships.

“It is important that they really want to come to the School and are as invested emotionally in us as we are in them. One of our sixth formers said to me recently that LHS are creating the young women that the future needs. Looking up, our Year 7 pupils see in the older girls their leaders, their role models and their future selves. They see no limits on female aspiration as they watch our Year 13s go on to become astrophysicists, architects, actors and artists, and they benefit from an inspiring and culturally diverse network of alumni who regularly return to share their wisdom as women in the world of work and entrepreneurship.”

Dr Julian Murphy, Head at Loughborough Amherst School (formerly Our Lady’s Convent School) describes a caring ethos routed in a core Catholic belief about respect and love for each individual. His school aims to encourage and challenge every pupil to become the very best version of themselves by helping parents nurture confident, compassionate and happy young people.

“Two of our recent bursary recipients went on to the University of Oxford and Imperial College. During their time with us, both students took full advantage of opportunities such as the Extended Project Qualification, Debating Society and one-on-one university admissions coaching, and both in turn contributed much to our diverse community.”

“Looking up, our Year 7 pupils see in the older girls their leaders, their role models and their future selves.”

Dr Fiona Miles

How can you help?

Our bursaries change lives. By donating you will be helping bright pupils achieve their full potential. Every gift makes a difference. To give, call 01509 638922 ext: 5301 or email L.ryves@lsf.org

In 2020/21, Loughborough Schools Foundation distributed £1.3M in bursaries and fee assisted places and, at any time, some 180 pupils are receiving a bursary or financial assistance. More than this, though, the Loughborough Schools Foundation is gearing up for a major fundraising stepchange, with the launch of a new bursary campaign to double the number of places and change even more lives by 2030.

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alumni attending four Loughburians Go Live Virtual Talks

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alumni choosing to remember their school with a gift in their Will

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alumni connecting on Loughburians Live with 118 members of the OLCS Alumni Group

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alumni gave £44,908 to help pupils facing financial hardship

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alumni in our global community

Alumni in numbers

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OLCS Alumni receiving our online magazine The Pelican

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alumni gave £47,120 to create bursaries and help bright pupils achieve their full potential

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people reading alumni e-news every month

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bursary recipients joined our schools in Autumn 2021

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alumni volunteering careers advice in our schools