Frequently asked questions

What is a Giving Day?

A giving day is an opportunity for those associated with Highgate School all over the world, to unite to make a lasting difference to the lives of children at Highgate and beyond.

During this 36 hour online fundraising challenge, we are aiming to raise as much as we can for three main areas of general advancement of LAET, Highgate bursary programme, and general advancement of Highgate.

We believe that we are in a unique position to help support young people from less advantaged backgrounds and creating enduring partnerships between pupils at Highgate and their peers in our partner schools. We are therefore raising money for three main things that form part of this mission to generate genuine, lasting social change:

  1. The expansion of partnership work between pupils at Highgate and our sibling school, LAET, which will create unique educational opportunities and lasting connections between like-minded young people, regardless of their social or economic backgrounds.
  2. Ensuring that we can continue to offer our transformative bursary provision, which includes serving the pastoral needs of these young people and providing them with a fully enriched education – including instrumental music lessons, funded educational trips and visits and meeting equipment needs – once they start their time at Highgate.

Why is a giving day different to any other day?

Gifts made during this period will go even further than usual. Thanks to some very generous donors, everything donated on Giving Day will be matched pound for pound.

Furthermore, several donors have provided challenge funds that will be unlocked once we achieve particular goals. Take a look at the ‘Challenges’ page to see if your gift is eligible to unlock funds.

How can I make my gift?

We want to make it easy for you to participate in our giving day, and gifts can be given a variety of ways on the day:

Online: through our Hubbub Giving Day platform.

By phone: Call +44 (0)208 347 2101

By cheque: To make a donation by cheque, please download and complete a Gift Aid declaration (if applicable)

Please post your form, with your cheque made payable to ‘Highgate School’, to: Development Office, Highgate School, North Road, London N6 4AY

Can I make a gift before the giving day?

Yes! We know that everyone's schedules may not allow them to participate during the Giving Day itself. You can make a gift in advance online through the Giving Day website from Monday 20 February 2023 or get in touch with us at development@highgateschool.org.uk if you wish to make another type of gift.

Why does Highgate need to raise funds?

Highgate was founded in 1565. We were granted land and a title, but no endowment to run our school – 95% of our income comes from fees. To do more, we need to generate more revenue: we live by the success of what we achieve now. 

Highgate is a charity - we have a responsibility to support our community and donations help us to achieve our charitable vision more quickly and to greater effect. 

We enact this in two main ways: partnerships with local state schools and offering means-tested fee assistance at Highgate. Our sibling school, The London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, is making a meaningful difference to the lives of the students there, thanks to donor and volunteer support. In recent data provided by the Department for Education, LAET placed in the top 4% of schools nationally for the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and in the top 2% for Russell Group, Oxbridge and global top third university destinations.

Donations are already helping to fund more than 90 means-tested bursaries, and we are excited to have expanded this provision to families joining the Junior School at 7+, so even more children can enjoy the transformational benefits of a Highgate education, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances. We are already seeing the difference having bursary recipients at all entry points is making to our school and we want to make sure that we continue to adapt and meet all the needs of these children.

Is Highgate a charity?

Yes, Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate - to give us our full name! - is a registered charity, no. 312765.

What difference will my donation make?

Your gift today will enable us to support all children from all backgrounds to have transformational educational experiences, whether that means bridging the gap between pupils already at Highgate and their peers at LAE Tottenham, allowing more children to come to Highgate School and make the most of their time here, irrespective of their financial circumstances, or supporting the most vulnerable children in society beyond Highgate’s walls.

All gifts, whatever size they may be, make a difference. Having a large number of donors encourages others to support us too and means match and challenge funding gets unlocked faster. So, whatever you can give, you can be sure that your contribution is effective and greatly appreciated.

How much do people give on a Giving Day?

It depends very much on the individual’s wishes and circumstances. Gifts of any size really do make a difference. As do gifts of time and expertise – now and in the future!

Collective participation makes a huge impact. For example, our Croud funding campaign in 2022 crowdfunding campaign for hardship during the cost-of-living crisis at our sibling school, LAET, surpassed its target with a final total of over £50,000 – and the majority of gifts were between £20 and £200.

Highgate’s charitable impact has also been greatly assisted by the generosity of individuals who make more significant gifts, at four-figure donations and beyond, either as part of crowdfunder events like this one or of their own accord following confidential discussions with our Development Office.

Is my credit card payment secure?

Yes. We are using a secure, off-site payment processor called Stripe, the world’s leading tool for donor-friendly payments, to process our credit card transactions.

Is there a minimum or maximum donation I can make?

The minimum online gift amount is £1. There’s no maximum donation, and every donation has an impact.

Can I claim Gift Aid on this donation?

Yes! So long as you have paid as much Income Tax and/or Capital Gains tax as the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all of your donations in that tax year, the school can reclaim the basic tax rate (25%) on your gift, with no extra cost to you. So, your donation of £100 will actually be worth £125.

Will my giving day contribution be tax-deductible?

UK: If you’re in the UK and eligible for Gift Aid, Highgate School can claim 25% back in tax from your donation. If you’re a Higher Rate Tax Payer (40% and above), you can claim tax back on your charitable donations at the end of the tax year. Sir Roger Cholmeley’s School at Highgate is a registered charity, no. 312765.

USA: Your gift is tax-deductible - when making your gift, just select ‘Donate in USD’. You will receive an email confirmation and tax-receipt.

How much of my donation today will be allocated towards Highgate's charitable projects?

We put the maximum proportion of your donation as possible towards the area which you wish to support. At Highgate no administrative or other costs are met through fundraising.

Stripe, our payment processor, charges a small fee of 1.5% + 20p for each donation. This means that a £10 donation would result in £9.65 going to the area you choose to support (excluding gift aid).

I would like my donation to support a particular area. Is this possible?

Yes. You can either donate directly from the page that gives more detail about that particular area or click the ‘Donate’ button in the top-right of any page and select your area of interest from the menu in the donation form.

I would like to make a regular monthly donation. How do I do this?

Click the ‘Donate’ button at the top-right of any page in the Giving Day platform to open the gift form. Then in the ‘Your Gift’ section, tick the checkbox stating that you would like to make a regular direct debit. 

Can I give anonymously?

Yes. When making your gift, tick the relevant box in the ‘Gift Visibility’ section of the form.

I would like to leave a bequest to Highgate in my Will. Can you help?

Yes. Instead of making this type of gift through the Giving Day platform, you can get more information about leaving a legacy to Highgate by contacting our Development Director on email: development@highgateschool.org.uk.

Do you have a Donor's Charter?

Yes. Our Donor's Charter is:

  • We will regularly publish information about our School's activities and progress
  • Fundraising activity will be supported by a clear case for support
  • If you wish your donation to go towards a particular project, we will ensure this happens
  • If you request anonymity, we will treat your donation as confidential
  • We will acknowledge your donation appropriately, as soon as possible after we receive it
  • Donors' rights to privacy and confidentiality will be respected, with all records kept securely, in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998
  • Donors may request that their details be removed from our School's development database or the number/type of solicitations limited, if so desired

How can I help spread the word?

Your support will make a huge difference to Highgate School and to the success of our Giving Day. Post about our giving day on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn - and don’t forget to tag us! Make sure to tell your friends about this exciting day to get involved and make a difference.

How can I get in touch?

Please feel free to email any questions to the Development Office atdevelopment@highgateschool.org.ukor call us on +44 (0)208 347 2101.