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If education is the key to shaping the life of any child, the resilience that College pupils have shown over the past time of uncertainty in the world and through unprecedented challenges to their education has demonstrated the remarkable opportunity on offer at Bishop's Stortford College.
It has always been our belief that bursaries are crucial for supporting talented children from less advantaged backgrounds who would thrive at Bishop's Stortford College given the opportunity to do so. Bishop's Stortford College already prioritises accessibility, supporting over 50 pupils with some form of means-tested financial assistance, including some where full fees are covered, but the past year has only made this case stronger and more relevant than ever before.
Our vision is now to increase the level of bursarial support that we provide, so that more children deserving of a place at Bishop's Stortford College are able to take this opportunity regardless of affordability.
We often hear stories of Old Stortfordians who have benefitted from financial assistance during their time at the College and have then gone on to achieve great things. We believe that a Bishop's Stortford College education continues to be a powerful lever when it comes to tackling issues of social mobility, and we would like to be able to do more. Enabling enrollment for brilliant potential pupils who do not otherwise have the means to access a College Education helps us to welcome pupils whose drive and achievements compliment our existing strengths and further enhance the dynamic of our student body.
Since starting our appeal in 2021, in partnership with our generous donor community, we hope to raise at least £195,000 each year, enough to offer two new places annually, one at 11+ and one at 16+. These places will be fully funded by donations for the lifetime of the pupil's education, and if necessary will include provision for uniform, sports kit, and other expenses, to ensure no barriers to success exist. The current funding requirement for a place at Prep School through to Sixth Form completion is £151,000, and £44,000 will fund one pupil's Sixth Form education.
We stand committed to improving the outcomes for as many bright young pupils as we can going forward, and wish to invite our community to join us in making this a significant philanthropic priority. In the future, you'll have the opportunity to get involved in a number of ways to support our appeal and we encourage you to help however you can.
After seven years, with two new awards per year being allocated, we hope to have fundraised enough to support 14 Stortfordian Bursary Award holders. Can you help us to give the Gift of an Education to more deserving children?
“The transformation I have seen in my child since joining Bishop's Stortford College from a state school has been remarkable. I feel that my child is truly seen, and taught, as an individual and the progress made even in the short time of attending the College has been nothing short of astounding - blossoming in every direction! I am so grateful for the bursary we have been granted and to say the opportunity is lifechanging for us is an understatement.“
- Current Parent, 2021
“It was only after I'd left the College that I realised the appetite for responsibility, self-reliance and core values that my education had given me - a lifetime career as an officer in the Armed Forces was the result. A bursary gave an ordinary boy from Bishop's Stortford that opportunity”
- Group Captain Clive Montellier FCMI RAF (SuH 73-80)
“I was brought up in a single-parent family living on welfare support. Aged 11, Bishop's Stortford College awarded me a music scholarship and a bursary which funded 100% of my fees right through to the end of my Sixth Form studies. After leaving BSC, I studied at Cambridge University and then won a Kennedy Scholarship to study at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA. I am now a barrister. It is no exaggeration to say that the opportunity to study at the College fundamentally changed my life. I will always be grateful to the College and to the benefactors that funded my bursary.”
- Daniel Burgess (HH,93-01)
If you would like further information on this campaign, or would like to consider giving a more significant gift, please do not hesitate to contact a Foundation team member on foundation@bishopsstortfordcollege.org where we will be glad to discuss this and any recognition opportunities further.
