Brentwood School case studies (19)

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

• 25 state schools involved
• 501-1000 state school pupils involved
• 300 staff hours given

Impact Statement

Testimonials from staff at local state schools:

Andy Scott-Evans, Headteacher of Beckett-Keys, said: Thank you so much for allowing Steve Francis to come to see me and my facilities manager yesterday. It was a very helpful visit.

We have immediately been able to action a couple of Steve’s suggestions and he put our minds at rest on a couple of issues that were concerning us.

Steve is clearly very knowledgeable, having worked at Brentwood for over 20 years and was generous with this knowledge and experience. He gave us names of companies to work with, potential species that we could consider and some practical tips on planting out some saplings we have received from the Woodlands Trust.

He was an excellent ambassador for Brentwood School and very complimentary about our site which was encouraging for our staff here.

I hope that he will be willing to keep in touch with us as we try to improve the state of our lawns and trees in our communal areas.

Thank you again for lending him to us!


In addition, Mr Scott Evans said: I am personally very grateful for all the support you have given me since we opened in September 2012 (and even before that during the planning stages). It is refreshing and rewarding to work with a colleague who genuinely cares for the good of the students in the town rather than merely his/her own personal agenda. One of our key strategies here is to create an Independent School Feel’ and our links with Brentwood are crucial to helping us see what an Outstanding Independent School is like. Our challenge is then to see how we can strive to create something similar for our students to benefit from here.”
“The generous offers of piano playing saved the school money we would have spent on accompanists.”
[Allowing them to use Brentwood’s sports facilities free of charge amounted in] “huge savings to budget. Students given opportunities to play B,C,D teams or younger years to develop the squad.”
[Inviting them to attend a talk by Jack Straw resulted in] “higher aspirations and opportunities afforded to our students than would normally be possible

Lee Hubbard, Director of Operations at Kings Langley School, said:

I thought I would send you an email thanking Brentwood school for its support in preparing my students via practice interviews. Mr Bowley went above and beyond the call of duty to aid my students in their preparation and I know that they found it extremely useful and enlightening to visit the school. Having never been to a school of the magnitude of Brentwood it was excellent to show them what high aspirations and attainment looked like.


Mrs Carole Herman, Headteacher at Shenfield High School, said:

“The CCF Partnership has enabled Shenfield High School to set up an effective CCF which is on its way to becoming independent. The SSIs have readily given of their time to attend our Open Evenings and to support our cadets.”

Mr M A Skelly, Headmaster, Westcliff High School for Boys, said: “We greatly value the links we have with Brentwood School, and our pupils gain a great deal from those links.”

Malcolm Webb, President, Brentwood Cricket Club, said: “Without [the cricket pitches] we would be unable to run more than two sides every week (we currently run six) and would therefore be unable to play in the Senior Essex Cricket League. It follows that we would also be unable to offer competitive cricket to the youth of the community.”

Mrs Sara Sullivan, Director of Sixth Form, Assistant Headteacher, Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School, said: “[Attending the Sir Anthony Browne Society lectures] was a fantastic opportunity for our Government and Politics students to listen to and question prominent politicians. It really expanded their appreciation of pragmatic politics. They also attended the leaders’ debates prior to the general election and felt that the session was extremely useful and that their own views of the parties were often modified.”

Testimonials from Parents of local state school children attending our Mathematics Masterclasses:
A father - "Firstly thank you very much to Brentwood School for hosting the Mathematics Masterclass sessions. Alex finds the classes thoroughly engaging, enjoyable and fun. It has provided him with challenges and extra curricula learning and has enabled him to work together with peers outside of his usual groups, making new friends at the same time. Alex is always "buzzing" when he comes out of the sessions which is a credit to the way the classes are delivered. He particularly enjoyed the Murder Mystery Code-breaking. For parents it provides an opportunity to see the school (maybe for the first time) and find out about the school and its history. We are always made to feel very welcome. It also gives parents a chance to assess the possibilities on offer at Brentwood which may have been previously considered out of reach. The tour from Mr Davies gave a great insight to life at the school. From a personal perspective it has been a great opportunity to observe the array of sport on offer at the school and as a coach myself, I was drawn to the rugby fields whilst waiting for the classes to finish. Thank you again for providing the opportunity for local children to enjoy the school."

A mother - "Frank has found the masterclasses very interesting and inspiring. He learned the maths code, symbols and systems that aren’t normally taught in school class. Most importantly, this class kindles his love of math. I would highly recommend this initiative to other parents."

A mother - "Kian has thoroughly enjoyed the masterclasses and I’d definitely recommend to other parents. It’s given Kian a chance to mix with other like-minded children who have a keen interest in Mathematics. The classes have covered areas which Kian hasn’t previously explored with his current school and have broadened Kian’s knowledge and way of thinking. Kian has come out of each class informing me, in an excited manner, what he’s learnt and the different ways of tackling problems. Well done Mrs Ward and Team!"