Kindness Bucket

GUIDANCE FOR CONTRIBUTORS & APPLICANTS

OVERVIEW

Conceived to create an accessible route to short-term financial assistance, the Kindness Bucket enables the school to provide practical support for those families who just need a little extra help.

ELIGIBILITY

The funding is intended to assist students and parents who may need financial support for a number of reasons, including but not limited to trips, uniform components, or school equipment etc. Any support that may be offered is agreed by a committee, which includes the School Business Manager, Assistant Headteacher, and Heads of Houses. This committee convenes once every half-term to review requests received.

DONATIONS

Timed to coincide with the six half-termly trip cycles, a new Kindness Bucket opens to all families for donations on the first Tuesday of each half-term for two weeks. There is no expectation or requirement to contribute, but voluntary donations of any amount can be made on ScoPay at any time during this two-week period. The Kindness Bucket will then open again the following half-term. Members of the wider community and local businesses interested in making donations should contact the School Business Manager.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications for assistance can be made at any time throughout the academic year using the Kindness Bucket Application Form. If parents would like to inquire about support for specific trips that are Open for Application at the time of applying, they should do this as early as possible, preferably at least 3 days prior to the trip closing date otherwise, responses cannot be guaranteed in the time. Parents making an application to the fund for assistance on a trip should also confirm their trip application on ScoPay. If no assistance is offered or the assistance offered is insufficient for the parent to proceed with the trip, then in these circumstances only, the school will honor a refund of any deposits/payments made.

The status and availability of assistance will be communicated to parents directly, but as this committee convenes half-termly there may be some delay. If a request to the Kindness Bucket is urgent, parents should also email the Head of House and Tutor to inform them of the date and nature of the request and the reason for urgency. Please note that we are not able to provide specific feedback for all unsuccessful applications.

TRANSFER OF FUNDS

For trip-related assistance, once a request has been approved, any funds will be transferred to the eligible student's trip balance on ScoPay. For non-trip-related applications, the Finance team liaise to determine the distribution of any approved funds.

LIMITATIONS

Whilst multiple applications can be made, no more than one application is likely to be approved unless there are extenuating circumstances. The intention is to ensure as many families as possible from this fund when in need. Unfortunately, funds cannot be redirected to another student, trip, or expenses once they have been approved for a specific purpose. There is no cash alternative. If parents prefer to cover the cost of their child's funded place on a trip or other educational materials themselves, they may withdraw/ decline the funding at any time.

WITHDRAWALS/CANCELLATIONS OF FUNDED PLACES

In the event of a student withdrawing or cancelling their funded or partially funded place on a trip, the school reserves the right to request a full or partial payment from the family unless there are extenuating circumstances. This will be decided by the Committee.

REFUNDS

Donations to the Kindness Bucket are non-refundable and will be used solely as outlined above. Parents who contribute to the fund cannot request to distribute their donations to specific students. 

GRATITUDE

We will acknowledge and thank all our contributors on our Kindness Bucket Page, displayed on our website and on our new screens in Reception unless the donor requests otherwise.  Updates on how the funds have been used to help students (anonymous) will also be shared.