One of Suffolk’s independent schools is launching a new fund to allow some students to attend on fully-paid scholarships.

One of Suffolk's independent schools is launching a new fund to allow some students to attend on fully-paid scholarships.

The Ipswich School, both a preparatory and secondary independent school in the centre of the town, is reaching out for support for the Founding Futures campaign in a bid to allow more students to access the education on offer.

Fees for full-boarding students in Year 9 and above are just over £30,000 per year.

Current academic scholarships at the school are known as Queen's Scholarships - in honour of Queen Elizabeth I - and can be worth up to half the cost of a student's tuition fees, but the new bursary could be used to cover the entire cost of a pupil's education.

Headmaster Nicholas Weaver said: "In nine years at Ipswich School, I have seen the transformational effect that our bursaries have had on young people's lives. They have made a huge difference to their chances in university and life beyond school.

"An Ipswich School education is something that we want to be available to anyone who would benefit, regardless of their financial means and background.

"We hope this campaign will also help to address social mobility and raise aspirations for everyone in the local area."

The aim of the Founding Futures campaign is to fund an extra 25 places with a 100% bursary by 2025.

Ipswich School already spends around £1million a year on financial assistance for places, and around 130 children benefit from some kind of fee assistance, either bursaries, which are means-tested, or scholarships, which recognise academic achievement or achievement in areas such as music or sport.

The latest campaign has already been boosted by a donation of £50,000 from the school's alumni, the Old Ipswichian Club.

Club chairman Sally Webber said: "Our members are proud to have benefitted from an Ipswich School education, and we are delighted to be able to 'pay it forwards' and support the new Founding Futures campaign."

The school became part of the town in the 14th century, with a long history intertwined with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey - that includes a mention in Shakespeare's play Henry VIII, and some of the school's bricks being used in the construction of the palace of Whitehall.