To further our award-winning biophilic classroom programme, last year’s donations went towards an Ecologist in Residence. Putney High School has a rich tradition of innovative residency programmes in keeping with its commitment to offering outstanding opportunity in the classroom and beyond, and previous residencies have included those of Writer, Poet, Musician and Entrepreneur.

Our Ecologist is looking to inspire our pupils across all year groups from the age of 4-18 years old, and take the biophilic programme to the next level. The initiative falls within Putney High School’s ‘Breathe’ environmental programme, central to the school’s strategic aims. Working across various disciplines – from science lessons to environmental student representative meetings, from organising specialist talks to extra-curricular gardening clubs – our Ecologist aims to motivate our students and expand their minds with their knowledge and expertise of ecology, while also encouraging them to develop their ownership of the programme to ensure its long-term legacy and sustainability.

In 2020/21 your donations went towards our Athena Centre, a new space for Science, Music, Drama and Debating. The centre is now open and being used by students.

With your valued support in 2019/2020, we continued to provide pupils with the toolkit to thrive in a world of emerging technology.

Senior pupils developed and enhanced their coding skills with Crumble Buggies and entered the More Than Robots competition – where technology meets sport, further encouraging students to embrace STEM.

The Junior School is looked at transforming the way pupils learn, create, and invent by combining coding and Science, this included encouraging pupils to explore the environment around them using outdoor robots and data loggers.

Since 2019, things have been full STEAM ahead and students have continued to embrace Coding and Robotics. We have partnered with First Tech UK, and created a bespoke Design Thinking course focusing on robotics and the link between design and programming. The aim of the First Tech collaboration is to give students the opportunity to work with others in the West London area to reduce the gender gap in STEM subject study.

We have also created our new Innovation Centre, a hub for all things Design Thinking and Robotics. The future looks bright for STEM at Putney.

Thanks to donations throughout 2018 and 2019, Putney was able to appoint entrepreneur Julian Hall.

Julian inspired an entrepreneurial spirit amongst our pupils and staff. Through assemblies, involvement in lessons and workshops, he encouraged us to see solutions instead of problems, and to embrace opportunities with creativity and confidence.

This entrepreneurial spirit is still very much present at Putney. Since 2018/2019 students have gone on to design a sustainable clothing brand with Amazon, start and international non-profit tutoring organisation and made and sold their own clothing designs.

As a result of the generosity from the Putney community in 2017-18, we welcomed Orator in Residence, Miranda Kiek.

The impact of this residency was widespread. Keen debaters benefited from coaching whilst the weekly Senior School ‘Eloquence’ club provided a space for less seasoned orators to find their voice. Pupils from Reception to Year 13 became well versed in ‘power poses’ and the art of speaking and listening.

Such was the success of our Orator in Residence that Miranda Kiek is now a permanent member of staff, teaching English and continuing to help our students to use their voice through debating.

Debating has remained at the heart of Putney and our new Debating Forum, inside our Athena Centre (funded by the 2020/2021 Putney Fund), is now open.

FOPHS is a parent led charity with three main objectives: Friendship, Fundraising and Fun. FOPHS raise money for the school and organise events such as the Christmas fair, cake sales and quiz nights. They help to keep the communication links between parents and the school open. 

Click here to find out more about FOPHS.

The RSA is a parent led charity with an active social calendar. They host a number of events that are not only great opportunities to socialise, but also enable supporters to contribute to Putney’s ever expanding and high achieving boat club.

Click here to find out more about PHSRSA.