Shaftesbury School Foundation

The Shaftesbury School Foundation is a registered charity (no. 306216). The job of the Foundation is to manage the assets and income of the charity to benefit current and former students of Shaftesbury School. This includes the current Shaftesbury School and the former Shaftesbury Grammar School for boys and Shaftesbury High School for girls.

Many people do not realise that Shaftesbury School has a proud heritage going back to 1718 when the original 'Blue Coat School' was founded in Shaftesbury (at the site of The Retreat B&B). The school was funded by an endowment from William Lush, whose foresight and generosity are much appreciated. It is this original endowment that forms the basis of the Foundation's assets today.

The Foundation owned land and buildings in and around Shaftesbury. For example, you can find an  entry in the London Gazette of 1846 citing the use of a Foundation-owned field in Motcombe for running a railway branch line from Gillingham to Shaftesbury. The Foundation also owned the land now occupied by the Abbey View Medical Centre.

The Foundation owns the land that the current school stands on and the buildings that comprise 'E' block and the Cann Chapel and music block, which comprised the main site of the former Shaftesbury Grammar School. The Foundation also owns a significant portfolio of financial investments that have been carefully managed over the years.

In the year 1837, the Foundation reported income of £229 10s. 0d. Fast-forward to the 2009-2010 tax year and the Foundation reported over £70,000 in income. We are not obliged to spend any or all of the Foundation's income in any given year but in most years, most of this income is fed directly back into the school.

Since the year 2000, the Foundation has donated over £500,000 to the school, an average of over £50,000 per year. In 2010, the Foundation donated over £75,000 in extra-curricular funding. The Foundation is a major contributor to the enrichment of student life at the school and the annual Rwanda experience, for example, would not be possible without Foundation funding.

The Foundation is managed by Trustees who are part of the Governing body. The Trustees are unpaid and meet at least once a term to consider applications for grant funding. We try hard to make sure that as many students as possible, in a variety of ways, benefit from Foundation funding.

The Foundation's grant management process is managed online and the Foundation's financial affairs are completely transparent through the Charity Commission website. Use the links to review the latest Foundation funding or to look us up on the Charity Commission website.

The Shaftesbury School Foundation is committed to the enrichment of student life at Shaftesbury School to help all our students raise their aspirations and realise their full potential.

Stewart McKie
Chairman - Shaftesbury School Foundation

Charity Commission