Countless generations of young people from Steeple Aston have reason to be extremely grateful to Dr Samuel Radcliffe. Samuel Radcliffe was an Oxford academic who became Principal of Brasenose College Oxford in 1610. A few years later, he also became the Rector of Steeple Aston.
Today, combining two jobs like this would be unthinkable, but he seems to have devoted some time and thought to Steeple Aston. He established the school here in its original buildings on Northside in 1640, as well as the almshouses, also on Northside. Upon his death in 1648, he bequeathed property and money to both his college and to support the operation of the school, as well as to fund the education of young people in the parish.
That very generous donation to the village now forms the Dr Radcliffe’s School Foundation. The Trustees of the Foundation have carefully managed the money for nearly 400 years to ensure that it continues to generate income to support the village school, the young people of the village, the almshouses, and the preschool. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that it will be able to continue to do this for future generations of young people in the village.
The school moved in stages to its current site on Fir Lane. Over many years, the Trustees have been able to provide funding to the school for improvements and repairs that would not be covered by the normal government funding of schools. The result is that the school has classrooms that provide the very best opportunity for our children to thrive in, and pupils can be supported appropriately in their learning. In recent years, the Trust has helped with remodelling and extending several classrooms and outdoor play areas, creating a permanent stage in the hall, improving the staffroom facilities, and the building of the Samuel Radcliffe building, which is used for Wrap around Care, with a Breakfast Club (Early Birds), and an After-School club (Night Owls), as well as small group sessions for children during the day.
The grant from the Foundation also funds an element of staffing, which means that the school has the benefit of Teaching Assistants in each classroom to provide the very best opportunities for all children. This academic year, the Foundation is giving nearly £123,000 of its generated income to the school, adding 10 per cent to overall funding. At a time when school funding has been cut to a minimum, this is more important than ever before and makes a huge difference to the school.
The Foundation also provides annual awards to young people aged 16-25 to help support them in education and training. Two years ago, we transitioned to an online application process to increase accessibility for young people. This academic year, we were able to make awards totalling about £20,000 to young people at college, university or in apprenticeships. It is a real privilege to be able to help these young people make a start in their future careers. The Foundation has also supported the maintenance of the almshouses.
The Foundation is managed by a group of local trustees who are appointed by different interested parties as set down in our constitution. We try to ensure that we have a balance of skills amongst the Trustees. We now have a Clerk, Alan Stubbersfield, who lives in the village and can be contacted at this email address: radcliffesclerk@gmail.com. In the Autumn, the Chair of the Trustees, Kate Tomlinson, resigned. She has been an amazing Chairperson, particularly in steering us all through the difficult times of Covid. Anna Thatcher has now taken over as Chair of the Trustees, and we warmly welcome her to the role.
Tina Ferguson
February 2025
Photo Samuel Radcliffe, DD by Gilbert Jackson (c.1595/1600–after 1648)
Brasenose College, University of Oxford