King’s House School welcomes Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation

King's House School in Richmond was delighted to welcome the RNCSF, a leading social mobility charity, for a day of talks to pupils, parents, staff and governors.

Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation (RNCSF) is a leading social mobility charity working to bring the transformational opportunities offered by fully funded bursaries at some of the UK’s leading schools to young people who will benefit from them the most. King's House School is extremely proud that it has financially supported the charity since 2013. A discretionary £5 is added to parents’ termly bill, and through these kind direct contributions and an award from the School Public Benefit Fund, King’s House is able to support four bursary placements a year through the scheme.

Last week King's House was delighted to welcome Ali Henderson, the Chief Executive, and Julien, an alumni of the programme to the school. Julien spoke to boys in Years 3 to 8 about his experience as a SpringBoarder on a bursary at Kingham Hill School, and how the programme supported him. Ali and Julien also spoke to parents, governors and staff in an evening talk about the transformative effect that bursaries to independent schools can have on the young people who need them most.

Mark Turner, Head of King’s House School, said: "We were delighted to be able to welcome in Julien, a graduate of the RNCSF programme, to speak to pupils on Wednesday. He spoke to all the boys from Years 3 – 8 about his background, experiences at boarding school and how the programme and support offered had helped him. It really was very moving, and I know the boys were very struck by his story."

RNCSF believe that every child should benefit from a fantastic education that helps them to achieve their ambitions for the future, regardless of their background and circumstances of birth. Their community partners in 30 different areas of socio-economic deprivation, and their network of 124 accredited schools across the UK, share RNCSF’s commitment to unlocking the power of the independent and boarding education sector to equalise disparities and increase social mobility. The charity’s contract with the Department for Education has also allowed for an exploration into the provision of day placements for Looked After and Vulnerable Children, working alongside 22 Local Authorities.

In 2020/21 RNCSF supported 423 young people to attend leading schools on fully funded bursaries. Their support continues beyond school in recognition that barriers to higher education and employment may continue. They now have a network of over 350 alumni who are supported through university and beyond to achieve their goals and become role models for their communities, creating a powerful ‘ripple effect’ of increased aspirations. You can learn more about RNCSF’s work and discover some of their young people’s stories here: Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation (royalspringboard.org.uk)