2
St Peter’s history and traditions are characterised by providing opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to discover their talents and enhance them. Our vision, in keeping with our traditions – and the great needs of today’s social and educational landscape – is to continue to provide opportunities to talented pupils from all backgrounds. The benefits of an education at St Peter’s are clear but over time the cost of attending has risen, putting the opportunity to attend out of the reach of more and more families each year. It is for this reason that this bursary campaign has been created. We want to sustain our modern, dynamic community where we walk, as our motto says, ‘over ancient ways’ and ensure that more children from each generation are equipped with the keys for life. I can think of no better way to mark our 1,400th anniversary in 2027 than by widening access to St Peter’s – staying true to our heritage and making a lasting commitment to our future. I hope you will join me in supporting the Keys For Life Bursary Campaign.
Jeremy Walker, Head Master
3
85
We plan to increase our bursary recipients to
pupils, offering
50% to
1400 as we go towards our
100%
fee remission
th
anniversary
Can you help us?
Keys for Life Bursary Campaign
At St Peter’s we are celebrating our 1,400th anniversary in 2027 with a special initiative to enhance our bursary funding. There are currently 30 pupils receiving fee assistance at St Peter’s, on an average 75% remission on fees, including some on 100% remission. This represents 3% of all pupils from 11 years old to 18. We plan to more than double this number, to reach a target of 10% of pupils attending on bursaries, growing that number each year and starting from 2022. We aim to raise funds to support pupils who will gain the most from an education at St Peter’s and contribute successfully to the life of the school. This will include some bursaries targeted in the following ways: • For children with particular talents such as academic, sporting, music or other areas of importance to school life; • Introducing a City Scholars’ Scheme for Sixth Form places by working closely with local state schools which do not have a Sixth Form; • Working with Royal Springboard and City of York Council to provide opportunities for foster children; • Supporting former York Minster choristers who could not otherwise afford to stay on at St Peter’s as the Minster pays at least 60% of their fees to attend from the age of 8 to 13.
“Keeping St Peter’s demographically diverse is very important and the Keys for Life Bursary campaign will certainly help protect that ethos. We feel it is important to offer something unique back, given the extraordinary life skills, experiences and opportunities it has provided our boys.” Chris & Fran Recchia - Parents and Volunteer Campaign Board members 5
We want to continue support for children from backgrounds which are significantly financially disadvantaged, but we also want to broaden opportunities. This means making places available to children from families who would not qualify for 75% remission but where the fees are still out of reach. To start us off, we plan to raise £5 million by our 1400th anniversary in 2027 through our Keys for Life fundraising campaign, targeting cash gifts and pledges.
To achieve this we are significantly
boosting our fundraising to raise
£10 million over 10 years through a combination of targeted gifts and legacy campaigns
How do I give a gift? Email us: development@stpetersyork.org.uk, to find out more 6
Profile
ISOBEL ABEYOUNIS BURSARY AMBASSADOR
I was able to attend St Peter’s School due to the generous grant from the Merchant Adventurers. Without it, I would not have had the two years of academic excellence, sporting, music and volunteering opportunities that allowed me to earn my place at medical school. St Peter’s not only gave me the on-paper qualifications and extra-curriculars that propelled my future career, it also put me in the same room as intelligent, articulate, successful adults, and their children. I was surrounded by people who spoke, dressed and carried themselves in a way I had not previously been exposed to often, and I learnt a lot from them all. Entering a profession such as medicine, this really helped me communicate effectively and feel confident. After graduating from medical school, I enjoyed two years as a doctor with the NHS, and three years at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Australia. I met my now husband Matthew, an American naval officer, in 2018. We have moved a lot since then, but are now settled in Virginia and I hope to return to work next year, after passing my US medical licencing exams. We have a two year old son, James. I will always credit St Peter’s with giving me the perfect foundation for my future. I would have got good A-Levels at my state school, but I would not have become the successful, confident, well-rounded person I am today without St Peter’s. I hope my son becomes a Peterite in the future! Isobel Abeyounis attended St Peter’s from 2007 to 2009 in Dronfield House. She took A Levels in Maths, Biology and Chemistry and AS Level History. She went on to read Medicine at Nottingham University before embarking on a career as a doctor in the NHS and at Sydney Children’s Hospital. Isobel now lives in Virginia, USA with her husband and son.
