Dear families
I have received a plea from Ruth Elliott, Chair of the Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust about the development of a charitable wing to the Trust and the need to find a suitable name. Please take the time to read the information and do reply if you have any ideas for names that are snappy and encompass the aims of the charity.
Help and inspiration wanted! Can you think of a good name for our new charity?
Since 2012, Brent Knoll and Watergate schools have formed part of a foundation trust with co-operative principles. Both schools are still funded by the local authority and are fully maintained schools, but instead of being classified as “community special schools”, they are “foundation trust schools” – not unlike how church schools operate, but instead of having the diocese as the overarching body, our schools have the foundation trust board. Our other active trust partners are Lewisham Council, the Co-operative Schools Network, Ravensbourne Trust and Phoenix Community Housing. Since its beginning, the Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust has had as its core aim to improve the lives of local children and young people with SEND, and their families, not just inside school but also outside school and in the wider community. It is the Trust which raises funds to run the holiday clubs at both schools, which organised the food parcels during the long lockdown in 2020 and which has raised funds in response to Covid for things like family counselling, additional Eyegazes and home-use laptops.
As you may be aware if you have attended any of the members’ Forum meetings (and please do come! the next one is on 1st March), the Trust has still greater, longer-term ambitions, including improved post-16 opportunities in education, training and employment for our pupils and a residential scheme. Meanwhile we continue to strive to raise funds for every holiday club and are looking to set up a buddying scheme to allow our young people to enjoy a more varied social life.
To be able to apply to a greater range of funders, we need to set up a registered charity, and we are in the process of doing this. The existing trust, which encompasses the two schools, will continue to be called The Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust, but, as you can imagine, this is a huge mouthful to include on funding applications and it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue! So we are looking to come up with a much snappier name for the new charity.
We’d love it if you could come up with a name for our charity, which reflects its aim of improving lives for young people with SEND, and their families, in the community outside our schools. There is no need to include the schools’ names in it, just something which is memorable and strikes the right note. We need to come up with a suitable name by mid-January 2022 so please, if you’re inspired over the Christmas holidays, just drop an e-mail to info@bkwgtrust. There’ll be a cash prize of £50 if your suggestion gets used! And thank you!
Ruth Elliott
Chair
Brent Knoll and Watergate Co-operative Trust
P.S.
The Trust may receive funding from Tesco Community Grants Scheme to run a holiday club which will be put forward to a customer vote from the first week in January and continue until 31st march 2022.
We are hoping that if successful an active and stimulating holiday club for children with SEND, providing respite for families and carers can be provided. To vote, you will need to make a purchase within the stores below of any value. You will receive one token per transaction.
- 2253 Catford Superstore
- 2345 Bell Grn Catford Express
- 2556 Forest Hill Express Express
- 5513 Lewisham Way Express
- 5729 Sydenham Express
- 6048 Deptford High St Express
- 6495 Catford Rushey Rd Express
- 6843 Sydenham Road Express