Impact
Groundbreaking scholarships, transformative impact
Our Founder’s purpose was charitable, and the school that he founded remains true to his ideals. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of donors we are able to make an impact and help transform lives.
Our funding priority: The Leatherseller Scholarship Programme
In 2009, the Leathersellers’ Foundation launched a life-changing programme at Colfe’s School. Generous grants were donated for fully-funded, means-tested Sixth Form scholarships to be awarded to talented pupils based on academic potential and economic need. Since its launch the Leatherseller Scholarship Programme has supported more than 100 pupils from local comprehensive schools. Today, the Leatherseller grants are combined with other donations from the wider community to the Colfe’s Charitable Trust to provide fully-funded scholarships for up to 16 students each year.
The scholarship programme is a powerful engine of social mobility. The students arrive at Colfe’s having achieved very highly academically at their previous schools, where they have often played a leading part as role models. Once here, they continue to achieve at a high level, winning places at some of the best UK universities and embarking on high powered careers. Past scholars have gone on to study Mathematics, Architecture and Classics at Cambridge and Medicine at Imperial College, London.
Alongside the benefit to those pupils, the social and academic dynamic of the school is itself enriched; scholars make a uniquely positive impact on existing Colfe’s students.
Our current priority is to build further on this ground-breaking initiative, and guarantee the future of our scholarship programme in perpetuity.
Hear from some former Leatherseller Scholars
WHAT OUR SCHOLARS SAY
The Ukrainian Relief Fund
As the war in Ukraine began and families fled the war-torn country for the UK, Colfe’s launched a special programme to offer free school places to children of Ukrainian families. Thirteen refugee pupils from ages six to 16 have since joined Colfe’s as a result. Parents, former pupils and friends of Colfe’s generously stepped forward with donations to the Colfe’s Charitable Trust to cover these families’ additional incidental costs. The appeal raised nearly £20,000 and enabled support for students’ uniforms, lunches, school trips, digital devices and English language courses.
The Headmaster’s Discretionary Fund
Donations to this unrestricted fund enable us to remain flexible in an ever-changing world. The Headmaster’s Discretionary Fund is used to provide support wherever the need is the greatest, allowing us to address the most urgent requirements and emerging needs of the school. Support from our global community of alumni and friends means we can offer bursaries and short-term hardship funding to pupils whose financial circumstances have changed significantly since they joined the school.
