THE BLUE COAT SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT FUND

‘NON SIBI SED OMNIBUS’ - NOT FOR ONESELF BUT FOR ALL

WE ARE BUILT ON PHILANTHROPY It is because of philanthropy that The Blue Coat School is in existence. In 1708 master mariner Bryan Blundell and Reverend Robert Styth recognised the need for a place to accommodate the poor children of the city of Liverpool where they would be cared for and could learn to read and write. Blundell gave a financial gift and Reverend Styth dedicated his time to setting the school up and we are grateful to this day for their inspiring vision. We have a strong history of philanthropy and we hope you feel inspired to keep this spirit of giving alive today by choosing to support us.

WHAT DOES THE DEVELOPMENT FUND DO? Our Development Fund was established to fund the ‘extras’ to ensure that we are able to provide the very best opportunities for our students: the opportunity to excel academically, the opportunity to pursue extra-curricular interests and activities; and the opportunity to exceed their potential.

“At The Blue Coat School we believe in the power and value of education to change lives. As an Academy we use our allocated budget wisely to ensure that our students get maximum benefit from our funding. However, we are an ambitious School, and want to ensure we are able to provide the ‘extras’ that make a Blue Coat School education so transformational. We do this by inviting friends of the School to consider supporting our Development Fund, and we are delighted that so many people choose to support us in this way. We hope that you will feel inspired to get involved by joining our community of supporters.”

IT’S ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE Since this Fund was launched, gifts from parents, former students and friends of the School have supported projects which have had a direct and immediate benefit for our students. Gifts have contributed to wide ranging projects such as the purchase of musical instruments and vital technology and equipment. The Fund also gives us the ability to allocate gifts to projects that are deemed the most urgent in that particular year, ensuring that we are able to respond to the needs of the School and our students on an ongoing basis.

“I personally derive great enjoyment from supporting the Development Fund. Helping to build for our child’s education tomorrow, by making a commitment today,

can only help to give our children the best possible start in life.” Robert, Parent of Laura in Year 7

We are hugely grateful to our community of supporters who contribute what they can each year.

As a result of their generosity here are the projects we were able to support last year:

BRASS INSTRUMENTS FOR OUR YEAR 7 MUSIC BEGINNERS PROGRAMME - In September 2013 we piloted

our Year 7 beginners programme, offering our new Year 7 students the opportunity to learn a new musical instrument free of charge. Development Fund supporters contributed towards the purchase of new brass instruments including trumpets, trombones, euphoniums and french horns.

MUSIC STANDS FOR OUR YOUNG MUSICIANS - In

2013/14 our music department was as busy as ever, performing at School events as well as external events at the Philharmonic Hall. The Fund enabled us to purchase a new set of music stands which are being used for all of our curricular and extra-curricular music activities.

LAPTOPS FOR OUR MUSIC & SCIENCE DEPARTMENTS - Our Development Fund supporters jointly funded a suite of 45 laptops with the Parents Association - these laptops will enable more flexible use of technology in the music and science departments and will make a real difference to teaching and learning.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH EXPEDITIONS - We have a

record breaking 225 students taking part in Duke of Edinburgh. In 2013/14 the Fund contributed towards the transportation costs enabling our students to get to their expeditions and complete their Bronze and Silver awards.

NEW FOOTBALL KITS FOR OUR FOOTBALL TEAMS - Our

football teams across the whole School are delighted that our Development Fund supporters helped us to purchase some well needed new football kits. As we move into a new football season the new kits will be put to good use and will undoubtedly increase team pride in representing the School.

“I feel I have gained new skills, learned how to do things on my own, and increased my

self confidence by taking part in Duke of Edinburgh.” Ellis, Year 9, Bronze Level

PROJECTS THE DEVELOPMENT FUND SUPPORTED IN 2013/14

The making and appreciation of music is one of the most established traditions of the School, and continues to be an integral part of School life. We are proud to be able to provide a range of musical instruments and teaching opportunities to ensure any student who is committed to progressing with his or her instrument has the opportunity to do so. In 2014/15 the Development Fund will enable us to develop our Year 7 Beginners Programme by purchasing more

instruments to give our younger students the opportunity to start learning a musical instrument free of charge.

The aim of the programme is to identify and cultivate talent amongst our Year 7 students and give them opportunities that they may not have had before. Many will hopefully progress and

join the School orchestra and benefit from a sense of community and team work. The Development Fund will contribute to the purchase of strings, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

OUR DEVELOPMENT FUND PRIORITIES FOR 2014/15

The Duke of Edinburgh programme is an internationally

recognised award which develops students’ skills and confidence. Research recently carried out by the United Learning Trust found that employers consider Duke of Edinburgh to be the most important extra-curricular activity at School for

increasing employability.

In 2014/15 we would like to purchase vital kit and equipment that is needed for students to be able to take part in the expeditions. Each piece of kit includes a tent, trangia cooker, waterproof jacket and trousers, a roll mat and a rucksack and is utilised by a number of students taking part in various expeditions.

