£ 1.1m given for the War Cloister Conservation project by 336 donors. The work was funded entirely from philanthropy.
Staff, General Sir Nick Carter( H, 1972- 76), were all but drowned out by dramatic claps of thunder and sudden downpours of rain, though the weather certainly brought to mind the noise and mud of the trenches in a strangely poignant way. And the sun came out in the end.
Early summer saw us break ground on the girls’ boarding houses, the first new boarding houses at Winchester in over a century. This significant build is progressing very smoothly, the school’ s first Housemistress has been appointed, and we are looking forward to welcoming the first girl boarders into VIth Book in September 2026.
Moving on from the newest part of the school to the oldest, we are now in the early stages of a £ 3 million refurbishment of the medieval heart of the school, which will represent the most ambitious reorganisation of the interior of College since the 1940s.
By reclaiming First Chamber and restoring Seventh Chamber to its historic glory( it is believed to be the oldest schoolroom in England, having been built between 1387 and 1394), we will be able to give today’ s Collegemen much-improved study areas and better social spaces. Changes to sleeping accommodation will create a more homely feel and give pupils more privacy. We are also giving the bathrooms a much-needed overhaul, taking the opportunity to improve accessibility by creating a ground floor gallery, and introducing as many sustainability features as are possible within the constraints of such an historic building.
If you would like to find out how you could be involved in this important project, do please get in touch.
Finally, the biggest news story for the independent schools’ sector over the past year was undoubtedly the application of 20 % VAT to school fees from the start of 2025.
In this new environment, our ability to offer generous means-tested fee remissions will be ever more important and we are enormously grateful to everyone who supports our bursary programme. You are contributing to one of the most generous such programmes in the UK. In the last academic year, we spent £ 5 million on bursaries, all funded through philanthropy, whether that is the generosity of people like you today, or others who have contributed to the school’ s endowment over the past six centuries.
Last year ' s beneficiaries include 28 Wykeham Award holders( pupils who have joined us from a state school direct into VIth Book), 83 pupils whose families are paying less than 20 % of the fees, and 29 pupils in receipt of an entirely free place. However, the biggest beneficiary is Winchester College itself, which would not have the benefit of such a highly academically able intake or such a diversity of experience and backgrounds, were places at the College entirely dependent on every family’ s ability to pay the full school fees.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped make this possible.
In June this year, we will be holding our third Giving Day, seeking funds for House bursaries, primarily through an online fundraising appeal. Pop the date( 11- 12 June) in your diary now and watch out for more news in your email inbox as the date approaches.
I can assure you we will be grateful for every single gift, of whatever size, and will use all donations wisely.
The gift of education is a magnificent thing.
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