Community & Partnerships

As a local school, Colfe’s attaches great importance to widening participation and playing a full part in the life of its community.

We provide financial aid for bright pupils whose families would struggle to meet our fees. We give priority to pupils in local comprehensive schools, especially those pupils who qualify for free school meals:

• Academic merit-based and means-tested scholarships are available at the point of entry to the Senior School (11+) and the Sixth Form (16+).
• Leathersellers’ Scholarships (fully-funded Sixth Form places). Around 12 scholarships are awarded each year, supported by funding from the Leathersellers’ City Livery Company. Past scholars have gained university places at prestigious universities such as Cambridge, UCL, Durham and Bristol, to study a wide range of courses such as Medicine, Law, Maths, Engineering and Architecture.

Partner Schools Programme
We support the boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich in their drive to improve state education by working closely with a number of local state schools. Many pupils who attend these sessions go on to apply for Leatherseller Scholarships.  Activities include:

• Weekly classes in Latin and German
• Masterclasses to stretch and challenge in Maths, Science, French and Spanish
• Taster lessons in new A-level subjects – Economics, Business, Psychology and Philosophy
• Invitations to attend lectures, societies and concerts/recitals and our biennial Careers Fair
• Opportunities to join our orchestra, choir and debating club
• Joint training and CPD for teachers. Last year departments collaborated in: MFL, RS, Art and Geography
• We also have an exciting partnership with St Catherine’s College, Oxford involving visits to Oxford as well as Oxford tutors and students coming to us and our partner schools for events with Years 8, 10 and 12.

Current Partner Schools:
Addey & Stanhope School
Ark Greenwich Free School
Bonus Pastor Catholic College
Conisborough College
Deptford Green School
Prendergast School
Prendergast Ladywell School
Prendergast Vale School
Royal Docks Academy
St Paul’s Academy
St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School
St Ursula’s Convent School

Involvement in the local community
Colfe’s pupils currently volunteer in the following areas:

• Year 10-12 pupils go to three local primary schools, Brindishe Manor, Trinity and St Winifred’s, each week. Pupils support classroom teachers with a range of activities.
• Years 12s go to a local nursing home to engage with and support older people.
• Year 12 and 13 scholars go back to their previous schools to mentor and tutor younger pupils.
• Through DoE many students volunteer in a wide range of activities such as; cubs, charity shops, hospitals and park runs.

Volunteering in the wider community
Pupils and staff are also involved in the following activities as well as in a range of charity and fundraising activities and links with a school in The Gambia.

• Amnesty International
• Care4Calais (a refugee charity)
• Little Dresses for Africa

We are trying to engage even more with the local community and would love to set up more projects and collaborations. Please do get in touch if you have an idea of an area in which we could get involved.

For more information on any of the above contact us on partnerships@colfes.com