About the FoG Foundation

FoG Foundation is a new group, working alongside FoG Events as part of the wider Friends of Gillespie (FoG) charity.
The mission of FoG Foundation is simple- to raise money to help the school provide outstanding provision /projects for our children and give all our students the best possible experience.
FoG Events and the Foundation are complementary. The community spirit we build at FoG Events will help power the Foundation’s fundraising for key school projects.

Who is involved in the FoG Foundation?

Overseen by a Senior FoG Board, the FoG Foundation is made up of approximately 8 members, led by the FoG Foundation Lead (who is also a Trustee sitting on the Senior FoG Board) who:

• Receives steer from School Leadership on key areas for funding and develops an annual strategy to deliver on those targets.
• Produces communications material to update and inform the school community on priorities, current progress, and next steps for the Foundation.
• Builds a cohort of direct donors.

What sorts of projects will the FoG Foundation support?

FoG Foundation has already made a difference. Thanks to the incredible generosity of parents who donated just before summer 2025, the Foundation has already funded a new Teaching Assistant for the school. This additional presence will have a significant impact on improving pupil behaviour and engagement in the classroom and improving academic progress, as outlined in the Department for Education research report (2024) into the use of TA’s in schools.
This school year (2025 – 2026), the school’s ambitions for our children are even bigger. The Foundation aims to raise funds for:

• Two additional Teaching Assistants
• Artist in Residence – 1 day a week to pay for an art teacher to work on termly art projects with different classes on a rolling programme.
• Modern Foreign Languages in Residence – 1 day a week to support the existing language curriculum or introduce a new language.
• Digital technology and infrastructure to replace and upgrade interactive Whiteboards and purchase more iPads for flexible use by children.

How can you help?

There are four key ways you can help us achieve these goals.

1. Donate HERE. The most direct way is to give what you can. It will take you to our donation page, where you can make a one-off donation or, even better, set up a regular direct debit, which provides the stable, long-term support the school can plan around.
2. Connect Us Do you know a local business that might partner with us or sponsor a project? Email us at fogfoundation@gillespie.islington.sch.uk
3. Check for Match-Funding Many employers offer a match-funding scheme, which means they’ll double your donation. It’s a powerful way to supercharge your support without costing you an extra penny. Please, ask your HR department!
4. Join the Team. We’re looking for parents and carers who can share their time and skills to help strengthen the Foundation’s work. Whether your experience is in fundraising, communications, project management, design, or any other area that could be useful, we’d love to have you involved. If you can spare some time and want to make a difference, please sign up HERE

FAQ

What is Gillespie’s financial position?

Gillespie has an annual budget of just over £1.4 million, which approximately 73% of this is spent on salaries, in line with all public sector primary schools.
Each year, the government delegates funds to schools. However, according to the “The latest picture on school funding and costs in England”, Institute for Fiscal Studies, March 2024, state schools in England are facing their worst decline in funding since 2010. Some of the reasons for this include: the introduction of the National Funding Formula, changes to Pupil Premium criteria with the roll-out of Universal Credit, unfunded increases in pension and employer contributions, funding increases not keeping pace with inflation, and the recent cost of living crisis which has seen rising food and energy costs.

Is it right that parents are subsidising schools?

A creative, inspirational, and inclusive school experience is fundamental to our values at Gillespie. In an ideal world, government funding would be sufficient to guarantee this. However, the reality is that government funding has been declining for years, with no sign of any significant increase. While Gillespie and its Governing Body are diligent in managing its tight budget, with careful accounting, reducing costs that have the least impact on pupils, and seeking additional revenue streams and financial efficiencies – there is only so much cutting that can be done before our children’s school experience will be affected.
We want to protect what makes our school special, and that is why we are turning to our community for support.

Where did the idea for a Foundation come from?

The idea for the Foundation came directly from parents who wanted a simple way to make regular financial contributions. And then, key suggestions were made around the free school dinners that all Islington schools currently benefitting from. For example, for families who would have previously paid for these meals, it was suggested they could consider donating the equivalent amount directly to the school. This cost is currently £3.00 per day, which equates to £15 a week or a monthly donation of £48.75. While listening to the ideas of our parents community, it became obvious that the school should create a Foundation to provide a simple and structured way for people to contribute.

Is this large-scale fundraising new for Gillespie?

While the Foundation is new to Gillespie, fundraising for educational enrichment is not new to our school. Examples of past generosity and incredible fundraising efforts of parents and the local community have resulted in the school being able to deliver for example the Forest School education sessions or Strings musical programme.

If we subsidise the school, doesn’t this give the government the green light to cut our funding?

