Millfield School case studies (20)

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

• 20 state schools involved
• 2001+ state school pupils involved
• 20000 staff hours given

Impact Statement

Millfield is committed to providing benefit to the public on a local, regional and national scale, with the main aim being to benefit children from a wide variety of backgrounds. The school does this by widening access through financial support, sharing facilities, resources and knowledge with local state schools, involvement in community projects, teacher development and offering life changing opportunities to disadvantaged children. The school also brings significant economic benefits.

Last year Millfield’s contribution to the UK GDP was in the region of £82.5m (2022/23), with £40.3m contributing to Mendip’s GDP. The school supports 2,041 jobs in the local area. £7.6m was saved to the UK taxpayer last year by pupils who are eligible for state education choosing to attend Millfield. These are some of the initiatives the school is involved in:

Scholarships and Bursaries

Scholarships and bursaries enable access to the school for talented pupils who would benefit from an education at Millfield, by offering fee discounts of up to 100%. Scholarships may be supplemented with means-tested bursaries, to uphold our powerful principle of diversity that is the Millfield Mix, making sure that those children who would best benefit from a world-class Millfield education and outstanding opportunities are able to do so, regardless of the financial circumstances of their parents. Every child matters, and at Millfield we are passionate in our goal to identify the potential in each individual and do everything we can to ensure their success..

In the year to 31 August 2023, the total value of scholarships and bursaries was £5.9 million. Day students were supported through £3.9 million in scholarship and bursary funding.

The Millfield Foundation is an independent charity set up to raise funds for the provision of scholarships to pupils at the school.

SpringBoard Foundation

The Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation provides life-transforming opportunities for hundreds of children from disadvantaged backgrounds who would benefit from a boarding school education. Supported by a bursary from the school, 2018 leaver and Head Boy came to Millfield in Lower Sixth from Gladesmore Community School in Tottenham, North London. He was featured on The One Show, where he discussed his home and school life and the opportunities SpringBoard and Millfield have offered him. This partnership with Millfield will continue to offer other children this life-changing opportunity in the future.

Boarding School Partnerships

Launched in September 2018, Millfield has welcomed this Department of Education scheme which seeks to place vulnerable young people, whom might otherwise eventually need to be taken into local authority care, into boarding schools, with the aim of transforming their lives and prospects.

Over 8,000 school children and public have attended events at Millfield in 2022/23, including over 20,000 hours committed by Millfield staff and students.

Opening access to our facilities

Millfield Enterprises courses attended by over 1,500 students, including 115 funded places.

Millfield Swim School offers a variety of swimming lessons for children and adults, teaching over 520 children every week. 

Mendip league Cross Country competitions hosted at Millfield and attended by over 500 students - Millfield staff member Chairman of the Somerset Schools Athletics Association. 

Hosted two-day hockey event Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) at cost, attended by 22 teams from state schools across Somerset – Millfield has linked with SASP as part of the new Sports Leadership Qualifications to create further links and enable our students to run events for local schools using our facilities.

In association with the Somerset Cricket Board we have provided over 30 hours of access to indoor cricket through weekly sessions aimed at young people with learning or physical disabilities.

15 students from St Dunstan's School join our students in Combined Cadet Force training and activities. 

Theatre facilities used for local community group’s Christmas pantomime, local infant school’s nativity, and comedy group event attended by over 1,500 audience members from the local community.

Millfield school productions attended by over 400 external students. 

SAT Centre facilitated 24 places and 110 hours to external candidates. 

Teacher training conferences provided for Early Careers Teachers on ISTIP inductions.

15 local schools engaged in discussions over the formation of multi academy trust.  Links are continuing to strengthen with the schools involved to assist with areas where they require support, including a SENCo meeting and EdTech advice. 

Millfield staff volunteered their time to prepare and run a Grand Physics Show and Science Week activities attended by over 350 local primary school students. 

Biology outreach programme offers a loan scheme for science resources and sessions for individual schools, including a dissection session for 17 students from Kenton Manderville Primary school in June 2023. 

Over 200 students from external schools invited to attend our annual History & Politics Conference and Biology & Psychology Symposium, including students from the local college, Strode College. 

11 schools invited to join the Millfield Team Maths Challenge with over 40 students from local schools taking part. 

Over 100 external students attended our Futures Fair, offering access to exhibitors from HE, Apprenticeships, Gap Year, Military, Employers, Summer Schools, Sports Agents and Careers. 

Mentorship schemes in place between our students and local schools, including 20 Millfield students reading with 60 primary school students on a weekly basis. 

Millfield’s in-house nutritionist delivered advice through assemblies and competitions to our neighbouring state primary school, Elmhurst Junior School, with winning students invited to Millfield for lunch. 

Hosted Commonwealth Games Day for over 250 local students. 

In March 2023 our students hosted a Tea and Dance event for local residents, bringing old and young generations together - the afternoon was so popular it is now a termly event as part of the Millfield Brilliance Award (MBA).

The MBA is a new project which has the dual aim of giving back to the community and educating students on philanthropy, with students and staff volunteering time, support, teaching and providing resources locally and worldwide.

Millfield has also collaborated with Elmhurst Junior School as part of the MBA. Over 50 children visit Millfield every week to learn a variety of skills from our staff and Year 11 and Sixth Form students, including skills in art, drama and Chinese and Latin.

Community Projects and Charity

We offer an extensive programme of academic, dance, drama and music events open to the community free of charge.

As part of the Millfield Brilliance Award (MBA), Millfield hosted the inaugural Brilliance Exchange, including charity activities, a clothes exchange, food tasting sessions and live music to raise money for local charities. Profits from Millfield Brilliance Exchange donated to NSPCC with all excess clothing donated to the Salvation Army. 

Students have set up other MBA projects including setting up a Pen Pal scheme with vulnerable adults and building overseas mentoring and environmental programmes. 

2 Millfield teachers and 5 students gave their time during February half-term to volunteer at a local community centre, running family fun sessions and encouraging young people to engage with dance workshops. 

Extensive Community Project with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment involving delivering workshops with local primary schools over 5 days and performances during 2 evenings. 

Multiple book parcels distributed to the local area to promote reading in the community.

Donation boxes provided to local food banks, created and donated by students and staff - two car loads of food were delivered to ‘Bridging the gap’ foodbank in the lead up to Christmas and over 30 boxes were created by L6 students containing gifts for local families.

Between 8-12 Millfield students regularly engage with Southwest Volunteer Programme activities, supported by Millfield staff, include beach cleans and local ground clearance.