The Governors attach great importance to providing financial assistance to individuals of ability who cannot afford the fees and also to the School’s relationship and involvement with the local community. Our wider charitable obligations are well recognised. Beside financial benefits, and whilst not yet back to full pre-pandemic levels, our facilities are used for public benefit by outside organisations, local maintained schools and the local community.

The School values and promotes the ethos of service and staff and pupils alike are active members of the local community. Any consideration of the public benefit is related to our stated objectives.

The Governors have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011, to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. Some of the detailed activities that contribute to the public benefit are shown below:

Grant Making Policy

This year the value of bursaries and scholarships made out of unrestricted funds totalled £1,233,312 (2021: £1,420,612). A further £147,434 was made out of restricted funds (2021: £128,236). Such financial assistance helps the School maintain its ethos, academic performance and achievements. The Governors’ policy, in line with that of other independent schools, is to make scholarship awards on a wide variety of abilities including academic, art, sport, music, theatre arts and design technology. Bursaries are advertised and are made to applicants on the basis of their financial circumstances. Such awards are means tested and reviewed annually. In 2022, bursaries awarded totalled £998,410 (2021: £999,142) and given to 119 pupils (2021: 123 pupils), which equates to 68 full fees or 5.3% of net fee income (2021: 70 full fees or 5.4% of net fee income). In addition, full bursaries totalling £12,225 for the final half term of the year were awarded to 5 refugees from Ukraine. Support for 10 Ukrainian refugees will continue for the full year in 2023.

Assistance to the Local Education Authority (LEA) and Local Maintained Schools

• The formal partnership with the Tile Cross Academy has continued to grow despite the pandemic. 2 more pupils were successful in the bursary programme and joined the Solihull Sixth Form in September 2022. The CCF link has been formalised with a joint parade and the development of a Corps of Drums. Other departments and activities are becoming more involved in the partnership, notably MFL and debating.
• The link with pupils from Reynalds Cross School, Solihull, which caters for pupils with severe to profound multiple learning difficulties, has taken longer to re-establish following the pandemic but the art project was facilitated again and plans confirmed to restart Sixth Form pupil visits in 2022/23.
• The School extended its Oxbridge preparation procedures to a range of local maintained schools and other independent schools. Potential candidates participate in interview practice sessions and specific application preparation seminars.
• The School hosts and chairs the Local Independent Schools Safeguarding Board which reports into the Local Children’s Safeguarding Partnership.
• Donations are made to St Alphege Infant and Junior Schools, Solihull, and Sharman’s Cross Junior School, Solihull to assist in the provision of facilities for education.
• Equipment and text books no longer required by the School are donated to local schools and organisations. In the last year, the Prep School launched Second Chance, an initiative to donate laptops to local schools to enable on-line learning.
• A number of staff members are governors at local maintained schools.

University & Academic Links

• The School is a member of the King Edward’s Consortium for teacher training, providing low cost training for unqualified teachers considering a career in the profession.
• Members of our teaching staff are members of national and regional educational and examination committees.

The Local Community

• The School has a group of community outreach pupil ambassadors, who help to plan and run charity events. The group also help publicise community links across the school community. A Sixth Form Girl Up group was established during the year and the Equity Group expanded, with both groups involved in fundraising. Community issues were the focus of the Third form project based learning and each form group presented on solutions for homelessness. Student involvement in community awareness and fundraising activities continues to expand.
• The use of our music facilities remained restricted for much of the year but have recently recommenced.
• Our performing arts centres, chapel and other facilities are made available to local societies including charities at generous concessional rates.
• Our extensive car parking facilities are made available to local churches, charities and societies when requested.
• Charity fundraising continued to be healthy despite pandemic restrictions. The School held 5 non-school uniform days in support of local, national and international charities. The Prep School also has a major focus on charity during their annual Charity Week and Megathalon. The major focus of 2021/22 was to support the Ukraine. The School contributed to a lorryload of equipment which was sent to the Ukraine. Over £50,000 was raised in the year for this and many other charities.
• Volunteering in the community forms a significant aspect of the Duke of Edinburgh award with pupils at Bronze, Silver and Gold giving their time to a variety of organisations such as animal rescue centres, charity shops or training youth sport teams.
• The School has donated computer and furniture items to local charities.
• We help the Solihull Care NHS Trust with their scheme to support adults with learning difficulties into employment opportunities.
• The Chaplain is involved with many church and charity activities around Birmingham, including work in hospices, food banks and urban priority charities.
• The School are recipients of a community action award from the charity, Remembering Srebrenica, and continue to work with the charity to promote information regarding genocide.
• We have provided art and photographic exhibits to local offices and community centres and provide judging and exhibition space to local societies.
• The local police force uses our facilities for dog training.
• Our minibuses are used on occasion by local community groups and clubs for transport to events.
• Donations are made to the Parish Church of St Alphege, Solihull and the Salter Street and Shirley Team Ministry, Shirley for the advancement of religion.