Charterhouse School, Fifth Century Fund Brochure

7/31/2019 Charterhouse School, Fifth Century Fund Brochure

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C H A R T E R H O U S E An Opportunity to Support the Fifth Century Fund


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The Fifth Century Fund

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The Headmasters Welcome

The years 20112014 mark the Quatercentenary of Charterhouse from the date of Thomas

Suttons bequest to the moment when the School welcomed its first pupils. Daniel Defoe

described the establishment of Suttons foundation at Charterhouse as the greatest and noblest

gift that was ever given for charity by any one man, public or private, in this nation.

As we enter our fifth century, we reaffirm our overriding commitment to honour the Schools past,

to enrich its present, and to safeguard its future.

The School is in fine shape with extraordinary academic, pastoral, sporting, musical, and

artistic strengths. We are proud of these achievements but we are not complacent. We know that

there will be significant challenges for Charterhouse in the years ahead if it is to maintain its

reputation as a School which provides an exceptional all-round education.

We have developed a bold and ambitious strategic plan, designed to enable Charterhouse to

remain one of Britains leading independent schools, well into our fifth century. But we will need

your ongoing support to achieve our goals.

I am proud to announce the creation of the Fifth Century Fund, an initiative aimed at improvingour facilities for pupils, and providing bursaries for talented young people who would not

otherwise be able to study here because of lack of financial resources.

By the end of 2014, we aim to have secured sufficient funds to begin a number of these essential

projects. We wish to give everyone Old Carthusians, parents and former parents, and

members of the wider School community the chance to play an important part in shaping

Charterhouse in the years ahead by making a contribution.

This brief document provides a summary of our ambitions. I hope that you will read it with

interest, and will wish to join us in following Thomas Suttons lead by investing in our great school,

and the pupils it serves.

John Witheridge


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Transforming Lives

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Giving young people the opportunity to gain an outstanding

education has always been at the heart of Charterhouses

mission from the very beginning.

When the School was founded there were forty Scholars. To

qualify as a Scholar, the boy had to be well entred in

learninge and his parents had to have limited means.

Today, the School remains committed to transforming the lives

of the most able boys and girls who would otherwise not be

able to attend Charterhouse because of their parents lack of funds. We also wish to enrich the experience of studying at

the School for everyone, by welcoming pupils from a wide

variety of backgrounds.

We are currently able to offer ten 100% bursaries at any one

time (we award, on average, two such bursaries each year); in

addition, we provide around 45 other bursaries of less than

100% fees at any one time. In the present economic climate,

the demand for bursaries continues to grow.

We are committed to securing funds to increase considerablythe number and value of awards we make to pupils in

financial need. This will give some of the brightest and best

young people the opportunity to enjoy the benefit of a

Charterhouse education. Our aim is to provide forty 100%

bursaries (rather than the present ten) at any one time, and

to increase (by over half) the number of bursaries we offer of

less than 100%. It is likely that the bursaries will be equally

split between Sixth Form pupils and those who enter the

School at thirteen.

We currently spend around 900,000 per year on means-

tested bursaries (in addition to the amount we spend on

Scholarships, which cover 10% of fees and are awarded

solely on the basis of merit); we would like, in the long term,

for this amount to increase to over 2 million per year.

We plan to achieve this by raising money which will be spent

in the year in which it is given, and also by increasing for this

purpose our permanent endowment fund (which currently

stands at 8 million).

The impact of this development will be considerable. It will

strengthen still further the academic excellence of the School,

whilst also ensuring its diversity and dynamism.


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Inspiring Science

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Science is a fundamental part of academic life at

Charterhouse. Over the past two decades, the number of

Carthusians taking scientific subjects has soared. Today, in

the Sixth Form alone, there are more than one hundred pupils

taking courses in Science.

The rigour of scientific enquiry also has significant benefits

for all pupils, whatever subject they may later decide to study

at university.

Our beaks have done excellent work in inspiring a passion forScience in generations of pupils, and results in public

examinations have been outstanding. Since 2003, well over

a hundred Carthusians have gone on to Oxford, Cambridge

and Imperial to read Science subjects.

There are several extra-curricular Science societies, and a

programme of events and visiting lectures throughout the

year. Furthermore, the School is developing a national

reputation in helping to train Science teachers in the

maintained sector through workshops and summer courses.

However, in order to remain successful, the School needs to

improve considerably the laboratories and other facilities in

which Science is taught. If it does not do so, there is a

danger that Charterhouses beaks will not be able to benefit

from the most up-to-date teaching methods, and their pupils

education will be limited by the lack of facilities.

By removing the constraints of the present physical environ-

ment, and by modernising our facilities, we will give our beaks

the freedom and opportunities to teach Science in the most

imaginative and innovative ways possible.

