Abingdon Impact Report 2019-2022

ABINGDON SCHOOL IN PARTNERSHIP The Mercers’ Company Supporting a common goal through funded initiatives The Mercers’ Company is a 700 year old City Livery company with a philanthropic focus that today includes young people and education. n 2020 a grant was awarded to Abingdon by the Mercers’ Company to support the growth of our partnership work, enabling us to push forward on initiatives in specific areas of need in collaboration with our partner schools across Abingdon and beyond. The grant enabled the School to create two new roles. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator works tirelessly with schools in the partnership to support and develop mental health and wellbeing support for students, staff and parents in the community. The Partnership Coordinator works closely with the Director of Partnerships to implement and develop partnership activities and programmes. The post is a critical link between partner schools and has played a large part in the successful launch of the new formalised partnership the OX14 Learning Partnership. The Partnership Coordinator also sits on the steering group for our Confidence in STEM programme, a project for Year 9-11 students which launched in 2020 with support from the Mercers’ Company. John Roysse (1500-1571) was a mercer, a dealer in fine cloth. Educated at Abingdon School, he joined the Mercers’ Company in 1526. In 1563 he donated money to help the School expand into new premises, and endowed it with two of his London properties in Birchin Lane. Roysse’s contribution to his old school has been acknowledged and honoured in many ways over the centuries. Roysse’s coat of arms appears in a portrait of him which hangs in the School. The griffen within the arms (always spelt this way to reflect the spelling in the original grant of arms) has become the School’s emblem. In 1870 the School moved to its current site in Albert Park, a move made possible by the sale of Roysse’s Birchin Lane properties. Four hundred years after Roysse’s death in 1571, Headmaster Eric Anderson’s wife, Poppy rediscovered Roysse’s link to the Mercers’ and invited the Company to renew its connection with the School. Since then the Mercers’ have been generous supporters of capital projects and of our impressive partnership programmes. The School has always been grateful to John Roysse – for the money he gave to create the schoolroom, the endowment of his Birchin Lane properties and now, in particular, for the connection he created between Abingdon School and the Mercers’ Company. In 2000, in gratitude, the School presented the Company with a stained glass panel of Roysse’s coat of arms. Sarah Wearne, Archivist I T H E A B I N G D O N F O U N D AT I O N | 1 0