7
“St Peter’s has shaped the person I am today and vastly increased what I am able to contribute to my local community, society and the wider world.” Lily Martin, OP 2017
8
Why Now? • We want to provide truly life changing experiences and continue to be a strong part of our local community. To do this we must ensure St Peter’s represents that community and remains relevant in it. • Pupils on bursaries bring great talents to St Peter’s which benefit not just them but also their peers and the whole school. • We want the school community to reflect the wider world. • St Peter’s can and should increase its impact on social mobility in York, Yorkshire and the wider region.
But… • The intake of St Peter’s, and all independent schools, has changed significantly in the last 15-20 years largely due to rising costs of school fees. The recent pandemic has further highlighted the widening disparity. • If we do not do something about this now, over time, St Peter’s will become the preserve of only the wealthier members of our society which will narrow the ethos of the school and eventually risk us becoming more exclusive and separated from our communities and moral purpose. • We call on those within the St Peter’s community to help us ensure that we can provide transformational opportunities to talented pupils across our community for generations to come.
How can I make a pledge? Call us on 01904 537322 for more details 9
10
Profile
ALAN MAK MP BURSARY AMBASSADOR
My 5 years at St Peter’s had a transformational impact on my life. I will always be grateful for the fantastic education I received which enabled me to achieve more than I could have ever hoped for. St Peter’s gave me access to inspirational, brilliant teachers who brought out the best in me, and opened up a world of new opportunities from learning in the classroom, trips abroad and sport, to performing in drama productions and singing in the Chapel Choir. I was the first person in my family to go to university, and I would not have made it to Cambridge without the support and first-class teaching I received at St Peter’s. My interest in politics and public service began during my time at St Peter’s. I enjoyed A Level Government & Politics which led me to join a political party locally in York during the Sixth Form. My interest, which began at school, grew over the following years and I was fortunate to be elected to Parliament in 2015 and appointed as a Government Minister in 2021. I urge everyone to give generously to the Keys for Life fundraising campaign so a new generation of young people can benefit from the first-class education and all-round experience that St Peter’s offers. I could not have attended St Peter’s without significant financial support throughout my 5 years through an Assisted Place, a Bursary and a Sixth Form Scholarship. To maintain St Peter’s as an open and successful institution, it must remain accessible to as many young people as possible from every background.
Alan Mak attended St Peter’s between 1997 and 2002 (Clifton House), joining in the Third Form from a local comprehensive school. He benefitted significantly from a Government Assisted Place, and later a Bursary and Scholarship. After achieving top marks in his exams, he read Law at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. Following a successful career in the City, he was elected to Parliament in 2015. He is the first ever MP and Government Minister of British-Chinese heritage from any political party.
11
20 27 Making It Happen
Achieving a £5 million Target
12
We have devised a pattern of gifts which shows what is required to achieve our initial £5 million target by 2027. We plan to double that to £10 million by 2032. We can offer the opportunity to spread gifts over a five-year pledge period and gifts can be tax effective, including Gift Aid and tax relief. Gifts can be cash gifts, pledges, legacies or gifts of shares. Annual Gift £
Gift (5 Years) £
Number Req.
1
500,000
10.0%
50,000
250,000
2
500,000
10.0%
30,000
150,000
4
600,000
12.0%
10,000
50,000
20
1,000,000
20.0%
5,000
25,000
30
750,000
15.0%
2,000
10,000
50
500,000
10.0%
1,000
5,000
60
300,000
6.0%
500
2,500
100
250,000
5.0%
600,000
12.0%
100,000
500,000
Smaller gifts 267
Total £
% of total
5,000,000
St Peter’s School is a Registered Charity (No. 1141329) and donations can be made in a tax efficient way.
