The Anniversary Fund
Let’s transform the lives of deserving and talented young people held back by circumstances.
Let’s inspire our fee-paying pupils and give them an experience of the competition they can expect to face beyond school.
Let’s keep the School true to its community roots.
The Richard Backhouse Bursary Fund
As Richard prepares to leave, for those who may be willing and able to consider additional support, we wished to offer a simple opportunity to mark Richard’s decade of service in a way that reflects what has mattered most to him. Richard has been clear that he would value a tribute which enables more young people to benefit from a Berkhamsted education.
We are therefore inviting parents who wish to do so to contribute to a one-off bursary appeal, The Richard Backhouse Bursary Fund. This will be a small-scale, time-limited initiative, with funds used over the next few years to support our bursary pupils, through:
• Tuition Support, helping one or more Sixth Form pupils to access the academic and co-curricular opportunities that Richard has always believed should be open to those with ability and potential; or
• The Full Experience, ensuring that bursary pupils can participate fully in school life by supporting essential costs such as uniform, travel, educational visits and other enriching opportunities.
A gift of any size to either area would be a meaningful tribute to Richard’s decade of service, and will help ensure that this tribute translates directly into opportunity for pupils in the years ahead. If you wish to support this fund, you can donate by completing the form below followed by an online donation of the value of your choosing.
Thank you for your support and generosity to commemorate the remarkable decade under Richard’s leadership.
“…we must go beyond what our accounts will allow, and this will mean calling on the generosity of the Berkhamsted community of parents, Old Berkhamstedians and friends.”
The Anniversary Fund – our plan
We plan to find candidates for our Bursary Fund by developing partnerships with other schools and organisations.
We have already created a partnership with Denbigh High, an 11 – 16 school based in Luton. Ambitious and able pupils at Denbigh are encouraged to put themselves forward for Berkhamsted bursaries.
We also plan to develop a depth of connection where bursary pupils will return to their former schools to inspire younger pupils to apply.
We encourage every bursary pupil to stay close to their former school, as we believe the opportunities and self-belief that flow from bursaries can positively impact whole communities.
We are keen to find bursary pupils who will not only gain great personal benefit from a Berkhamsted education, but will also contribute fully to school life. We look for latent potential.
To assess their engagement, motivation and ability to hold their own we interview each candidate and give them the opportunity to participate in group discussion with Berkhamsted pupils.
Candidates also sit an entrance test, for which no preparation is necessary.
To verify prospective bursary students’ financial needs we carry out rigorous means-testing and also conduct home visits, which we believe are very important from a pastoral care perspective.
We aim to instill every Berkhamsted student with a strong sense of discipline and accountability. Our pupils develop by taking responsibility for their mistakes as and when they make them, rather than adopting a culture of blaming others.
We create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, encouraging our students to take responsibility for their self-discipline, adhering to our school rules and Code of Conduct.
Our Bursary Pupil Mentor works alongside our Heads of House, focusing on helping bursary pupils adjust to and enjoy life at Berkhamsted. They also ensure that bursary pupils and their families are supported through school events.
Our targets
40 funded through philanthropy. 20 funded by the school.
The total amount we need to raise is £25,000,000
By 2041.
We have raised just under £1 million – almost the sum required for 2 endowed bursaries.
