Lady Anne Dacre founded Emanuel School in 1594 with a vision to provide an education to children irrespective of family income. Over the centuries, through donations and school funds, Emanuel has continued to financially support families.
In 2016 we launched the Fully Funded Places Campaign with the ambitious target of supporting 20 pupils on a free school place. The campaign echoed our founder’s original establishment of 20 free places in 1594. The response to the campaign, from across the entire Emanuel community, was incredible with over 50% of Emanuel staff and over 300 Old Emanuels, current parents and friends of the school supporting the scheme.
With the help of the entire community we reached this significant milestone in 2019, a year ahead of schedule. While delighted with the result, we know the importance of increasing the number of these transformative free places remains the same as when we started the campaign. We have seen how a free school place can really change a child’s life and it has been humbling to meet and hear the testimonies of current and former bursary pupils and their families. We believe that increasing diversity in the school benefits the whole community, offering new perspectives and preparing our pupils for life after Emanuel. That is why we remain committed to more than doubling the number of transformative free places we offer to 43 by 2024, coinciding with the school’s 430th year.
Thank you again to everyone for your support and continued commitment to this vital endeavor. To hear about the impact free places have had on two of our students, watch their videos below.
Robert Milne
Headmaster