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The Bramston Foundation is dedicated to helping young girls who are at risk of going into care,
who may already be trying to cope with the instability of a life in care, or who are dealing with
other challenging issues in their critically under-resourced communities and day-to-day lives.
With your help, we can provide fully funded boarding places at St Swithun’s School: stability, security, opportunity,
and a family of inspiring positive role models.
Simply life-changing.
Please consider making a donation today, setting up a regular gift, undertaking a challenge and fundraising for us or leaving a gift in your Will
to help us to continue making these places available for brighter futures.
For more information on how you can help, please contact development@stswithuns.com / 01962 835734
Together we can do something amazing.
"The Bramston Bursary Foundation (BBF) relaunched in 2019 with a clear and ambitious goal to help young girls who are at risk of going into care, who may already be trying to cope with instability of a life in care, or who are dealing with other multiple challenging issues in their critically under-resourced communities.
Through no fault of their own, and for a variety of reasons, children who come into the care of a local authority often have a difficult journey ahead of them.
Sadly it is not uncommon for children to have to change foster homes and this sometimes means a change of their school too.
Even in the best of circumstances, growing up is a challenging time for any child, so I can only imagine how difficult it must be not knowing who you are going to live with next, possibly being separated from your siblings and not being able to forge long term friendships because of a frequent change of school.
It is completely understandable that children in care struggle to perform academically in line with those children not in care.
We also want to help young girls who may be on the edge of going into care, or who are dealing with multiple challenging issues from critically under-resourced communities.
St Swithun’s can provide a first class education and all the opportunities that provides, but more importantly - and the real key here - is that we can provide a loving, stable and structured environment through boarding at the school. This is what can be utterly transformational for these children.
We are working with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Virtual School and College for Children in Care (Hampshire County Council), which looks after the educational needs of children in, or on the edge of care in our area, to help identify girls who could flourish at St Swithun’s.
We are also working in partnership with Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation and Buttle UK to identify girls who are currently living with parents or a family member, but in challenging circumstances and who may be on the edge of going into care.
Through the Bramston Foundation, I am proud that we are keeping St Swithun’s open to a diverse and vibrant community, which will enrich all our girls’ experiences and better prepare all students for life beyond the school gates."
Jane Gandee, Headmistress
Unfortunately, the number of children in care is growing. Currently, there are 82,170 children in care in the UK and this has increased by 6,800 since 2018. 44% of these children are girls and in Hampshire alone there are 1,661 children in care. These girls need our help more than ever.
There is clear evidence that a boarding school place will help a girl achieve academically. We partner with Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation, who work with schools across the country to find boarding places for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. They found that 98% of children who have been given a fully funded boarding school bursary achieved 5 or more GCSE's at grades 9-4/A*-C compared to 35% of children in similar circumstances nationwide.
It's not just about the academic achievement. The girls will often have unstable living conditions and may have to move schools frequently. This makes it challenging for them to feel safe and create lasting relationships, which is vital for girls in their teenage years. The Bramston Foundation gives girls a stable home and school situation, and with the superb pastoral care and individualised attention St Swithun's provides, these girls are able to thrive.
"I have grown so much more confident in who I am, and feel assertive and empowered. I feel equipped to tackle the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, thanks to the school environment that actively encouraged independent thought, practicality and curiosity."
Beneficiary of the Bramston Foundation
We need to raise £268,380 each year to support two girls through seven years of education at St Swithun's. Let's round this up to £270,000 for ease. We meet our fundraising target through a combination of fundraising events, donations, grants and major gifts. One way you can help is by joining the 1884 Club where you agree to donate £18.84 monthly, quarterly or annually to the Bramston Foundation.
Want to find out more? Take a look at our digital brochure.
