Summer Fete 2008

Summer Fete 2007

Summer Fete 2006

Community Service Report July 2010

What an exhausting and productive year it has been for Community Service activities at KEHS !

Yesterday saw our Charity Summer Fete, on the theme of The Great British Seaside, blessed with sunny weather, and a good time was had by all. Our in-house band The End of the Pier entertained the crowds, and the Parents Association laid on a barbeque. The Fete is made possible by the hard work of many people, in some cases for weeks beforehand and in some cases on the day itself; a huge Thank You to everyone involved. So far we know we have raised at least £2200 and there is more to come. We’ll be using those funds to pay for parties for the elderly and children, and our annual farm trip for children from Clifton School.

It has been a record-breaking year for fund raising, with at least £10,500 being raised for a number of good causes, most of them chosen by individual forms. Form fund-raising relied heavily on cake sales as ever - these seem to be getting bigger and better. But there were other form-based events, too, notably car washing and a sponsored swim. We look forward to your new ideas in the autumn term.

As well as our usual events, this year saw a new venture. This was a very stylish Redress event in which girls brought nearly new clothes to school and we had a lunchtime sale, to raise funds for a charity that helps street children in Peru (a charity set up by Mr Barrett’s daughter Hannah). This was much enjoyed and very successful financially, so we shall certainly add it to our repertoire for the future.

Many thanks to the very number of girls and staff who work so hard for our various Community Service events.

Community Service

The Community Service programme at KEHS is most extensive, involving large numbers of girls and staff in fund raising for a multitude of good causes and in practical involvement in the wider community – and having lots of fun in the process!

In a typical year we are likely to organise all of the following:

Macmillan Coffee morning

At the end of September staff and sixth formers are invited to join the World’s largest Coffee Morning.

Lepra workout

Girls in the Thirds are invited to a sponsored lunchtime workout to raise funds for this excellent cause; each £21 raised allows another child to be cured of leprosy.

Harvest Festival

Our harvest offerings take the form of tins and packets of food, which we donate to the Balsall Heath Church Centre for distribution to the housebound and to elderly clients who attend the Day Care centre.

Operation Christmas Child

We fill shoe boxes with gifts, which are then distributed to needy children by the charity Samaritans Purse.

World Aids Day

A combination of fund raising and awareness raising.

Human Rights Day

Awareness about human rights globally, and the abuses of those rights.

Charity Christmas Sales

We invite Save the Children (www.savethechildren.org.uk) to sell greetings cards and other Christmas goods; girls get the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping without leaving the comfort of their own school hall. Substantial funds are usually raised – typically £1500 worth of cards are sold to girls and staff.

In recent years, our card sale has also become a bazaar in which any form can organise a stall to raise money for its own charity.

Christmas Party and Spring Party

Each year we hold parties in school for senior citizens. These annual events are organised by committees of 6^th formers, who arrange for elderly visitors from Day Care centres to come into school for an afternoon of entertainment provided by members of KEHS. The guests are welcomed to our school for the afternoon; members of the school put on short plays, perform dances or do small sketches for their benefit; bingo proves to be very popular as well! The school also provides afternoon tea. Not only do the guests enjoy themselves, but the helpers do too.

3rds to Fifth form Charity Events

Each year, every form from the 3^rd form (year 7) to the U5^th (year 11) chooses a charity to support. There are weekly collections for their chosen charity. The forms also hold fund-raising events during the year, such as the ever-popular cake sales, and car washes for teachers. The students also help advertise their charity by holding a school assembly on their chosen charity or by making posters to advertise around the school and in school notices.

10% of all funds raised will be donated to our chosen School Charity: we are sponsoring the Kitongozi
Primary School in Uganda via the charity Link Community Development (www.lcd.org.uk).

Sixth Form Charity Events

The Lower Sixth and the Upper Sixth each hold a Charity Week to raise money for their chosen charity. The Lower Sixth charity week usually takes place towards the end of the winter term, the highlight of the week being the traditional school ‘karaoke’ in which the forms in each year group compete in a dance competition. The events planned by the Sixth Form are usually a huge success and involve pupils or teachers in competitions and shows.

Comic Relief (every two years)

Always an opportunity to have lots of fun and raise funds for the vital work of Comic Relief.

Farm Trip

Late in the summer term, members of the L6th volunteer to take 90 young reception children from Clifton Infant School in Birmingham to Umberslade Children’s Farm. Each member of the L6th is allocated one or two children, who they are responsible for throughout the day. The trip consists of a tour of all the farmyard animals; highlights include the ever-popular tractor ride in a very bumpy field, and feeding the chickens and goats. The event is always a huge success, enjoyed by the girls and children alike, and it furthermore provides the girls with an excellent opportunity to get involved in the community.

Non Uniform days

On three occasions each year, girls are invited to attend school in non-uniform clothes and to donate to a particular charity for the privilege. This has proved a useful source of income for some of the causes we like to support.

The Summer Charity Fete

Our biggest single fundraising event of the year is our Charity Summer Fete, held just before school ends for the summer. A committee of L6th girls work with staff, from the autumn onwards, to plan this event and all classes in the school are invited to play a part. The money raised is used to fund the various annual events mentioned above (Christmas party, spring party, farm trip) and any remaining funds are shared between some of the many deserving causes brought to our attention. Edward’s Trust

(www.edwardstrust.org.uk ), St Basil’s (www.stbasils.org.uk ), Kids Like Us, Acorns Children’s Hospice (www.acorns.org.uk) are among the recipients in recent years.

Recent fete photos can be seen by looking at our gallery images.