Our Development Foundation

“This is a school which can provide such a home as their own dear children might find happy refuge in if they themselves were taken early away. And I fearlessly ask you, is this not a design which has claim to your sympathy? Is it not the sort of School which is deserving of your support?”
Charles Dickens, speaking in 1857 at the London Tavern in support of the Warehousemen Clerks and Draper’s School, which would later become Royal Russell School.

Our ambition is to increase bursary support by 50% for Senior School pupils from financially underprivileged backgrounds so that more can attend Royal Russell on life-changing bursaries.  Our aim is to raise £1,000,000 in donations toward this cause in a 5-year campaign timed to coincide with the School’s 175th Anniversary in 2028. We believe that this will provide lasting benefits not only for the bursary recipients themselves, but for the whole student body: increasing the social-economic diversity of our student body is a key part of our ethos and fundamental to providing a balanced, grounded, and positive education for all our children. The Russell School Development Foundation has been created to help the School meet its bursary goal by providing a conduit for the continued generosity and philanthropy of the Royal Russell community of parents, former pupils, and friends. With the help of our supporters, we believe we can change the lives of young people forever by offering them the best gift of all: an outstanding Royal Russell School education.

Your gift makes a difference...

Pettiann (2015 – 2022, Buchanan)

I’m now in the second year of my Medical Degree at King’s College London and I’m enjoying it so much. We started placements this year which is really different – dealing with real patients and starting to put what we have learnt into action. It was such a long time ago that I joined Royal Russell. The schools within the area my family lived weren’t that great, so my parents were really pleased when I was offered a place. They had high expectations for me academically and made sure I made the most of the opportunity I was given. I joined the School in Year 7 and I felt really excited as some of my friends were going to be attending Royal Russell, too. I loved the feeling of the school when I came to the open day, so I knew this was the right school for me. I feel like all of my experiences at Royal Russell were putting me on the path I needed to be on for my future career journey. The clubs and co-curricular experiences were so varied and they help pupils to get out of their comfort zone. I contributed to the pupil science magazine, Russell’s Teapot, which was something I’d never done before and was really proud of.

From Year 10 onwards, there was a lot of emphasis on building your network and thinking about your future – using our extensive alumni network to gain an insight into careers and think of pathways you may not have considered before. I know from speaking to friends at University that lots of them didn’t have things like that at their school, so I know it’s a privilege. The Medical Society was really invaluable to me when I knew that this was the career path I wanted to choose. We had the opportunity to sit in on sessions with pupils from older years to see how they were preparing for their medical interviews at University which was very helpful. I love how Russellians support each other in ways like this, it’s really special. I think it’s so important to have people from diverse backgrounds and walks of life studying at Royal Russell so that pupils can use all of the shared experience of their peers to form their own opinions as they go out into the world. In my future career I need to be able to speak to people from all walks of life and connect with them as I’m caring for their health; I know the foundation of this was at Royal Russell. For anyone who is thinking of applying for a bursary place at Royal Russell – I would say go for it! You belong here and you have so much to contribute to the Russellian community. Royal Russell creates an environment which means that all pupils feel equally valued, no matter their background or their route to the school. I look back at my time at Royal Russell with pride and fond memories and I’m excited about that opportunity being extended to as many people as possible through this campaign.

Joshua (2019 – 2021, St Andrew’s)

I’m currently in the third year of my degree apprenticeship at Mace- I do one day a week at university and four days at work in the Project Controls discipline. I really love that I am learning and able to work at the same time and the variety of tasks in my role is really interesting. When I found out that I got a place at Royal Russell with a sports scholarship and a bursary, it was massive for my family because at first it felt like a pipe dream that I could come to a school like Royal Russell. When we were told about the bursary process, and we realised it was a possibility, I began to get really excited. I’d never seen a school that ticked so many boxes for me and I knew it would give me the perfect balance I needed between my academic studies and football. Receiving the sports scholarship and bursary has made a huge difference to my life. I wouldn’t be in this position at such a prestigious company doing a degree apprenticeship if it wasn’t for Royal Russell. I always knew I didn’t want to go to university and as soon as I said I wanted to look at an apprenticeship, the careers team got right behind me. They pushed me on to give me skills I would need and the extra motivation to believe I could achieve it. My teachers helped me to prepare for the application process and all of the interview stages I would need to complete. My time at the school shaped me so much and exposed me to so many things – it really developed me both as a professional and an adult. I was at a different school for my GCSEs and there I was just an average pupil - I never put myself forward for things, really. Being in this environment at Royal Russell made me want to try harder to achieve – I knew I had to make the most of this opportunity. I was a Prefect and a Deputy Head of House in Year 13. I don’t think I would have put myself forward for that at another school, but it was something I wanted to go for and push myself out of my comfort zone. Those leadership positions really benefited me at the time and they are still benefiting me now in the world of work. It’s extremely important that pupils at Royal Russell who come from different backgrounds and have different experiences and skills. When they come together, it balances everything and makes for good team unity – we’re all cogs in a wheel that work together to achieve. There is such a vast group of people at Royal Russell that you will always be accommodated and find people who have similar interests to you; but also through the House system and other co-curricular clubs, you will also be encouraged to speak to people who have different interests to you. I came in as a football scholar and thought I’d just be hanging around just with the football team, but I developed into leadership roles in House and through project work in my Design and Technology class, it really opened me up to new people and different experiences. You can’t box yourself in and Royal Russell and they won’t let you anyway!

Nicholas (2015 – 2022, Keable)

I’m currently at The Engineering and Design Institute in the second year of my Global Design Engineering degree. It was a mix of emotions when I got my place at Royal Russell. My family looked at both independent and maintained schools and when I visited Royal Russell, it felt like the campus was huge. Seeing all that space and the amazing facilities was pretty incredible. The House system and the specialist learning areas were really appealing to me – I could absolutely see myself being happy learning at Royal Russell. If I didn’t have the bursary, my family wouldn’t have been able to afford to come to Royal Russell – it’s as simple as that. The bursary gave me and gives others the opportunity to experience an education we never would have had otherwise. All of the extra curricular activities I experienced at Royal Russell, such as the Combined Cadet Force, opened up so many avenues to me. I can’t put into words just how many opportunities I had at Royal Russell and how they contributed to my growth. Looking back on it, I’m so thankful that I took those opportunities and my advice to anyone would be to just say yes to everything! Even if you think it’s not typically your ‘thing’ it might surprise you. Having Russellians from all walks of life learning together helps with the bigger picture of life and is what makes our community so special. You might think you know who else at the school receives a bursary but you’re never made to feel that you’re any different from your peers. Once you’re at Royal Russell, you’re all just Russellians. Of course, the differences between us exist but they don’t define you here - we’re one big family. I think the worst thing you can do is say no to an opportunity. I’d advise everyone to just say yes to as many things as possible and see all the doors it opens up to you. The School wants you here and the staff want to see you excel. Give it your best and if you become a Russellian, you’re in for an amazing time.