A invitation to you to join in!
Welcome from the Chair of the Local Governing Body
Dear Parent/Carer,
A warm welcome to you on behalf of your Governing Body at William Perkin! We are so pleased to be able to meet you in person this summer – and, of course, through the coming year.
The Governors are really the eyes and ears for you, for the local community, and for the Twyford Academies Trust. We include representatives elected from staff and parents, representatives of the London Diocesan Board for Schools and local Deanery and co-opted members, including a senior member of staff from our neighbour, Harrow School. So we bring a very varied range of experience to our work with the school.
School Fund – an invitation to you to join in!
School Fund shows the wonderful collective strength of many people who want one thing: to benefit your sons’ and daughters’ education beyond what the government can provide. Small contributions (or large ones) can go a long way!
I am writing to you now to celebrate our successes so far and to invite you to join us in making future ones possible…
Our Governing Board operates School Fund in order to fund projects over and above what Government funding makes possible. It is built up from financial donations from parents and is held in a separate bank account to other funding. Use of the School Fund is decided by the Governing Body in consultation with the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association (the PTFA), of which you are all members.We all know that funding for schools is under severe pressure: at William Perkin, we are so fortunate to have our wonderful building. However, there are always further needs in a school, which the School Fund can kick-start and support:
- In the first few years, we leased and resourced the school‘s first minibus; we contributed to the new Sports Pavilion and the school’s bid for a cricket square: this has led to the much larger investment by the England Cricket Board in the Wilf Slack Centre.
- We made significant contributions to setting up the library in the LRC.
- In 2019-20 and 2020-21 we made a major contribution to the Sixth Form extension. The Trust and the school funded the construction work, but the School Fund contribution supported the
fitting out of this spacious study centre.
- In 2021-22 we funded equipment for the Duke of Edinburgh award programme, team kits for girls’ and boys’ school sports teams, and soft seating for the library space.
- In 2022-23, we funded the purchase of new, durable picnic tables for the outside playground and…
- We renewed the distinctive picture wallpapers around the school, which look absolutely lovely and have greatly enhanced the school environment!
- In 2024-25,
the school fund made a contribution towards the cost of our fantastic new Shade Sails, protecting the Cricket Square and spectator area, which will be installed during the summer term. - In 2025-26, the school fund has paid for the upgrade and refit of our food technology room, which is enabling the school to launch Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE from September 2026, offering a different and exciting qualification for students passionate about cookery and nutrition,
Regular generous giving by you, our parents and carers, means that the School Fund can thrive for the benefit of all students and, during this coming year, help us create more exciting projects.
2026 is the National Year of Reading and, as such, our key mission for the School Fund this year is to raise funds to further improve our school library and the Glade reading area. The LRC is a large space, and currently the library occupies just a small part of it; we would love to expand our offer to ensure the selection we offer means every single child at William Perkin, from their first day in Year 7 to their final day in Year 13, would be able to loan a book from the library that meets their needs, stimulates their interests and ignites their passion – we want to nurture a generation of avid readers. To achieve this, we need additional shelving, signage and… lots of books!
As a guide, we ask families to make a monthly donation of £5, £10, £20 or £30 per student educated at the school. Of course, you are welcome to choose another amount to donate.
Donations are made online by visiting the School Fund page on the school website (under About Us) Please be sure to select William Perkin School Fund to ensure your donation supports the correct school. We also strongly encourage you to complete the Gift Aid form if you pay UK income tax. By doing so you will add 25% to the value of your donation.
If you have any queries concerning donating to the School Fund please contact our School Fund administrator on [email protected].
Thank you for supporting your child’s education, and that of all the students at William Perkin CofE High School, part of the Twyford CofE Academies Trust.
Yours Sincerely,
Amy Newman Debbie Keenan
Headteacher Chair of Governors
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