Working with its partner charities and the local authority, St Swithun’s will identify girls who are living in care or at home on the brink of going into care, but who would thrive in the stability of the boarding school environment at St Swithun’s.
The Bramston Bursary Foundation has an annual fundraising target of £250,000, which, fund-matched by the school itself, will provide bursaries for two girls joining at 11+, covering the costs of school fees, plus 10% for the additional cost of school uniform, trips, social outings and transportation.
Headmistress Jane Gandee said: “We have relaunched the Foundation to focus on raising funds only for full life-changing transformational bursaries which will allow girls who would not otherwise be able to afford any part of the school fees the opportunity to benefit from a St Swithun’s education.
“We are doing what we can to break the cycle of underachievement and improve the life prospects of our Bramston Bursary Foundation students.”
We are doing what we can to break the cycle of underachievement and improve the life prospects of our Bramston Bursary Foundation students
According to figures from the department of education, 18% of children in care achieve a minimum of five GCSEs at grades A* to C, compared with 60% of children not in care.
To identify girls who would flourish at St Swithun’s, the school is working with the Royal National SpringBoard Foundation, the UK’s largest boarding school bursary charity, and Buttle UK whose mission is the maintenance, education and advancement in life of children and young people in poverty or difficult family circumstances.
St Swithun’s is part of the Boarding School Partnerships, a government-backed service providing expertise and information about boarding school placements for vulnerable young people.
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