Melinda Shead Head TeacherIt’s an incredible privilege to open our doors to gifted girls from all backgrounds
150th Anniversary Bursary Appeal
To celebrate this significant time in our history and to stand as a testament to our philanthropic culture, past, present and future, we ask all our community to consider donating towards a new transformational bursary.
Whether you are a parent, student, staff, alumna, or friend of Brighton Girls, you are a valuable, life-long member of our community and we hope you will find a way to support our vision. By investing in our initiatives you will provide real opportunities for all, you will enrich the lives of every child at the school and, by becoming part of their future, we hope you will enrich your own.
Donations of all sizes are greatly appreciated and will have an impact. Thank you for your support.
Melinda Shead
Head
Ensuring that talented and academically gifted girls from all backgrounds have access to education at Brighton Girls is integral to our vision and ethos. Our students, staff, current and former parents and alumnae represent all backgrounds and reflect the culture and community of our school. We know bursaries change lives and benefit the whole school community.
We have a long history of providing bursary awards and our bursary pupils have contributed hugely to the diversity and endeavour of the school. However, each year we turn away many talented applicants. Currently we have around 15% of our students on bursary awards but our ambition is to do much more.
2026 marks our 150th Anniversary. Such an important milestone feels like the right time to extend our bursary programme with our Brighter Futures Campaign.
I have had the most incredible education and memories. I will always be so grateful for the bursary which gave me the best school years I could ask for.”
– Alumna Bursary Recipient
Changing Lives
“As a GDST girl, the most inspiring aspect of my education was the unwavering school-wide belief that there were no barriers to our potential achievements.”
– Alumna Bursary Recipient
Bursaries at Brighton Girls
Currently, just under 15% of our Senior School pupils receive means-tested financial support; this is a small fraction of the 35%-40% of pupils who received help at Brighton in the past.
Bursaries do transform lives and can have a lasting impact on social mobility and outcomes – not just for the individuals involved, but also for the families and communities they come from. What is more, a diverse and inclusive community benefits all the girls at Brighton Girls.
Give the Gift of Education
As we celebrate 150 years of educating girls, we have an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for future generations. You can support Brighton Girls in many ways, whichever way you choose to give back, your generosity is appreciated.
Below are some examples of giving with Gift Aid. Higher rate tax payers can claim the difference between higher and basic rate via their Self Assessment Form.
Monthly giving options are available – for example if you select to donate £120, this would be worth £150 with Gift Aid, and only £10 a month if you choose a monthly donation option.
A donation of £1,200 as regular gift would mean £100 a month, and with Gift Aid this will bring your donation to £1,500.
Examples of giving;
Your Gift With Gift Aid Tax relief to you (40% tax) Net cost to you (40% tax) £120 £150 £30 £75
£1,200 £1,500 £300 £900
£12,000 £15,000 £3,000 £9,000
If you would like to discuss a donation or have any questions about our Bursary Programme then please contact Rebecca Findlay, Head of Community, at r.findlay@brightongirls.gdst.net
Ways to give
Regular Gift
Making a regular gift will enable more bright and talented girls to have the opportunity of a Brighton Girls education. Regular gifts can be made by Direct Debit on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. Please click on the Donate Online link to set up your regular gift.
Single Gift
All your donations, no matter what size, are invaluable. One-off donations can be set up either:
- Online – Brighton Girls GDST Online Donations
- Post – complete our Brighton Donation Form 2026
- Bank Transfer – please email us for details
Legacies
Legacy gifts have been integral to the continuation of the organisation’s founding intentions, by providing numerous opportunities to girls from diverse backgrounds.
Enhancing Gifts
Gift Aid
By gift aiding your contribution we can reclaim an additional 25p in every £1, making your gift worth even more at no extra cost to you. Gift Aid is an invaluable source of ‘extra’ income.
Matched Giving
Many companies help charities through a matched giving scheme. Some match pound for pound, and others will double match any donations which its employees make to registered charities. Please check with your Payroll or HR department as to whether your company do operate such a scheme as this could make your donation worth even more.
Make a gift today
Making a gift online is quick and simple through our online portal at www.gdst.net/donate/Brighton
All gifts are processed by the Girls’ Day School Trust (charity number 306983) and are allocated directly to Brighton Girls. 100% of every donation, including Gift Aid, will go directly to our students.
“For me, the GDST stands for opportunity, first and foremost. It also says ‘family’ to me, I am a GDST girl and feel proud that I was, and still am, a part of it.”
– Alumna Bursary Recipient
50 Years since the end of the Direct Grant
Brighton Girls and the Girls’ Day School Trust have a long legacy of providing financial support to educate young women.
From 1944 to 1976, Brighton Girls and other GDST schools had been Direct Grant Schools. These were a type of selective secondary school introduced by the Education Act 1944. They were hybrid organisations, bridging the private/state sector divide, being independently governed and charging fees, but also receiving a direct government grant in return for reserving a proportion of their places (typically at least 25%) for students from state schools, whose fees were paid by the local authorities. The GDST was the largest organisation of Direct Grant Schools.
In the decades that followed, many of our students received a local council grant or, from the 1980s, an Assisted Place to cover the cost of school fees. The Direct Grant was withdrawn in 1976, and the Assisted Places Scheme was abolished in the 1990s, initiating a significant change to the composition of our community – a change which we continue to redress through our bursary scheme.
From then on, many of the schools that went fully independent, like Brighton Girls (BHHS as-was), are largely only accessible to those who can afford the fees. Despite challenges, Brighton Girls and the GDST remain committed to reaching as many talented young women as possible, regardless of their family background.
Brighter Futures – 150th Anniversary Busary Campaign