Berkhamsted Society

The Society exists to provide a means of tying together the School’s interactions with key groups of constituents: pupils, parents, alumni, former parents, neighbours and local friends. By running events and establishing working relationships with and between all these groups, the Society assists the School in its aim to be good for the community, closely connected to all its constituencies, and a means of providing and strengthening relationships between people. In so doing, it enhances provision for each of the connected groups and also provides greater business networking opportunities for members of our school community but also for young entrepreneurs moving into the area.

Partnerships are established with other local junior and senior schools, whereby students and staff alike benefit from shared ideas, experiences, opportunities and resources.

Aims

The Berkhamsted Society strengthens ties between recent former pupils and the School, learning from former students’ views about their university, course, and preparation at Berkhamsted, whilst providing much valued subsequent feedback for the School’s current students.

A programme of events of cultural and social interest is run for the local communities, with access to pupils from the maintained sector schools with whom we have established relationships. Our hope is that this will make it easier for people to move into Berkhamsted and forge connections in and around the School and town, and also act as a bridge between local communities. Our community events include intimate talks with ultra-runners such as Anna McNuff through to our theatre ‘audience with’ events which have included guest speakers such as Paula Radcliffe MBE, Ben Fogle, Simon Weston CBE, Nigel Owens MBE, Roman Kemp and Richard Coles, and to event visits which have included a Williams F1 Miami Grand Prix Race Day Experience.

Background

The School Leadership and Governors recognised a need for a single, accessible point of contact within the School for community organisations and leaders such that the Society could provide opportunities both for members of the school community to benefit from exposure to a wider audience and for members of the wider community to benefit from the support structures offered by the School.

Impact

The Society acts as a central hub for providing mutually beneficial opportunities for those within the School and Town communities.

The Society has extended the networking capacity of the School, to include not only current pupils and parents but also former pupils, former parents and wider community members, thus building social capital.

The Society helps the School to form working, supportive and mutually beneficial partnerships with local schools, charities and businesses.