Attention: You are using an outdated browser, device or you do not have the latest version of JavaScript downloaded and so this website may not work as expected. Please download the latest software or switch device to avoid further issues.
Funding Bursaries for Brighter Futures
In 2023, St Mary’s celebrates its 150th anniversary - and in this special year we plan to launch an ambitious and genuinely transformational bursary programme which embodies the school’s aims and values.
An iconic symbol of positive change is the butterfly - and here in Wiltshire, close to fifty colourful varieties thrive in the surrounding countryside. The formative stage in the creation of any butterfly is the time it spends as a chrysalis, preparing to spread its wings and flourish in the wider world.
Our Chrysalis Campaign to build a strong and sustainable bursary fund is aimed at changing lives for the better, opening doors to opportunities that never seemed possible and creating brighter futures for many more girls here at St Mary’s.
The Chrysalis Appeal aims to grow the Bursary Fund to £5 million initially but ultimately we need is to expand this fund further, by building an endowment of £12 million to ensure that our bursary scheme is financially sustainable for the long term.
Chrysalis Bursaries are fully funded, transformational bursaries for girls who need our help most.
We work with the UK Charity - The Royal SpringBoard Foundation – who identify candidates for whom a boarding education can be life changing and they help prepare them for boarding school life.
SpringBoard ensures that support is delivered throughout the school holidays, and they also offer a vibrant alumni programme to ensure SpringBoarders are supported in building on their school experience as they embark on the next stage of their journey.
What is really powerful is that when they go back home, the girls can be fantastic role models, creating a sense of aspiration and ambition, as well as encouraging social mobility.
We currently have six SpringBoard girls at St Mary’s and all the girls have strong aspirations and come from families where education is highly valued. In a very short time, they have been keen to show that attitude, rather than circumstance is the key to shaping academic success and developing life-long social skills.
We also offer Chrysalis Bursaries to particularly able and gifted girls from local state schools through our Foundation Scholarship Awards. These are day places and can also be worth up to 100% of the fees.
“A great education can and should change your life and I wholeheartedly believe that this is something every child deserves. Schools such as ours want and need to be able to offer free places so that more students have access to our outstanding education.” Mrs Diana Harrison, Acting Head
“We are determined to widen the opportunity and access to bursaries, based on the belief that a first-class learning experience should be available to all, regardless of a family’s financial situation. What’s more, an inclusive community where girls are eager to contribute and keen to stretch themselves, is one that works for the good of everyone.” Mrs Cari Depla, Director of External Relations
“The culture of St Mary’s is one of warmth and inclusivity. The core values of the school are about learning, academic excellence and service to others – as well as building confidence in your own resilience and abilities.” Cate Bell, Chair, Calne Foundation Trust
“Through our partnership with SpringBoard we not only see the positive ripple effect the girls have in their home communities but the positive impact they have in school.” Mrs Claire Bolton, Royal SpringBoard Co-ordinator
“A great education can and should change your life and I wholeheartedly believe that this is something every child deserves. Schools such as ours want and need to be able to offer free places so that more students have access to our outstanding education.” Mrs Diana Harrison, Acting Head
“We are determined to widen the opportunity and access to bursaries, based on the belief that a first-class learning experience should be available to all, regardless of a family’s financial situation. What’s more, an inclusive community where girls are eager to contribute and keen to stretch themselves, is one that works for the good of everyone.” Mrs Cari Depla, Director of External Relations
“The culture of St Mary’s is one of warmth and inclusivity. The core values of the school are about learning, academic excellence and service to others – as well as building confidence in your own resilience and abilities.” Cate Bell, Chair, Calne Foundation Trust
“Through our partnership with SpringBoard we not only see the positive ripple effect the girls have in their home communities but the positive impact they have in school.” Mrs Claire Bolton, Royal SpringBoard Co-ordinator
The school’s governors are determined to widen the opportunity and access to scholarships, based on the belief that a first-class learning experience should be available to all, regardless of a family’s financial situation. What’s more, an inclusive community where girls are eager to contribute and keen to stretch themselves, is one that works for the good of everyone.
We offer 2 types of Chrysalis (transformational) Bursary:
Foundation Scholarships aim to offer the opportunity of the first-rate academic education provided at St Mary’s Calne, to particularly able and gifted girls from the state sector who would otherwise be precluded from the independent sector by reason of financial restriction. These Academic Scholarships are means-tested and can be worth up to 100% off the fees.
SpringBoard Bursaries are awarded to pupils from disadvantaged circumstances who have been identified by the Royal SpringBoard Foundation. This is the UK’s leading boarding school bursary charity providing life-transforming opportunities in state and independent boarding schools for children from less advantaged circumstances. Pupils selected are those who they believe would best benefit from boarding.
Calne Girls Bursaries are awarded to daughters of Calne Girls who would otherwise miss out on the excellent education their mothers and/or grandmothers enjoyed. As we move into the next 150 years of St Mary’s, we want to support positively a tradition of St Mary’s girls, flourishing from one generation to the next. Bursaries are also awarded to daughters of the clergy, as envisaged by the Founders of St Mary’s in 1873.
The current value of the CFT Bursary Fund is £2.18M (as at 31st October 2022). The fund has increased significantly since the Old Girls’ Association transferred to the CFT their Matthews Bursary Fund of £129,712 in April 2013.
We aim to grow the Bursary Fund to at least £5m by the end of 150th Anniversary of the school in 2023. Ultimately, the vision is to expand further this fund, by building an endowment of £12 million to ensure that the bursary scheme is financially sustainable for the long term.
A fund of approximately:
Our targets are challenging but each bursary awarded is means tested and where appropriate includes a sum for text books, educational trips etc
A gift of:
£1.1m |
(or £880,000 plus gift aid) |
would endow a 100% bursary in perpetuity |
£825,000 |
(or £660,000 plus gift aid) |
would endow a 75 % bursary in perpetuity |
£550,000 |
(or £440,000 plus gift aid) |
would endow a 50% bursary in perpetuity |
£275,000 |
(or £220,000 plus gift aid) |
would endow a 25% bursary in perpetuity |
We use a third-party company, Bursary Administration Ltd (BAL), to assess all applications. This involves scrutiny of financial documents and records as well as a home visit by an assessor, who then writes a report and makes recommendations on the level of support needed. Bursary holders are asked to let the school know if there is any significant change in their financial circumstances and they may be re-assessed periodically to ensure that the level of support remains appropriate.
If you are a UK tax-payer, giving to the Calne Foundation Trust with Gift Aid enables us to increase the value of your gift by 25%, at no additional cost to you. To make a Gift Aid donation, you must pay at least as much Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax as the amount of tax reclaimed by the CFT. This is currently 25p in every £1 donated. Higher rate tax payers who make a donation through Gift Aid may claim extra relief.
Scholars who need assistance with fees can apply for a Bursary and the level of assistance will be financially assessed.
A wonderful school like St Mary’s Calne needs to be an inclusive community and provide opportunities for girls from diverse backgrounds. Our Chrysalis Bursaries are aimed at supporting those who could not even begin to afford fees. Bursaries can transform the lives of individuals and can help ensure that St Mary’s values are carried forward into a world which is increasingly competitive, crowded and complex. Every girl at St Mary’s is enriched by the wide diversity of pupils in school.
There are 3 ways you can support the Chrysalis Appeal: