As a non-fee paying school of educational excellence, the Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls Charity was set up to raise additional funds for the school to enable large scale projects to be supported.

Charity’s primary purpose: “The advancement of education of young people without prejudice to the generality of the forgoing trustees shall provide such benefits as they may determine from time to time for the benefit of and for Pupils of the Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls.”

The Charity is currently supported by 5 Trustees:

Jane Petit – Chair. Jane attended Sutton Girls School from 1969-76. After a successful career as a cancer and palliative care nurse in the NHS, she moved into the charity sector in 2000, working in senior leadership positions for several national charities before becoming CEO of St Elizabeth Hospice in Suffolk. She is now the CEO of Foothold, The Institution of Engineering and Technology Benevolent Fund, supporting engineers and their families across the globe to face life’s challenges. While Jane’s daughters were in school she volunteered as both Treasurer of the PTA and as a Parent School Governor and is excited to bring her twenty-plus years experience of governance and fundraising to this new Trustee role.

Doug Thorp – Charity Secretary – Doug has been a Charity Trustee since 2019 when joining the School as the Finance and Operations Director. Prior to joining the school, he worked in Local Government and Higher Education in Finance roles, having grown up in the Sutton Coldfield area.

Jessica Port - Trustee.  Being new to SCGSG Trustee arena, Jessica aims to bring her proud experience at Sutton Girls, where she spent a wonderful 5 years before moving to Bishop Vesey for Sixth Form. Since leaving education, she has had a stellar career in technology and telecoms, becoming the youngest Director at BT/Openreach, and currently the youngest female Executive Director at FTSE 100 company. Outside of her career, she focusses on immersing herself in great experiences in life, travelling and pursuing adventures. Rescue Scuba qualified as it ‘is just great fun’, which means swimming with sharks, giant turtles and stingrays is a common jaunt for Jessica.

Danielle Jordan-Taft - Trustee. Danielle attended Sutton Girls during the 1990s and has since gone on to have a successful career in both international sport and business. She has played netball for England and is currently playing Rugby 7’s for Jamaica, where she showcases dedication, discipline and a drive for excellence.

As a SCGS Charity Trustee and proud alumna, Danielle’s commitment to giving back is evident. Drawing from her experiences representing England and managing successful businesses, she brings a unique blend of skills in sales, marketing, and strategic business planning to contribute to the trust’s endeavours. Danielle is excited to share her post-school journey with current students, aspiring to inspire greatness and foster connections with students, existing charity supporters, and newcomers. Her enthusiasm underscores a commitment to expanding the charity for the betterment of the school she holds dear.

Plus the School Headteacher - Dr Barbara Minards and the School Finance and Operations Director, Doug Thorp, who also acts as the Charity Secretary.

Prior support to the School

In the past, the Charity has helped to fund major building projects in the school, such as E Block in 2017, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds. In recent times, The Charity has helped to:

• Fund part of the Tennis/Netball court refurbishment as we continue to build on recent sporting success, such as reaching regional finals in Netball
• Fund a new social and study area for Year 12s
• Outdoor seating for students to use at break and lunchtime
• Stage lighting in the hall
• A new floor for our dance studio

At a time when education funding is increasingly squeezed, we hope that friends of the school will be inspired to support ongoing projects either through regular monthly giving to the Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls’ School Fund or by making a one-off donation, no matter how large or small.

The Future

Shortly, the school will be communicating the next steps for enhancement of the school estate, where input from the wider school community will be essential for us to meet our aspirations.

Other ways to donate:-

• If you know someone who would be willing to donate to our cause, please ask them to contact the School Business Office for further information.
• If you work for an employer who you believe may be interested in supporting our cause with a corporate donation, please contact the Business Office.

Thank you in advance for your generous support.