QEH launches 1590 Society

Building on the philanthropic spirit of its founder, John Carr, who established the school in 1590 to support poor boys and orphans, QEH aims to raise funds to make a QEH education accessible to all deserving students, regardless of their financial means.

The 1590 Bursary Society seeks to engage with its alumni to expand its means-tested bursary program through transformational donations ensuring the school is as accessible as possible for more families across Bristol.

“Since its inception, QEH has believed in nurturing well-rounded individuals ready to take on the challenges of the modern world,” said Rupert Heathcote, Head of QEH. “The 1590 Bursary Society honours this legacy. QEH aims is to support 15% of pupils with means-tested bursaries by 2026 with a longer-term vision to be able to support 25%. The need for bursaries is stronger than ever and we rely on the generosity of former generations to make a difference for today’s pupils.”

The inaugural dinner for the 1590 Society was held in the Head’s office. Founding donor Ian Filby commented “As a founding donor of The 1590 Society I strongly believe in the power of education to transform lives. By investing in bursaries, we are able to provide opportunities for pupils to thrive and contribute to a brighter future for themselves and their communities.”

Old Elizabethan, Ian Filby (1971 – 1977) was a Captain of School whilst at QEH, before studying at St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge where he also gained a Blue in football. A highly successful business career followed university in which Mr Filby spent 30 years at Alliance Boots, before becoming CEO of DFS where he strengthened the business’ position as the UK’s leading upholstery retailer. Ian is currently non-exec Chair of Pinewood Technologies, a spin off from Pendragon, one of the UK’s largest motor retailers, which was recently acquired by Lithia Motors.

A parent of a current QEH bursary recipient commented “My son was granted a 100% bursary and for that I am forever grateful. I cannot thank QEH enough for the opportunities that my son has had. He has become such a mature, polite, and happy boy. Even in the pandemic he didn’t miss out on anything in the curriculum due to the high standard of online learning that other schools did not have. He has had so many opportunities at QEH including extracurricular opportunities that he wouldn’t have ever been able to experience without the support of a bursary. It has been outstanding.”