At KGS, our aim has always been to deliver an education that gives every student the tools to develop both the ability and the will to make the world a better, kinder place whilst achieving personal excellence and fulfilment.
You will no doubt remember our school motto, Bene Agere ac Laetari – Work Well and Be Happy. It remains central to our ethos, along with our core values of aspiration, integrity, respect and engagement, all of which are woven into daily school life.
The 1561 Club currently provides means-tested Bursary Awards to 65 students. With the help of Kingstonians around the globe, we have an ambition to increase this to 110 by 2028, which marks the fiftieth anniversary of the School becoming both co-educational and independent.
It can be difficult to measure the true impact that financial support makes to an individual student, but I hope the next few pages give a flavour of the life-changing nature of a Bursary Award. Your generous support, whether fully or part funding a Bursary Award, can make an immeasurable difference to a student’s life, opening the door to an education at KGS that previously would not have been possible.
The School has a firm commitment to supporting young people of exceptional ability. I do hope you’ll consider helping us transform the lives of the next generation of Kingstonians, and be part of our past, our present and our future.
Stephen Lehec | Head Master
‘The school instilled in me an independent, questioning mindset, encouraging me to develop my wider interests.’
OUR CURRENT STUDENT BODY
This year we are providing £1.2m in financial support to students
We are proud to support 65 students with Bursary Awards this academic year
65
I loved my time at KGS so much that I came back to the School as Head of Geography, where I had the pleasure of teaching the next generation of bursary recipients. KGS instilled in me an independent, questioning mindset, encouraging me to develop my wider interests. At Cambridge I was able to put into practice what KGS had taught me, becoming a Full Blue athlete and President of the Cambridge University Athletic Club.
Humphrey Waddington | Kingstonian 2005
It is so heartening to hear of the progress the students are making. Derek Finlay | Kingstonian 1949
At KGS, I learned to believe in myself. I consider it a privilege to help support the next generation of Kingstonians. Dr Sungill Kim | Kingstonian 1986
‘I aspire to deliver the same space and support that was given to me.’
75% 100% INCREASE
Since 2016 the percentage of KGS students receiving a Bursary Award has more than doubled
The average Bursary Award figure received
I am immensely grateful for both the financial and pastoral support I received at KGS. To be awarded a bursary presented opportunities that I otherwise would never have been exposed to. The support I received allowed me to successfully manage my academic studies, gain entrance to my university of choice and helped nurture my sporting aspirations.
I am incredibly proud to have come full circle and return to KGS. As the Head of Boys’ Hockey, I am now able to help future generations of Kingstonians navigate their love for sport and physical development. I aspire to deliver the same space and support that was given to me.
Billy Winter | Kingstonian 2015
BURSARY AWARDS TRANSFORM LIVES...
‘From sporting honours and our best ever A Level results to the establishment of a sixth House and the first phase of the creation of the Bridgen Science Centre, KGS continues to thrive.
As Head Master of such a happy and successful school, I am proud to be funding more Bursary Awards than ever before. With your support, we can help many more future Kingstonians.’
We are committed to putting back into the system that gave us so much. It is most gratifying to see the students that we are sponsoring doing so well.
John Bridgen | Kingstonian 1964
I have been given so many opportunities – from playing piano in the Lovekyn Chapel to acting in the Junior School Production – and have experienced such kindness. Thank you for believing in me.
Current Lower School student
Quite simply, we wanted to make a difference and enhance young people’s lives and prospects. Our inspiration came from how KGS had such a positive impact on our own children’s development. This was amplified by being introduced to Alexander McLean, a Bursary Award recipient who is now making an incredible difference to the lives of others. Knowing that a child is benefitting from all aspects of KGS life is a source of great pride. We look forward to being able to support many more in the future.
Donor family
Being awarded a Bursary Award at KGS has opened so many doors for me, and has allowed me to follow my passions of Maths, Linguistics and Music. I hope to go on to study Linguistics in the Netherlands.
Current Sixth Form student
HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE
THE POWER OF REGULAR GIVING
£15.61 FOUNDED IN 1561, WE HAVE BEEN PROUDLY CO-EDUCATIONAL AND INDEPENDENT SINCE 1978.
As one of the country’s leading independent schools, we have an ambition to mark this fiftieth anniversary by increasing to 110 the number of Bursary Awards available. Kingstonians have helped many hundreds of students already. With your help, we can offer an education at KGS to even more young people.
£28,000
funds one student on a 100% Bursary Award for one year
£56,000 funds a Sixth Form student through their A Levels
2,000 pledges of £15.61/month over one year would fund 100% Bursary Awards for 13 students
£240,000
funds one student on a 100% Bursary Award for seven years
£750,000 would create a permanent endowment, from which we could fund one Bursary Award each year in perpetuity
6% OF OUR STUDENTS CURRENTLY RECEIVE A BURSARY AWARD WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN GROW THIS TO 10% BY 2028
FIRST YEAR TO SIXTH FORM
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS RECEIVING A BURSARY AWARD OUR ENDOWMENT FUND 6% 3% 10% OUR AMBITION OUR AMBITION
Our endowment fund is managed proactively to achieve the best possible return on investment, safeguarding Bursary Award support for years to come. At the current fee rate, to support one student for seven years will cost around £240,000.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We want everyone with a connection to KGS to feel welcome and part of our community.
Spanning the generations, our alumni and parents continue to play an invaluable part in shaping what KGS is today, including providing vital support for Bursary Awards.
Our Bursary Awards are strictly means-tested, and the demand is always greater than we can accommodate. The addition of VAT on independent school fees has only increased the financial pressure on families.
The 1561 Club supports students who would otherwise not have been able to join us, and our ambition is to widen access to KGS to more young people than ever before.
Science and maths have always been my passions so having such great teachers, who encouraged me to be ambitious and helped extend my learning has been truly fantastic. My ambitions for the future are to become a surgeon, possibly in emergency medicine. I am also interested in the work of people such as David Nott, who talks about the psychologically challenging aspects of delivering medicine in conflict zones. I can’t wait to see where my career takes me and it all started here, at KGS.
Anas Boulahmi | Kingstonian 2024 Now reading Medicine at Imperial College, London
WE ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL DONATIONS
WAYS TO HELP
MAKE A REGULAR GIFT
LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY MAKE A SINGLE GIFT
DONATE YOUR DEPOSIT
From including KGS in your will to regular monthly giving, we can help you navigate how you donate.
To discuss helping us to increase the number of Bursary Awards we can offer, please contact:
Sarah Humphrey | Director of Development vhumphrey@kgs.org.uk
Anna Lewis Monsma | Alumni Officer alewismonsma@kgs.org.uk
US taxpayers can make tax-effective donations through The British Schools and Universities Foundation (BSUF). Ask us for more details.
British taxpayers can increase the power of their donation by 25% by opting in to Gift Aid.
More details can be found on our Alumni Giving page at www.alumni.kgs.org.uk/supportus
There's so much talk about social mobility - education is a more important part of this than anything else. I left school feeling empowered to make my mark on the world, and that's what I have done.
Alexander McLean | Kingstonian 2003 Founder of the African Prisons Project
