The School Fund Annual Report 2013 - 14 Head Master’s Introduction I am pleased to provide you with an annual report on the Wimbledon College School Fund. The School Fund is essential to the future development of the school, providing the opportunity for parents to support the school through modest, regular gifts, which in turn will provide equipment and opportunities that are not funded from within the routine expenditure budget. Parents will be well aware that Wimbledon College offers so much more than many schools (our extensive sports programme, music and drama, the Chapel and chaplaincy programme, and the annual upgrading and development of facilities). This is only possible because of the generosity of all who contribute to the School Fund. Each year we ask parents to contribute to the School Fund. As a guide, we suggest a monthly donation of £36 per family. Some families can afford more and some are not able to give anything. We are grateful for every donation of whatever size and for other forms of support from those not able to make a financial commitment. I hope you find this report helpful in understanding what funding is available to the school, how it has been used in the past year, and how we plan to use it in the coming year. The College is enormously grateful to all those parents and former pupils, and to the Jesuits, who make such generous donations which allow the school to provide so much to its pupils today and in the future. I am delighted to report total donations of £148k to the School Fund 2013-14. We have once again improved on the previous year’s total. Many parents have completed the Gift Aid form and so we are likely to reclaim £25k in tax from the Government. This means the School Fund raised a grand total of £173k.

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Funded Projects 2013-14 Among the projects funded in the past year are:           

New Fitness Suite School Tractor New Design Technology equipment 120 New computers 3D printer club Boxing Ring Provision of one to one study rooms Sixth form redecoration and improved lighting Continuation of Health & safety upgrade Final phase of window replacement Internal & External redecoration and repairs

The School Fund also continues to support a programme of sports. The total cost of funding for sports this year was around £43k. In terms of rugby, we run 21 teams, which altogether will play over 250 matches. Successes this year included the U13's remaining unbeaten all season as well as winning the Surrey Sevens and reaching the quarter-finals of the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens; and the 1st XV on reaching the last 32 of the Daily Mail Vase, beating Mill Hill School at Allianz Park (Saracens Home Ground) in the last 64. Our U16 football team reached the final of the Surrey cup, and both the U13 & U15 athletics teams reached the regional final of the National Cup. Alongside our 6 major sports, we also run a minor sports programme, which caters for the majority of our student’s needs. These range from Boxing to Golf, from skiing to wrestling, as well as more traditional sports such as tennis, table tennis and badminton. It is hoped that the variety of sports we offer will be diverse enough to attract the interest of every student. The Chaplaincy Programme is at the heart of the school and ensures there is an active Christian life in which boys are invited to participate. The total cost of funding the Chaplaincy this year was £50k (which includes salaries). Music has taken great strides forward over the last academic year. We have dramatically increased the number of boys studying Music at GCSE and have introduced A-Level Music Technology alongside traditional Music A-Level. We have diversified our extra-curricular offer to include more instrumental ensembles and to encourage pupils to make music on their own. Popular music is now being performed more regularly and to a higher standard. This is alongside our maintaining a strong choral tradition and the incredibly successful Saturday Music School. Drama and plays: Over the course of the year there were opportunities for pupils from Figures (Year 7) to Rhetoric (Year 13) to become involved with theatrical activities leading to productions during the academic year 2013-14. There were three productions. The Christmas drama Showcase “The Best Days of our Life?” featured two plays about school: “Galloping Foxley” – adapted from a Roald Dahl story by members of the A2 Drama group and “Unman, Wittering and Zigo” by Giles Cooper, featuring pupils from Syntax (Year 11) to Rhetoric. A stage set which was adapted for each play was built by the College 2

