Rugby High School launches £20,250 in 2025 Fundraising Campaign

The school’s first priority is to give students the tools they need to learn and grow and the school community has set a goal of raising £20,250 in 2025 for exciting developments within the school. The funds raised will achieve multiple goals this year, including the complete refurbishment of one of the Science Laboratories during the 2025 summer holiday.

The Gospel lab was last refurbished 40 years ago, with some parts still remaining from the original installation in 1960. The planned refurbishment will result in an entirely new laboratory full of specialist science equipment, ensuring our students can engage in practical science experiments which bring the subject to life!

The fully refurbished lab will provide a larger working area, allowing for better access for students. This will improve accessibility, including wheelchair access with at least one height-adjustable desk and workbench. New flooring will be installed with a safer non-slip surface, allowing for easier clean-up of spillages, should they occur. LED lights will be installed within a new drop ceiling which will reduce the school’s environmental impact, along with all-important updated appliances and extra storage to improve functionality and safety.

When this lab was first installed it was known, for many years, simply as the New Lab. It was first renamed Mendeleev (who created a version of the periodic table and formulated the periodic law). However, the school renamed it in honour of their much-loved former head of science, Emma Gospel.

In her time at Rugby High School, Emma Gospel taught thousands of students in this lab, with commitment and passion, and we are continuing her legacy, inspiring the next generation of future scientists. The school is looking forward to thousands more students experiencing science at Rugby High School, and this refurbishment is at the heart of plans to further improve the facilities at the school.

This lab is used every period of every day, so it is a hard-working lab, used to the full. All Rugby high School students are taught in this lab at some point, as it is used to teach Year7s, 8s and 9s Science, as well as GCSE and A-level Chemistry students. Chemistry is a popular and high-achieving subject at Rugby High with 100% of students achieving grades 9-6 at GCSE and an average grade B at A Level in 2024.

Rugby High School has obtained a grant of circa £37,000 which will go some way towards funding this project, but in order to complete it to the best standards for students, funds are being raised through Just Giving and internal parent/carer donations. The school is appealing for donations of £20.25 to make a huge impact on their ability to refurbish the laboratory and go towards other exciting projects around the school.

Through this campaign Rugby High School is laying the groundwork for future student achievement and the school is extremely grateful for any donations received: www.justgiving.com/campaign/20250in2025