Merchant Taylors’ School has been named Independent School of the Year for Contribution to Social Mobility at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2026, recognising its longstanding commitment to making an outstanding education accessible to boys from all backgrounds.
The award celebrates the School’s work in widening access through bursaries and creating opportunities that extend well beyond the classroom.
Social mobility has been at the heart of Merchant Taylors’ since its foundation in 1561. Of the 250 boys originally provided for by Sir Thomas White, 150 received bursary support. More than 460 years later, that founding commitment remains as important as ever.
Our bursary programme continues to benefit from the generosity of the wider Merchant Taylors’ community. We are particularly grateful to the Merchant Taylors’ Company and the many individual donors whose support helps us offer opportunities to boys who might otherwise be unable to access a Merchant Taylors’ education.
"A young person’s potential should never be limited by their family’s financial circumstances. A great education can change the course of a life, opening doors that might otherwise remain closed. At Merchant Taylors’, we want every boy to have the chance to discover what they’re capable of, whatever their background. I’m enormously proud that this commitment has been recognised, but prouder still of the boys who make the most of the opportunities they’re given.”
An important part of this commitment is finding new and sustainable ways to fund bursaries. The Julian Hill Cricket Centre, opened in 2024 and funded in large part through the generosity of the Merchant Taylors’ community, provides an innovative example. All profits from the Centre’s lettings income are directed towards bursary support, funding four fully funded bursary places in 2025–26 alone.
"This award is a wonderful recognition of the generosity and shared commitment of the whole Merchant Taylors' community. We are particularly grateful to the Merchant Taylors' Company for its continued and substantial support, and to the hundreds of individual donors whose contributions make such a difference. The Julian Hill Cricket Centre is a fantastic example of how philanthropy can create a lasting legacy, generating income that will help transform young lives for years to come. Every gift, large or small, helps us extend the opportunities a Merchant Taylors' education can provide."
For the boys themselves, bursary support is about much more than access to the classroom. The School is committed to ensuring that every pupil can participate fully in school life, whether academically, through sport, music and drama, or in the many other opportunities available. The Friends of Merchant Taylors’, our parent support groups, play an important role in this, raising funds through their programme of events to help bursary recipients take part in school trips and other opportunities. Bursary recipients consistently perform strongly academically and participate particularly enthusiastically in co-curricular activities.
Many former bursary recipients have gone on to successful careers across a wide range of professions, and many choose to support the bursary programme themselves, helping to create opportunities for the next generation.
Beyond its bursary programme, Merchant Taylors’ also makes a significant contribution to the wider community. Its facilities are shared with local schools, sports clubs and youth organisations, benefiting thousands of people each week, while staff contribute their time and expertise through volunteering, governance and educational partnerships.
The School’s motto, Concordia Parvae Res Crescunt – ‘In harmony, small things grow’ – feels particularly appropriate. This award belongs to everyone who has helped make bursaries possible, from the Merchant Taylors’ Company and our many donors to staff, parents, Old Merchant Taylors and the Friends of Merchant Taylors’. We are enormously grateful for their support.
