We are extremely grateful to all of our supporters, including parents, Old Summerfieldians, friends of Summer Fields and a number of Trusts and Foundations. Thanks to their generosity and commitment, we have been able to fund a variety of projects that enhance the boys’ day-to-day experiences. The completed projects featured here represent the highlights of a number of our appeals and demonstrate the impact of your gifts.

The Library

We are delighted that our new school library, in what was once New Room, the oldest teaching space in the school, is now in use. The boys are already making the most of this wonderful new addition to the school’s infrastructure.  

Refurbishment of the Chapel

As part of our development programme,  The Next Chapter, the school chapel has undergone a complete refurbishment. In 2020, essential improvements and modernisations were made while retaining the original features.  These improvements included:

• sympathetic and energy-efficient lighting
• new flooring throughout (the original Victorian tiles pictured above were discovered during the refurbishment and thoroughly cleaned and restored).
• underfloor heating to replace the over head electric heaters and radiators
• improved and raked seating at the rear of the new Chapel
• refurbishment of the gallery area and stairwell leading to it
• improvements to the general fabric such as replacing the wooden panelling and extending this to the area under the gallery
• new prayer kneelers
• redecoration of the entire Chapel, side chapel and vestry. 

Tree House and Outdoor Learning Project 

The recently constructed six-metre tree house provides both a classroom in the trees and an extension of the boys’ forest school sessions. Complete with two viewing platforms and connected by solid bridges, it gives areas for the boys to read outside, to use as viewing platforms or even form part of their imaginative play.

The Salata Pavilion - opened October 2015

The Salata Pavilion replaces the existing changing rooms (known colloquially as the “Vins”) and provides new changing facilities for visiting teams. On the ground floor there is a meeting room and a spacious foyer area. Upstairs there is a large multi-purpose suite complete with spectators’ balcony overlooking the school’s grounds. In addition to its use as a sports facility, the pavilion can be used for internal and external meetings, displays, exhibitions and receptions.  Our thanks goes to every member of our community who has supported this ambitious development.

A Digital Organ for Chapel

In 2013 the chapel organ was replaced as a result of a very generous donation to Summer Fields by The Columbia Foundation Fund of the London Community Foundation.

The new organ was designed by Allen organ builders, one of the world’s leading organ building firms. It is of an incredibly fine level of workmanship and musical quality and is used during chapel services and in music lessons by boys learning how to play the instrument.

Technical Upgrade to Macmillan

In 2012 a complete upgrade to the lighting and sound systems in Macmillan was carried out. This was made possible by the generosity of Mr Rowan Atkinson, in recognition of the time spent at Summer Fields by Benjamin Atkinson, OS (2006). Benjamin performed with his father who played Fagin in the memorable production of the musical Oliver! in Michaelmas 2005. The upgrade has made a real difference to the boys as they are able to gain ‘hands on’ experience in stage lighting and sound engineering. For many of them it is the beginning of a deep and long-lasting appreciation for live theatre.

Summer Fields Observatory

Thanks to a generous donation from former parents, Summer Fields has been able to build an observatory to house its Meade telescope (also generously donated to the school by a kind parent). The wooden structure has a sliding roof to allow the whole sky to be viewed and is already the hub of excitement for our budding new astronomy club.

Summer Fields Printing Press

In 2012 two of our parents very kindly funded a Gunning Arts Etching Press which has proven to be a wonderful addition to the Summer Fields Art Department.