Gillespie has been proactively campaigning against funding cuts and will continue to do so. Our school staff, parents, and governors have actively campaigned on this issue, with appearances on national news channels and consistent engagement with the Local Authority to raise concerns about the impact of these financial constraints. It is not right that schools are insufficiently funded; the situation is unacceptable and unsustainable. However, our children’s time at primary school is happening now, and we must do what we can for them in the interim. The school continues to raise these concerns with the Local Authority, who report them to the Department for Education. We strongly encourage as many people as possible to also raise this issue with their local MP – your voice is crucial.

Are any other schools doing this?

Many primary and secondary schools across the country have established a Foundation or a donation mechanism to increase fund raising. Local schools such as Yerbury Primary, Thornhill Primary School, Canonbury Primary School and William Tyndale have done this for many years, allowing them to cover various activities including: developing special art, music and IT provisions, making significant playground improvements, and supporting an inclusive annual trips for pupils.

Who decides which projects and initiatives the Foundation will focus on?

This is a really important question. As stated in the Foundation Terms of Reference, the strategic fundraising and spending priorities for the Foundation are identified by the School Governing Body and Headteacher and then discussed with FoG and Foundation team members.

What is the difference between the Foundation and the existing FoG group?

Friends of Gillespie (FoG) is the registered charity and now has two sub committees – the FoG Events Committee (which FoG as most parents and carers know it) and the Foundation.
The focus for the FoG Events Committee is to deliver informal, inclusive events and initiatives that bring our local school community together in a fun and relaxed fashion, and often, in doing so, raise valuable school funds. The focus for the Foundation is primarily financial, to raise larger amounts of money through grants, partnerships with local businesses and direct financial donations from those in a position to give. Each sub committee exists to support the educational experience for all families connected to the school and to build a sustainable and effective delivery model to achieve this.

I’m not able to make a financial contribution; will my child get less favourable treatment at school?

Absolutely not. There is no expectation for anyone to donate. All donations are entirely voluntary and confidential, and information on donations and donors will not be shared.

I don’t wish to donate but would like to support the Foundation; what can I do?

There are many ways that you can help, particularly by spreading the word about the Foundation and its activities.
For example:

• Ask at your workplace if they run any Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or community initiatives and find out whether they might want to consider supporting our projects.
• Let people in the local community and social networks – friends, family, neighbours, grandparents, school alumni, etc. – know about the Foundation in case they wish to help with our fundraising.
• If you know anyone who is planning a personal challenge – be it a marathon, an organised race, a triathlon, a trek – and is looking for a charity to support, then they can raise money for the Foundation very easily, by contacting the school for further details. All money they raise will go straight to our school’s Foundation.
• If you own or know any local businesses that might be interested in sponsorship or marketing opportunities with our school community, please let us know.
• If you have skills or experience in the areas of fundraising, grant applications, sponsorships, or charity administration, and can spare time to support our work, please speak to Sean from FoG or Mark about helping our team!

 How can I be sure that any money that I donate is put to good use?

An annual summary of expenditure will be published as well as regular updates about all of Gillespie’s fundraising efforts – grant applications, income generation and FoG Event Committee fundraising – and how these efforts are helping the children at Gillespie.

What is gift aid?

Gift Aid is an income tax relief designed to benefit charities. If you’re a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid increases the value of your donations by 25% because the Foundation can reclaim the basic rate of tax on your gift at no extra cost to you. If you are planning to make a donation on our donation site, please make sure you tick the Gift Aid box to make your donation go even further.

By making a regular donation, can I choose exactly where my money will go?

Generally, it is not practical to choose specifically which project your money will fund. Some projects may be easier to get grant funding or sponsorship for, so will rely less on parent donations. Others will be harder to get grant funding or sponsorship and may need to be funded completely by direct donations. Your donations to the Foundation account will be directed to specific funding priorities as outlined through various campaign communications and engagement events over the academic year.

How were the parents on the Foundation committee selected?

In May 2025 the Headteacher, following consultation with the existing FoG Events Committee members, established a Foundation Working Group to discuss the financial status of the school, identify fundraising opportunities and to explore the possibility of setting up a Foundation for Gillespie Primary. The school’s former chair of Governors was invited to act as chair for the group, with other attendees at the inaugural meeting including the current Chair of Governors, the existing and previous chairs of the FoG Events Committee and a small group of parents who had expressed an interest in supporting the school in this area. Since that date, the Working Group has met regularly to scope out the remit, priorities and operational matters to develop the concept of a Foundation and devise communications to brief the parent body on what had been done thus far and the planned next steps. Since then, a parent-led Strategic Group has been established, drawing on the professional expertise from within the Gillespie parent community to build a formal fundraising plan for the coming year. The Foundation membership is being built as we speak, with parents members selected according to the Foundation’s terms of reference.

If you would like to get involved, please contact fogfoundation@gillespie.islington.sch.uk