What better asset does any school have than its pupils?

King Edward VI High School for Girls has harnessed the full range of talents and interests within its student body to help raise money for its assisted places scheme, which makes the school more accessible to bright girls, regardless of their household income.

In the past, KEHS, in Birmingham, had used staff and alumni volunteers to approach potential donors, but this year the school recruited a group of sixth-formers to what became its “Trust Club”.

In its submission, the school said they were “advocates for the next generation; poised, articulate young women providing the perfect advertisement for the world-class education KEHS offers”.

The students truly worked as a team, using the individual skills of each young woman to make the initiative a success; whether it was debating club members phoning alumnae, A-level artists designing the new logo, technology enthusiasts creating social media content or dramatists helping to film the new campaign video.

Although the judges were not looking at the highest sums raised by entrants in this category, the success of the scheme is shown by the £35,000 raised over the phone in just six days last October.

The judges said: “From a strong field of entries, KEHS emerged as worthy winners through their innovative ‘Trust Club’ of sixth-formers.  With great enthusiasm and dedication, the girls rapidly raised substantial funds for bursaries and have evidently sown the seeds of a highly sustainable philanthropic culture focused on widening access to the excellent education provided by the school.”

For all other Tes Independent School Awards winners, click here or follow the hashtag  #tesISAwards. 

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and Instagram, and like Tes on Facebook