Millfield Prep School case studies (2)

Impact of partnership work done in 2023 (ISC annual Census 2024)

• 8 state schools involved
• 201-500 state school pupils involved
• 200 staff hours given

Impact Statement

IMPACT STATEMENT

The School remains committed to the aim of providing public benefit.

Access

The Governors operate a Scholarships and Bursaries Policy, details of which are published on the school’s website. This is designed to enable access to the school for talented pupils who would benefit from an education at Millfield, by offering fee discounts of up to 100%. The Governors believe this is a vital way in which to ensure that children from families who would otherwise not be able to afford the fees can access the education the school offers.

Scholarships which recognise academic, sporting, musical, artistic or all round achievement and potential may be awarded and these may be supplemented with means-tested bursaries with the objective of trying to ensure that those children who would best benefit from a Millfield education are able to do so, regardless of the financial circumstances of their parents. A limited number of bursaries may also be available on entry to Millfield in cases where a pupil does not meet all requirements for a scholarship. Once a child has entered the school, and whether or not he or she has a scholarship, the school may provide means-tested bursaries if a pupil’s continuing education becomes at risk through financial hardship. Such awards also have regard to both the individual’s educational ability and their contribution to the wider school community.

In the year to 31 August 2018, the total value of scholarships and bursaries (excluding staff discounts and other concessions) was £5.7. A total of 834 (50% of all pupils) benefited in some way from these awards.


The Millfield Foundation is an independent charity set up to raise funds for the provision of scholarships to pupils at the school and provided some financial support to a number of pupils during the year.

The School continues to give support to its pupils and to facilitate open access in many other ways. These include the provision of a Learning Support Centre at the Senior School and a Learning Development Centre at the Prep School which address various types of specific learning difficulties, predominantly dyslexia. Currently these serve over 600 pupils. Millfield prides itself in offering an educational experience which brings out the best in individuals, nurturing talents and abilities as well as enabling students to be positive in addressing their specific areas of need.

Community Partnerships

Millfield aims to be a good neighbour in the community and develops mutually beneficial partnerships wherever possible. Our facilities have again been used extensively throughout the year for public benefit by outside organisations and the local community. The School values and promotes the ethos of service, and staff and pupils are active members of the community.

The presence of overseas students at the School promotes an understanding of diverse cultures and traditions, producing an intangible benefit within the wider community in the UK. It also raises the knowledge and understanding of the UK in communities abroad.

Pupils at Millfield develop a strong sense of civic duty and a clear understanding of the value of community service, which forms a direct, intangible benefit to society as a whole, as does the sense of self-discipline and concern for others that is actively encouraged by the School.

The School actively seeks ways in which its facilities can be put to use for the benefit of the wider community. Society also benefits indirectly from the high level of academic, sporting and artistic achievements attained by the pupils and facilitated by the staff at the School, and directly by the savings to the Exchequer of funding the cost of education to UK pupils which would otherwise be borne by the state.
Examples from the many activities that provide public benefit are highlighted below:

Supporting local, national and international charities

• In the year to end 31 August 2018 £10,571.37 was raised by pupils and staff for a variety of local, national and international charities.
• Making donations to local charities through the Millfield Educational Trust of £10,000 per year.
• Pupils and staff participating in the Glastonbury Road Run and raising funds for charity
• Managing nature and wildlife reserves, providing public access to land managed for conservation purposes
• Loaning equipment and provision of facilities free of charge to local charities
• Performing concerts at local care homes and hosting the elderly at school.
• Doing voluntary and conservation work at Shapwick Heath and completing beach clean.
• Local care home residents visit Millfield Prep each Wednesday to watch sports matches and enjoy match teas
• Pupils’ voluntary work includes visits to local retirement homes, volunteering for charities and other community
• Running a parent and toddler group and clubs for young local children.

Promoting sports in the community

• Hosting a number of local community swimming clubs on a regular basis, opening up our facilities and giving access to our 25 metre swimming pool. We also run lifeguard training courses for local people
• Hosting, organising and providing facilities for a huge number of clubs, schools and representative organisations, including athletics, hockey, netball, cricket, tennis, basketball, golf, football, chess and fencing
• Use of Astroturf training facilities for local youth football clubs
• Hosting the Mendip Cross Country League events and the English Schools Cup
• Hosting the British Equestrian horse trials which is open to the public, last year we hosted 600 competitors over two days.
• Hosting rugby courses for local rugby coaches such as the Activate course
• Multi-activity courses are available at a subsidised rate for local children to enable them to experience and benefit from a range of activities during school holidays together with children of the same age groups from around the world
• Millfield grounds staff teach on courses for the Institute of Groundsmanship to assist in the development of better playing surfaces for local communities
• Organising sports days for local schools
• Host and run Primary School Sports Days
• Fixtures across all sports with local state schools including joint coaching sessions prior to kick off

Promoting drama, music and the arts in the community

• High standard drama, dance and music productions are provided by our staff and pupils free of charge to the public in excellent facilities
• Host Somerset Arts Week events
• Free concerts attended by local elderly people
• Organising a writing competition for local schools through our Prep School
• Providing a series of professional concerts featuring renowned international musicians. This includes an outreach event involving a workshop for local primary school children
• Hosting a joint concert with the Singing Children of Africa at the Prep School to help raise funds for Educate the Kids charity
• Providing music workshops with local primary schools
• Providing three workshops for a local junior school of drawing, printing or ceramics with two local artists, which resulted in an exhibition of the pupils work in the Atkinson Gallery foyer. There was a private view for pupils, parents and staff as part of the local artists exhibition
• Sponsorship of events at the Wells Festival of Literature
• Exam centre for state school pupils to take music board exams
• Invitation to local schools to join in Saturday morning music master classes with invited experts in various instruments

Assisting local state schools and colleges

• Cyber Security learning festival for Millfield Prep pupils and local secondary school pupils
• Lego learning festival for Millfield Prep pupils and local primary school pupil
• Robot Workshop held in conjunction with High Ham and Kingsbury Episcopi Primary Schools
• Outreach Tennis courses held at local primary schools
• Hosting the Somerset regional UK Chess Challenge with 100 of the best players from across the county competing
• Hosting the UK Mathematics Trust team maths challenge regional final
• Contributing to initial teacher training in a range of subjects in association with Mid-Somerset Consortium
• Hosting work experience for trainee teachers

Bobby Moore Academy

Millfield is providing assistance to the Bobby Moore Academy (“the Academy”), a new free school in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London which opened in September 2017 as part of the David Ross Education Trust. As part of the assistance, Millfield Governors and staff provide input to the Academy during its first few years to help shape its development and growth. It is hoped that eventually Millfield will host sports pupils and teams from the Academy for fixtures and activities and provide mentoring support for individual Academy pupils with sporting or academic potential.


Impeded partnerships
We asked your school to give any details of:
• Approaches that you have made to state schools that have not been successful.
• Partnerships that have been attempted but have ended.

IMPEDED PARTNERSHIPS
• Our geographical location means that schools and the local the community have to bus the children to the school which has stopped some events being attended
• Many of our events take place at the weekend which some schools and staff are reluctant to attend at that time
• Despite widespread advertising, direct mailing and follow up communications many schools simply ignore our invitations. We have moved to building a direct relationship with the head or senior member of staff to encourage greater involvement from their schools.


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