Learning to thrive
The LTC schools — the Licensed Victuallers' School and the Elvian — aim to develop confident caring citizens for the future
Young people thrive at the Licensed Victuallers' School (LVS) in Ascot and the Elvian School in Reading. These non-selective, independent schools are owned by the LTC and they welcome children from trade families, who can benefit from a variety of discounts and bursaries to make costs of school fees more affordable.
LVS Ascot is a purpose-built day and boarding school for girls and boys aged four to 18, set in acres of playing fields and parkland with excellent facilities. Pupils can board from the age of seven — an attractive and fun "home from home" option which benefits busy trade families. Children are cared for in the evenings, and weekends if they are full boarders, enjoying a wide range of extra-curricular activities and trips with their friends, leaving holidays free for family time.
The Elvian School in Reading takes boys and girls aged three to 18 as day pupils. It is a small school where
everyone knows and cares for one another, allowing each child to reach and exceed their potential. The school operates a network of coaches and minibuses each day, bringing children in from areas to the north and south of Reading, opening up access to trade families living in Berkshire, north Hampshire and south Oxfordshire.
Annual LTC members receive a 20% discount against fees. These discounts are available regardless of status. Additionally, the LTC offers bursaries to the children of people who work, or have worked, in the licensed drinks trade. Levels of assistance varies from a contribution to school fees through to a full bursary covering all fees plus academic extras, which could include things such as school trips and textbooks.
One family that has benefitted is Carol Fortune and her sons Aaron and Adam. Carol struggled to run a pub and look after the boys when her husband left her, but with help from the LTC in the form of full bursaries plus extras, Aaron and Adam are now enjoying all the opportunities LVS can offer, with Aaron even being nominated for the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth.
Another recent success story is Ben Lion, the son of a hotelier, who left LVS last year to study aeronautical engineering at Loughborough University with dreams of becoming a commercial airline pilot. Ben has dyslexia and the help he received from the school's learning support unit certainly contributed to his A-level success.
Life at LVS and the Elvian is not just about academic work — there is also a huge range of extracurricular activities and trips on offer. At Elvian there is a vibrant Combined Cadet Force which enables students to go on exercises, often overnight, and learn practical outdoor skills while learning to work in teams. Younger pupils go on regular visits to enrich classroom studies, to places like Cheddar Gorge, Kew Gardens and HMS Victory at Portsmouth. At LVS, the students make full use of the fantastic facilities, including a 300-seat theatre, ozone swimming pool and a new fitness centre. There is something for everyone, whether they are sporty, musical, artistic or budding actors.
With both schools catering for all ages from primary to sixth-form levels, they also offer a continuity of education in a familiar, inclusive environment, something valued by parents who have to relocate regularly or have unsociable working hours. Younger children receive a generous amount of individual attention within small teaching groups. As pupils move into senior schooling they are guided by excellent teaching towards GCSEs and in the sixth form, students gain independence, assuming increased responsibility for their work and the opportunity to become role models for younger pupils. The emphasis throughout the schools is on realising each pupil's potential through an enriching, broad and challenging curriculum.
The schools aim to develop confident, caring citizens for the future and a visit to either school will confirm that they are happy and stimulating places. Please visit their websites for more information on when to visit or to request further information: www.lvs.ascot.sch.uk and www.elvian.reading.sch.uk.
