Dear Parent
Will you help us to provide the best for your daughter?
Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School and QEGSA, its Parent Teacher Association, want to give your daughter the best BUT it is increasingly difficult to provide this from government funding. In September 2006 QEGSA set up a Development Fund supported by a monthly giving scheme with the aim of offering your daughter the highest quality educational facilities. The scheme has the full support of the school governors.
What is the purpose of the Development Fund?
We need to add to the money which the school receives from the government and to make sure that we raise more than QEGSA can raise through events alone. The Development Fund also gives the school a guarantee of additional income to invest to improve facilities for your daughters. As a registered charity, QEGSA can reclaim basic rate tax (28%) to increase the value of your donation.
How much would you like me to give?
The suggested minimum donation is £10 a month by direct debit. The school will be able to reclaim tax so that your donation would be worth £12.80. We appreciate that not everyone will be able to afford this amount, but we would welcome anything which you are able to give. Donations are completely confidential.
What has the Fund done so far?
The first year of the fund provided new furniture for the new Dining Room and contributed to the furnishing and equipment of the new rooms in the Meadway extension, including the Media Editing Suite. Everyone is delighted with the new facilities. These would not have been as well equipped without the money raised by the Development Fund in 2006, plus other funds saved by QEGSA.
Why does the school still need your support?
The building and equipping of the Meadway extension has exhausted the reserves which the school had built up. In the next few years we expect to devote our capital funding to total rewiring of the buildings, starting this summer. This will leave little or no money for other enhancements to the accommodation. We are very grateful to parents who committed to giving for several years or who made a one-off donation and we hope to build on this in the future.
What will this year's project be?
The existing Library has changed little since it opened 12 or so years ago. During that time technology has changed considerably and we need to transform the Library into a Learning Resource Centre where girls can access resources via the internet, whilst continuing to offer a good range of books and other printed material for research and recreational reading.
Our success last year showed how important the Development Fund can be for the school. There is much more we would like to do in the future, for example:
Interactive whiteboards/digital projectors in ALL classrooms
Additional picnic tables and seating in the grounds
Developing and upgrading ICT facilities more quickly
I do hope that you will be prepared to commit yourself to a regular contribution. This will enhance your daughter's educational opportunities at QEGS.
Your sincerely
Kate Webster
Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School in the London Borough of Barnet