The Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools have always been deeply committed to serving the local community, primarily through the provision of education since 1614, in accordance with the wishes of their founder, William Jones. In addition, by providing affordable boarding facilities, the Schools have extended access to such an outstanding education to children from further afield. The confidence, balance and achievements of pupils and former pupils as students, citizens and members of the wider community provide ample evidence of the direct benefit to be gained from time spent at the Schools but they also recognise their further responsibilities as charitable institutions. This can be summarised as follows:
• Financial assistance is given to families whose children would not otherwise be able to attend the schools. From the age of 11, over 300 pupils benefit from the schools’ assisted places scheme, means-tested bursaries or other fee reductions, currently including 35 pupils whose fees are paid in full. The annual cost of fee support is around £1.4m which is largely funded from endowment income. The Governors are committed to sustaining the number and value of awards at least in line with inflation of the school fees over the coming years. In addition, scholarship awards are made to approximately 180 pupils each year for academic, sporting or musical excellence.
• Educational partnerships – the Schools maintain relationships and undertake joint activities with other local schools, such as a GAP fair, joint schools’ council and charity initiatives. During the summer HMSG hosts a Film School, which is open to pupils at all three senior schools in Monmouth. The Schools also have reciprocal annual visiting schemes with various schools in the maintained sector.
• The Schools have provided assistance to a local charity, TASCS (Training in Autistic Spectrum Conditions), which provides free or subsidised training to parents of, and professionals working with, children with ASC/D.
• Help with the local community – pupil activities fund-raise to support local charities, help in residential homes and work in the school allotment, distributing the produce to the aged and needy. They also learn about service to the community through their participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and through the Combined Cadet Force.
• Use of school facilities – the schools’ facilities are well placed in Monmouth and are made available for a large number of community activities, including sports clubs (the Monmouth Schools Sports Club has over 1,000 members), groups using the theatres and other school facilities and holiday activity programmes for local children.
• Extensive primary outreach involving staff and pupils. Percussion and Science Workshops with local primary schools are run on alternate years and guest speakers from the Schools take their skills and expertise in a wide range of subjects into local maintained and independent schools. On average, over 750 primary school pupils attend workshops at the Schools.
• Monmouth School has set up the first 21st Century Science group in Wales which involves VIth Form scientists across both senior schools and the maintained sector and has forged a link with the Science faculty at Cardiff University to help provide on-going practical assistance.