In the coming years, we plan to transform our Science

facilities as follows:

By creating a Chemistry building, with state-of-the art

facilities, located near the existing Science area. This will

be a confident, contemporary architectural design.

By renovating and completely updating the existing

Science buildings, to provide much-improved facilities

for the teaching of Physics and Biology.

By completely modernising the Lecture Theatre which is

located at the heart of the current Science area,

incorporating the latest audio-visual technology and new

seating. This will be used not only for Science, but also

for lectures and seminars in other subjects.

These new facilities will help the School to meet the growing

demand and interest among Carthusians for Science

education, and thus maintain our outstanding reputation in

this field.

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Designs for the new Chemistry Building, including one of the laboratories

We plan to refurbish and modernise the existing facilities for Physics

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A Passion for Sport

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Charterhouse is proud to celebrate the fact that Sport is an

integral and important element of every pupils experience.

We continue to do extraordinarily well in Sport as

witnessed, for example, by our winning the Independent

Schools Football Association Final, for a second time in three

years, in March 2011.

We have also benefited greatly from recent benefactions to

Sport, including the following:

An anonymous donor has made a generous pledge

which enabled the School to undertake work in 2011 on

constructing two state-of-the-art all-weather synthetic

turf hockey pitches located close to the Queens Sports

Centre (QSC). This will help to ensure that Charter-

houses first-class reputation in hockey continues.

Another anonymous benefactor generously funded works

in 2011 to level Big Ground and to provide irrigation to both

Big Ground and Green. This will give us almost certainlythe best football pitch of any school in the UK. The same

benefactor is also funding several Sports Scholarships, to

help attract pupils with exceptional sporting talent.

When constructing the hockey pitches, the School will be

able to make further changes to the external area around

the QSC, and the next stage of our plans will be to build six

all-weather floodlit tennis courts and a pavilion, giving views

onto these new playing areas.

We still require funding for these initiatives, including the

pavilion, which will provide an attractive space for spectators

and competitors alike, with its own integral changing facilities

for visiting teams.

With the help of a considerable number of benefactors, we

also aim to transform the QSC by adding new facilities suchas a complex of four squash courts and a much larger

gymnasium.

These developments will help to ensure that we have some

of the most extensive Sports facilities of any independent

school in the country.

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The FA Cup was won by Old Carthusians in 1881

A visualisation of the new pavilion located near the hockey pitches and tennis courts

A computer-generated image of the atrium of the new Queens Sports Centre

An architects impression of the transformed QSC

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A Thriving Musical Tradition

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Music at Charterhouse is blossoming. Well over a third of

current Carthusians participate in some form of musical

activity, ranging from choirs, orchestras, and jazz ensembles

to those taking Music as an academic subject, or simply

having individual lessons to master a particular instrument. In

addition, all pupils now study Music in their first year at the

School.

At the moment, the teaching and study of Music are split

between two main sites. The first is the Ralph VaughanWilliams Music Centre, constructed near the Chapel and

opened in the 1980s, following a successful fundraising

appeal. Whilst it was a progressive building at the time, its

highly distinctive architectural design mirroring the pitch of

the roof on the Chapel has resulted in a building with a limited

number of teaching rooms and performance spaces that are

acoustically poor and awkwardly angled for performers.

As this building was never sufficiently large to house all the

musical needs of the School, we have continued to use the

Old Music School (the former Founders Chapel) for practice

rooms, and for the teaching of piano, but its cramped

conditions are far from ideal.

There is a danger that we will fall behind considerably in

comparison with other top independent schools if we do not

improve quickly, and dramatically, our facilities for Music.

We are currently developing detailed plans for the future of

Music provision. It is likely that we will wish to construct a

new building close to the present RVW Music Centre. This

would enable us to free up the Old Music School (a magnificent

building with considerable potential) for other uses, and bring

all Charterhouses musical activities into one central area. We

expect that this building would provide the following additional

facilities, among others:

Forty new multi-use teaching/practice rooms

A dedicated space for the teaching of Music as an

academic subject

A state-of-the art recording studio, and a Music IT studio

Two Chamber Music rehearsal rooms

A band room

A Music library

We also need to replace the organ in Chapel, which has

come to the end of its useful life, and provide funding for

Music bursaries (to be offered in association with Music

Scholarships) at the School.

These are ambitious plans for Music at Charterhouse, but

they match the enthusiasm, excitement and talent of current

Carthusians and Music beaks. We will need your help to

achieve these goals in the coming years.

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Music award-holders at Charterhouse

The Ralph Vaughan Williams Music Centre

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How You Can Help

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The School warmly welcomes gifts of any amount to the Fifth

Century Fund.

It would be particularly helpful to Charterhouse if you would

consider making a regular gift over a number of years (such

as four or five, if possible). For donors living in the UK, you

may do this via our Direct Debit form; if you live overseas,

you could use our credit card mandate.

Regular donations enable the School to plan ahead with

confidence, certain in the knowledge of receiving futureinstalments something that is especially important, for

example, when we are awarding bursaries for the full five

years of a pupils time here. Of course, single donations, by

cheque or credit card, are also greatly appreciated by the

School.

We look forward to keeping all donors informed about the

progress of the Fifth Century Fund, and about the projects

that have been supported with your help.

Initiatives You Can SupportGifts to the Fifth Century Fund are used by the School

wherever the current need is greatest. For example, this

might be towards funding new facilities (academic, sporting,

musical, artistic, boarding) or bursaries. If you wish to

specify a particular aspect of the Schools activities, you may

do so when making your donation, and we will ensure that it

is used for that purpose.

Tax-Efficient Giving The Gift Aid scheme is a very tax-effective way to make a

donation to Charterhouse, whether you are making a single

gift or a regular contribution (e.g. by Direct Debit).

If you are a UK taxpayer and sign a Gift Aid Declaration,

Charterhouse will be able to reclaim from HM Revenue &

Customs the tax that you have paid on your contribution,

increasing the value of your gift by 25% (at no extra cost to

you). This means, for example, that a gift of 1,000 would

be worth 1,250 to Charterhouse.

If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you will also be able toclaim higher rate relief on your gift. Taking the example

above, of a gift of 1,000, if you are a 40% taxpayer, this

gift would actually cost you 750, once you had r eclaimed

the tax; if you are a 50% taxpayer, the gift would only cost

you 625.

If you live in the USA, you can make a fully tax-deductible

gift using the American Fund for Charities.

Making a BequestIn addition to making a gift to the Fifth Century Fund, we are

encouraging all members of the Charterhouse community to

consider making a bequest to the School in their wills. We

have produced a brochure about leaving a legacy to

Charterhouse; please contact the Development Office to

receive a copy.

We hope, during the period up to 2014, to double the

current number of people who have decided to help

Charterhouse in this way.

Contact DetailsIf you would like any further information, or wish to make a

gift, please contact:

Ian Jones, Development Director

Charterhouse, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2DX

Telephone: 01483 291759

Email: [email protected]


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Any of us who have had the privilege of being a pupil or a parent at Charterhouse will carry with us many good

memories of a School always in the premier division and at the cutting edge of education.

It is vital that we continue to provide the best facilities, the best beaks, and the best education to young

people. We also need to ensure that Charterhouse is accessible to talented pupils from less advantaged

backgrounds who have the potential to thrive at Charterhouse, but who would otherwise not be able to attend

due to lack of funds.

Some might ask why a School like ours needs further funding, and the answer is that we think it is critical that

Charterhouse continues to move forward, rather than having to stand still. The reality is that, although we have

some limited endowment, our current funds are not nearly enough to enable us to embark on major building

projects or to provide the number, and value, of bursaries we wish to award.

I am very enthusiastic about the plans for bursaries, Science, Sport and Music outlined in this document. They

are ambitious, and I believe that with the support of the School community of OCs, parents, and other

supporters we will turn them into reality. The developments described here will have a transformative impact

on the future of the School, and will help to ensure that current and future generations of Carthusians receive

the best and broadest education possible.

I am pleased to say that we have already received considerable support for some of these initiatives, most

recently towards Sport at Charterhouse. Several donors have also made generous pledges to fund bursaries

at the School. We are investing considerably in our Development Office, under the leadership of Ian Jones,

Development Director, and have recruited additional staff. All this is taking place in the context of having a new

Chairman of the Governing Body, Simon Robinson (H73).

The School is very committed to developing closer relationships with its OCs and parents in the years ahead in

a wide variety of ways. It is important for all of us who are part of this international Charterhouse community to

play our part in helping to shape and secure the Schools future. If everyone could contribute something and,

ideally, on a regular basis too we could, at a stroke, give Charterhouse the additional resources it needs, both

for immediate expenditure on major projects and towards its endowment fund.

As an OC, parent, and Governor, I am delighted to take a lead role in raising money for the Fifth Century Fund. I hope

that you will feel able to contribute as generously as you can, at this special moment in Charterhouses history,

whether towards general funds or to a particular area of the Schools activities. In this way, you will be showing the

pride and affection you hold for Charterhouse a sentiment that many of us feel very strongly indeed.

Nigel Kempner (G74)

A Message from the Chairman of the Development Council

O p p o s i t e : t

h e t r a d i t i o n o f w a l k i n g r o u n d G r e e n

P h o t o g r a p h y a n d d e s i g n b y R o g e r S m e e t o n


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Development Office, Charterhouse, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2DX

Telephone: 01483 291759 Fax: 01483 291754 Email: [email protected] Web: www.charterhouse.org.uk

Documents

Charterhouse School, Fifth Century Fund Brochure