How can I give in a tax efficient way? Email us: development@stpetersyork.org.uk, to find out more 13
14
Profile
ELLIE WINSTANLEY BURSARY AMBASSADOR
I miss my time at St Peter’s. I felt that it really did prepare me for the transition into adulthood, by allowing some separation from my home life by boarding in The Rise. I feel very grateful for the fact that it prepped me for life by pushing me out of my comfort zone, but still supported me, which greatly assisted when I moved to London. I definitely would not be where I am today without the support of St Peter’s; even after leaving they have given me support when I have needed it. It’s really hard to pick a favourite memory from school because honestly, even just within two years, there were so many. I would say one of my favourite memories was travelling to Iceland to go hiking, it was incredible and my first ever aeroplane flight! I am still in touch with friends from school, though with the changes that come with adulthood we have less time but we always find time to catch up. I am currently studying to become a midwife in a hospital in London, with the aim of becoming a senior midwife. I hope to get myself into a place whereby I can give back to St Peter’s myself and support the bursary fund. St Peter’s set me up for a life that may not have been within my reach beforehand, opening opportunities that I may not have been able to, or felt that I was unable to take. When you support this fund it really does make a difference and St Peter’s gives someone the ability to achieve what they are capable of doing. Which without all the lovely donors would not be possible! Ellie Winstanley attended St Peter’s from 2016 to 2018 as a boarder in The Rise. She previously attended Archbishop Sentamu Academy in Hull. After A Levels in English Literature, History and Politics, Ellie went on to read a BA in Political Science and Government at Goldsmiths, University of London. She then embarked on her training in Midwifery at London South Bank University and is currently a second-year student midwife.
15
16
Profile
HOWARD GATISS BURSARY AMBASSADOR
St Peter’s brought a different atmosphere and culture. What interested me was music: I joined the choir and the wind band, learned to play the organ and formed a small singing group. Support here came not only from the music staff but also from the Head Master, Peter Gardiner. I achieved a place at Cambridge where I read Economics. Academic study took something of a second place to union activities but a combination of the two got me my first job – as a corporate planner with Shell, where I stayed for 17 years, working in London, Colombia, Eastern Europe, Vietnam and China. I then spent the next 19 years establishing and running a joint-venture sales company for multinational mining, based in Dublin. Music has become an ever-increasing part of my life. In 2019, I saw 97 operas in different theatres across the world; I joined the Development Board of Opera North five years ago and am now on its main Board; more recently, I joined the Board of a small opera company in Oxfordshire. We do not know about the road not travelled and will never know what would have happened had there been no City Scholarship. What I can be sure of is that St Peter’s – its its culture, ambience and staff – took what was there and helped me develop as a human being. The buildings have changed (well, not all of them!) and staff have come and gone, but I believe I can still recognise in the St Peter’s of today those essential elements which were so vital to me fifty years ago. Howard Gatiss attended St Olave’s from 1969 to 1971 in Ainsty House and St Peter’s from 1971 to 1976 in Queen’s House. After completing A Levels in English, French, Maths and Music, he went on to read Economics at the University of Cambridge. Howard worked as General Manager and Trader at Shell and then was CEO and VP Asia-Pacific at BICC, and CEO at CMC Coal Marketing. He is now retired and on several Trustee boards.
17
Ways of Dedicating
Whilst we value and appreciate every gift made to our campaign, we are able to offer major benefactors (givers of £25,000+) the opportunity to name buildings or parts of buildings around the campus. Indicative examples could include:
Gold level
Silver level
Bronze level £250,000 £75,000 to 150,000
The Pavilion Dining Hall
Boat House
Pascal Building
Swimming Pool Library
Subject Specific Classrooms and Teaching Spaces Pascal Building Classrooms
Queen’s Classrooms
£50,000 Day and Boarding House Common Rooms Boarding House Bedrooms
In addition, there is the opportunity to name specific bursaries such as City Scholars, former Minster Choristers and other areas where bursaries will be targeted. There will also be other ways to publicly recognise and thank benefactors through Donor Boards and social events.
How can I learn more about legacies? Call us on 01904 527322 and we can discuss your options 18
“I can say with confidence my time at St Peter’s means that I am better equipped for all that the world could possibly throw at me.” Amanda Paul, OP 2019
19
We plan to raise
£5 million
by 2027
support To find out how you can
our campaign
contact the Development Office:
01904 527 322
development@stpetersyork.org.uk
You can also visit
stpetersyork.org.uk
21
22