carpenter, and painted and decorated by Stage Team boys from Grammar (Year 10) to Rhetoric. Boys were also involved in sound and light engineering for the show. At Easter “Oklahoma” by Rodgers and Hammerstein was performed. The large cast consisted of boys from Grammar to Rhetoric, girls from UHS and a pupil from Donhead. The cast was coached in sightreading and part-singing in the Music Department. A keen team painted and decorated the complex set with help from the Art Department. Music staff, OWs and current pupils made up the large orchestra, and make-up and costuming involved UHS girls. In the summer term the Drama Department put on “Guy Fawkes, The Quiet Man” as part of two Arts Festival evenings, staged entirely by junior boys from Figures to Lower Grammar (Year 9). Lighting and sound for this show was entirely in the hands of pupils from Grammar. The broad range of involvement in these productions provides opportunities for boys (and girls) of widely diverging interests. Many love acting, singing and dancing; others enjoy painting and construction; others again find fascination in working with PA and lighting systems, in props and costume management and in Front-of-House activity. The funds available for putting these shows on is money well spent; they engender strong loyalty to the school, encourage team-building and personal confidence and provide a worthwhile extra-curricular occupation for more than 100 pupils. The school fund contribution to the development of Music and Drama this year was £14k. The School Fund also provides modest support (this year around £3k) for pupils from families who simply cannot afford school uniform and participation in school activities and trips.

Annual Appeal for Projects 2014-15 In the coming year, the School Fund will continue to support a range of interests and activities:     

Innovative academic projects The chaplaincy programme Sport Performing Arts Extra-curricular activities

Planned facilities developments for 2014-15 include:        

Canopy shading to sixth form outdoor space School Minibus Computer Infrastructure upgrade and Wireless Network Internal & External redecoration and repairs Sixth form redecoration and improvements Continuation of Health & safety upgrade Additional Storage Facilities for Sports Hall Perimeter security at Coombe Lane

The annual appeal allows parents to participate in something they will see an immediate result, with your help and support they can be realised within a year. Your gift can make a genuine difference, immediately adding value to the quality of your boy’s education. 3

Other Income Income from lettings of the school’s facilities (such as the swimming pool, field, sports hall, classrooms and auditorium) brought in around £91k this year (up by around £16k on last year). We are especially grateful to Mrs Brenda Wright, our Facilities Manager, who is responsible for lettings. Merton Youth Opportunity Fund supported the purchase of two 3D printers and a new boxing ring. The school secured a LCVAP (LEA Voluntary Aided Programme) bid for £128k, to improve deteriorating stone and brickwork. The Jesuit Trustees continue to support the school by granting £80k towards Governor Expenditure.

VA 10% Voluntary Aided (VA) schools are still required to contribute 10% of all capital expenditure grants. This is the price that church schools have to pay for their small degree of independence within the state sector. The 10% comes from the School Fund. This year the cost was around £35,000. We explain to new parents that in choosing a Catholic Voluntary Aided school for their sons, they need to consider their part in raising the 10% cost to the Catholic community.

Ways of supporting All donations to the Annual Fund are put to good use immediately, the collective impact of your gift will be felt by current as well as future generations of pupils. We hope that most parents will respond by January with at least a pledge to contribute before the end of the academic year. Regular Gifts – these can be made monthly, quarterly or annually for any number of years. By making a Standing order donation, in this way you provide Wimbledon College with a regular income that enables us to plan ahead and use your donation more efficiently. Single Gifts – By bank transfer or by cheque. Account No. 91305824 Sort Code 40-05-20. Please reference all transfers with your son’s name and tutor group and complete a Gift aid form. Matched Gifts – many companies worldwide match the donations their employees make to charities. Ask your HR department whether they would sponsor this scheme and increase your gift to us at no expense to yourself. Gift Aid/Corporate Tax – Wimbledon College is able to reclaim tax (currently 25%) on your gift. For a gift to be made by Gift Aid, you need to pay UK Income or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the amount that Wimbledon College will reclaim on your donations in the tax year. Higher rate taxpayers can reclaim the difference between the higher rate and the basic rate of tax on their annual return, whilst company donations may be offset against corporation tax, thus making charitable giving hugely taxefficient.

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Pupil Premium – I know that some families simply do not have the resources to make a contribution (and many choose to support the school in other ways such as helping with parents’ events). Under the Pupil Premium scheme we can claim an extra £935 for every boy who is entitled to a free school meal, whether they take the meals or not. We’re asking parents to check their eligibility for free school meals by completing an online form:- http://www.merton.gov.uk/freemeals or alternatively pick up an application form at reception. Wimbledon College September 2014 H:\Administration SLT\Finance\School Fund\School Fund Annual Report 2014

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