MGS students enjoying lessons in Busoga College, Mwiri, Uganda

On 5 September 2005 Jonathan Shephard, speaking in his capacity as General Secretary of the Independent Schools Council, issued a statement to all independent schools stating that when the Charities Bill becomes law, all charities, including schools, would be required to be for the "public benefit", and to be able to demonstrate that this is the case.

As a school with charitable status, MGS took great delight in producing the attached document, which fully illustrates the multifarious ways in which it serves both the local and greater communities.

Brief summary of the report:  From its foundation in 1515 to the present day, The Manchester Grammar School has been fully committed to giving its service to the wider community, both locally in Manchester and further afield. We are proud that almost 500 years on from our foundation the School is so active on so many fronts. We are equally proud that many schools look to us for inspiration and we will continue to encourage others to follow our lead.

For the school year 2004-2005, 366 boys' families benefited from discounted fees to the value of £1,148,637. This figure includes £963,919 in means-tested bursaries awarded to 234 boys, the School's contribution towards bursaries half-funded by The Ogden Trust and the HSBC Education Trust, and hardship awards made to families whose financial circumstances have deteriorated during their sons' time in school owing to bereavement or redundancy. 40 boys' families received transport grants totalling £9,949; and further grants were made to allow boys to participate in school trips and receive instrumental music lessons.

A wide range of school facilities are provided for community use, ranging from the Manchester Hospitals' Fun Day in aid of child burns victims to the hosting of annual Child Protection training for Manchester area independent schools NQTs.

MGS plays an important role in Teacher Training, with the involvement of many staff as mentors and many training events taking place here. Student teachers work within many school departments each year.

MGS has many and varied links with other schools. We offer access to many talks, conferences and performances, and a number of MGS staff serve elsewhere as school governors.

Fixtures are played against many state-maintained schools in the following sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, Pricket, cross country Rugby, (XVs and 7s), soccer, swimming, tennis and water polo.

Many MGS staff have published books, articles and CD/DVD resources, including textbooks used in other schools. Many are involved in public examining, in some cases as Chief Examiners.

Representatives of MGS are active in many community groups, committees, etc, and the school has a particularly busy Community Action group, providing mentoring to pupils in local primary schools and working with challenged communities in various parts of Manchester and Salford. MGS has played a leading role in the Independent Schools' Council Working Party on Community Action. We contribute to many local, regional, national and international charities, including the South Manchester Community Care Cancer Fund and LEPRA. Our involvement with the Busoga Trust in Uganda involves fundraising, as well as placements for young Old Mancunians.