COMMUNITY
School supporting the community Once more the School has played a key role in the local community. Activities in the past year included the setting up and running of a Primary Care Treatment Centre, which enabled the NHS to help save lives at the height of the Covid-19 crisis. The DT Department was among the first in the UK to manufacture protective visors (as pictured below), using innovative laser-cutting technology: more than 3,700 visors were distributed to key outlets such as care homes, hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies. Student-led activities at Tonbridge saw £113,000 raised for national and international charities, including £69,000 for Child Action Lanka, the School’s partner charity which supports street children in Sri Lanka. Third Years completed a ‘virtual’ 2,000-mile run and cycle from Tonbridge to Greece, raising funds for the RefugEase charity, while also learning about the global refugee crisis. In a normal year, 24,000 hours of volunteering time is given by pupils and staff through long-established links with primary, secondary and special schools and community groups. Over 150 boys choose weekly volunteering activities.
In 2020 Tonbridge was one of just six schools across the country to be named as a Finalist in the Independent Schools of the Year Awards for its ‘Community Outreach’ programme of activities.
