SUPPORT US

The diversity of our student body gives the School its unique identity.  Over the last five years over £100,000 has been donated to support Bursaries and Scholarships for talented pupils, who would not otherwise be able to join our community.

At King William’s College we have completely refurbished our Science facilities thanks to a very substantial donation from the MacLeod family. Five brothers from the family have been members of the College in recent years and the donation is in memory of one of the brothers, Dosch, who tragically died in a car accident in 2014. His ambition was to study Medicine at university and it is hoped the new science wing, which is named in his honour, will enable others to achieve that goal. 

Seven laboratories have been totally redesigned and fitted out with the latest equipment, together with the Bragg Lecture Theatre, named after our most famous old boy, the Physics Nobel Laureate William Bragg. 

Thanks to a generous legacy from a parent of a former Buchan pupil, in addition to donations from the school’s community and Friends at Buchan, we have established the Buchan STEAM Studio.  The Studio aims to help children develop skills from an early age based on teaching methods in line with STEAM education.

The Studio is kitted out with a range of LEGO® products to guide student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking that integrate with the STEAM learning system, helping youngsters to develop innovative mindsets with the ability to think creatively.

Ultimately, we hope the studio will become a hub for the local community, bringing together schools, teachers, parents and companies to provide STEAM education for pupils that will last a lifetime and help inspire tomorrow’s scientists and engineers.

In 2018 Friends at Buchan (FaB) helped to fund the refurbishment of the Buchan Library.  In the new space, pupils can comfortably relax with a book on a variety of bean bags and cushions or take a seat on one of two funky sofas. The refurbishment has been a welcome improvement to provide a cosy hub to the centre of the School.

In 2018 we were pleased to welcome Henry Kelly (H, S 1964-72) to open a brand new language lab at KWC, made possible thanks to his generous support. The impressive 16 computer facility includes state of the art technology which will not only help improve vocabulary, expression, grammar and pronunciation, but will allow students to listen to and speak different languages more than is normally possible in a traditional classroom environment.

We believe that strong language skills are an asset which promotes a lifetime of effective communication. The Kelly Language Lab will allow students to practise without the fear of judgement or making mistakes. They can work at their own pace and learn their language in context. This is particularly motivating for our young people who can see first-hand how their language skills benefit them in real life situations.

Nicholas Kitto (D 1968-1972) and his family have generously supported the Arts at College in celebration of his and other family members’ time here, including his grandfather John “Jack” Kitto (D 1905-1911), who was Head of Dickson and a member of the 1st XV.  His donation provided funds to equip the Art Department with new resources, including an excellent A1 photographic printer, and funded an annual photography prize.

In 2015, as part of a joint project with Friends of KWC, the College renovated the space on the ground floor of the Art Department.  The new space is used by all age groups during teaching, as well an exhibition area for students and visiting artists. It has been named The Kitto Studio in recognition of the support of the Kitto family.  

Major General Sir Peter Downward (OKW 1936-1941) was an outstanding alumnus and keen supporter of College.  He sadly passed away in 2014 and since 2015, in recognition of his love for his old school, Sir Peter’s family generously fund an annual lecture that forms part of the Sixth Form lecture series.  The ‘Downward Memorial Lecture’ allows students to hear from leading speakers from the fields of Science and International Relations, two of Sir Peter’s primary interests.  Speakers have included Sir Peter’s son Professor Julian Downward, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE and Greg Whyte OBE.