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FARNHAM COLLEGE
FOUNDATION |
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The
Farnham College Foundation is a registered charity administered by nine Trustees.
It has an income from investments that is used to support the best interests
of the students of the College. This is
done in various ways: |
Retired Latin teacher Donald Nicolson with Foundation Trustees
John McLaughlin (Chairman), Alan Thomas and Michael O’Dell at the 2002
Christmas Lunch. |
1 . Awards and
Bursaries
Each year up to £2,000 is available for these schemes. The Awards scheme encourages students to explore beyond
the confines of their examination programme. Over the years entries have been
made in the form of musical compositions and performances, paintings, design
tasks, historical research, short stories, mathematical solutions, film and a
host of other creative endeavours. The Bursaries scheme was introduced to support students'
spirit of adventure, physical challenge and service to the community. Again
over the years financial support has been given to projects that have seen
Farnham College students go world wide to work and help in various Third
World countries and also test their physical and intellectual capabilities in
a variety of challenges. Bursaries have seen students go to Uganda and Brazil for
charity work, gain a private pilot's licence and attend a Rescue Diver
course. |
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2. Service Prizes
These are given annually to
students who contribute to the life of the College in a variety of
significant ways.
3. Specific
Bequests
One bequest administered by the Trustees is intended to
help students studying in the general area of the Environment and Biological
Sciences. Help has
been given in these areas for books, software, instruments and Field Course
trips. 4. Former
Students
A small
Fund is available to help former students, under 25, with one‑off grants.
These could be used for a particular project or as help for those in
continuing education in straitened circumstances. |
Professor Elaine Thomas, guest of honour, speaking at the Annual
Awards Evening at which Foundation bursaries are celebrated. |
5. Building
Projects and Refurbishment
The
Trustees have made financial contributions in recent years to the restoration
of the mechanism of the College clock. The provision of lifts in Surrey
Court, the provision of C.C.T.V. and the refurbishment of parts of Morley
Court. |
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BACKGROUND TO THE
TRUSTEES |
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Of the
nine Trustees, five are co‑opted and four are nominated to the College
Corporation. The
nominees represent: 1. The
Old Farnhamians' Association 2. The
Farnham Girls' Grammar School Old Girls' Association 3. The
University of Surrey 4. The
Diocese of Guildford and serve
as the Corporation's representatives on the Trust Foundation. Farnham
College was formed in 1973 by the merger of Farnham Grammar School (Boys) and
Farnham Girls' Grammar School. At the same time it became Open Access at
Sixth Form level. No first year pupils were admitted in that September so
that by 1977 the Grammar School base had worked its way through to the Sixth
Form. Prior to
this Farnham Grammar School, following the passage of the Education Act 1944,
opted to become a 'voluntary controlled' school, which meant that it was
maintained by the Local Education Authority, but not provided by it. Farnham
College as the successor institution retained 'voluntary controlled' status
as an incorporated sixth form college i.e. it is an Educational Charitable Foundation,
with its own Trust Scheme. The Trust
owns most of the land on which the College is situated and many of its
buildings. Its investments are mainly in the Charities Official Investment
Fund. In
addition to their general duties as Corporation members the foundation
members have the duty of 'securing, so far as practicable, that the
established character of the institution immediately before it (was)
conducted by the Corporation, is preserved and developed and, in particular,
that the institution is conducted in accordance with the provisions of any
trust deed relating to it.'. For
instance, Article 19 of the Charitable Scheme stipulates that religious
instruction shall be given in the College'in accordance with the principles
of the Christian Faith'. According to officers at the Charity Commission,
this indicates that the original foundation is of considerable age (as
research by Old Farnhamians has also suggested). The implication is that it
dates back to the days of a single tolerated official denomination ‑ more
modern foundations specify 'in accordance with the principles of the Church
of England', or otherwise. The
earliest Scheme of which the Trustees have a copy is dated 1909, although
this refers to a still earlier Scheme of 1893. The Trustees were then also
the Governors, and this arrangement continued until the 1980s when Governing
Bodies were statutorily enlarged by the addition of parent and teacher
governors, who were not eligible to act as Trustees, because of the
possibility of a conflict of interest. The Trustees then became a subset of
the Governors, and in 1994 a separate body although sharing the four
nominated members with the Corporation. The 1909
Scheme deals with the Foundation as a Grammar School for boys, regulates
admissions, fees etc. and makes provision for the appointment and dismissal
of Head and of Assistant Masters (nowadays contained in the Instrument and
Articles of the College). The Headmaster was required to 'dwell in the
residence, if any, assigned to him'. This in fact was part of the present
Morley Court then, obviously enough, known as the Headmaster's House. The
property of the Trustees at that time consisted of the present College land,
the old building (Morley Court) and the caretaker's cottage ‑ neither Surrey
nor College Court had been built. The Memorial Field, to the east of these
premises was bought in 1923, and the so‑called Reservoir Land, on which the
block of flats, Romley Court, is built, at the beginning of World War 11 for
possible use as Air Raid shelters. The Trustees obtained permission from the
Charity Commissioners to sell the last named as superfluous to requirements,
at the end of the 1970s, and it is from investment of the sale price, which
was £57,000, that most of their income derives, the next largest tranche
being the rent paid to them by the Corporation for use of the premises. A revised
Scheme was made in 1965, and new Instruments and Articles of Government
eventually established the changed character of the educational foundation
preparatory to the creation of Farnham College and the provision of post‑16
education for both sexes. The 1994
Scheme allowed for the disposal of the property of several small charities,
mostly prize funds deriving from the former Girls' Grammar School, and this
has now been completed, as has the equivalent disposal of prize funds from
the (boys) Grammar School, which took place in the 1970's. When the College was created it was felt that the traditional subject prizes, usually given for the best performance in a particular subject, were inappropriate for an Open Access Sixth Form. The Trustees and staff agreed that examination success was a reward in itself. The new thinking led to the creation of the Awards and Bursaries scheme. In the
main, the income from the consolidation of former bequests and prize funds
has been used to finance the Awards and Bursaries scheme. Some named prizes
have been retained as Service Prizes for a wide range of contributions to the
College community. |
Head of Student Council giving a vote of thanks at the
Celebration of Achievements, at
which the trustees awards are made. |
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Annual trust lunch for college staff and student representatives |
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_____________________________ Further
information may be obtained from the Clerk to the Trustees, Paul Jenkins, 7,
Oast House Crescent, Upper Hale, Farnham, Surrey. GU9 ONP. Tel.: 01252
728128. E‑mail: paul.jenkins.esad@bigfoot.com. |
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