MUSIC - EXPANDING OUR YEAR 7 BEGINNERS PROGRAMME

DUKE OF EDINBURGH - PROVIDING VITAL EQUIPMENT

The Development Fund in 2014/15 will contribute to two key projects:

INTERNATIONAL LEARNING Increasingly our students are exploring options to study further afield than the UK and funding will enable us to host an event which focuses on international education, as well as explore

opportunities for students to visit University Open Days. We have recently established a partnership with the Lycee Agropolis Frederic Bazille in Montpellier and we look forward to developing more opportunities for exchanges and international learning with this School.

COMMUNITY LANGUAGES We are proud that our students are from such a wide and diverse range of backgrounds. We have a number of students who speak an additional language to English, as well as many who have a desire to develop language skills outside of the School curriculum. Four years ago we established a Mandarin language provision, initially as an after school club for Year 7 and Year 8 students and we are now delighted to offer Mandarin as a GCSE option. Based

on this success, we would like the Development Fund to help fund an expansion of our Community Languages programme to establish extra-curricular provision for languages including Urdu, Persian and Polish.

SPORTS - WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Sport remains integral to a Blue Coat School education and many of our students excel in the field. We continually strive to provide the best equipment and facilities, and our Development Fund in 2014/15 will help us

develop our Fitness Room to ensure it is fit for purpose. Currently the Fitness Room is primarily used by male students and we are keen to ensure that the facilities are utilised by our female students also, and are therefore keen to refurbish the

room and install new equipment to encourage more female students to use these facilities.

Some of our Mandarin students preparing for an educational trip to Beijing

ENHANCING INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES & LANGUAGE PROVISIONS

OUR DEVELOPMENT FUND PRIORITIES FOR 2014/15

Thanks to the generosity of many supporters, we have been able to provide life changing opportunities for our students. With your help, we can accomplish even more. We invite you to consider making a voluntary contribution to our Development Fund. Our Development Fund is about the spirit of participation rather than the level of gift – this is an opportunity for everyone to get involved should they wish, at whatever level they can afford. Money donated to our Development Fund has an immediate impact on the lives of our students, and small, regular donations have the power to collectively make a big difference. As well as contributing to our four key priorities for 2014/15, the Fund will also contribute to projects at the School where the need is greatest, ensuring that funding always provides maximum benefit to our students.

Every gift, whatever its value, makes a real difference.

REGULAR GIVING

Supporting the School with a regular gift is invaluable as it enables us to plan for the future and you can support us over a period of time that you choose in a way that is affordable and manageable to you. To support us with a Regular Gift please complete our Donation Form and return to the Development Office.

MAKING A SINGLE GIFT Should you wish to support us with a single gift please complete our Donation Form and send a cheque, made payable to The Liverpool Blue Coat School Foundation, to the Development Office.

INCREASING THE VALUE OF YOUR GIFT - GIFT AID If you are a UK Tax Payer, you can further increase the value of your gift to The Blue Coat School by allowing us to claim Gift Aid on your donation. This adds 25% to the total of your donation, without costing you an extra penny. If you pay higher rate tax you can claim back the difference between the basic rate of tax and the higher rate on all gross Gift Aid donations made each tax year. Gift Aid can be applied to both single donations and regular donations made by Standing Order. If you are eligible for Gift Aid please ensure you have completed our Gift Aid Declaration.

Your Monthly Gift Your Annual Gift Total Gift After Seven

£10 £150 £1,050

£20 £300 £2,100

£50 £750 £5,250

£100 £1,500 £10,500

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF SUPPORTERS

WAYS TO GIVE

ABLE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS IN OTHER WAYS? As well as supporting us with a financial donation, there are many other ways that you can get involved to help our students - a number of our Parents, Old Blues and friends of The Blue Coat School community volunteer their time to benefit our students. Here are just some of the ways in which you can get involved:

Offering work experience or work placements at your company to our talented students

Becoming a guest speaker on your area of expertise

Hosting a stall at our Careers Fair to inspire our students

Joining our Parents Association committee – our PA is a dynamic and active group of parents who organise a number of events throughout the year. The PA is a fantastic way to meet other parents and support the School and our students.

“I am involved with the PA as I strongly feel the need to give back to the School. If we all give something back by way of giving a little time and, when possible,

financial support, then we not only benefit our own child’s education, but also the education of those that follow.”

Rob Lockyer, Chair of the Parents Association

“As a parent, I feel proud when I help out in School as it is a fulfilling experience and it has

made me feel like a valued member of the School community.” Matilda Lobo

FIND OUT MORE

Should you wish to discuss your gift in more detail, or would like further information on how you can support our ambitious plans, please contact Cat Gransden, our Director of Development.

Telephone: 0151 733 2424 Email: c.gransden@bluecoatschool.org.uk Post: Development Office, The Blue Coat School, Church Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, L15 9EE

The Blue Coat School Development Fund is administered by

The Liverpool Blue Coat School Foundation, Registered Charity Number 526383.