The summer term is a busy time for senior school scholarships. Schools offer various different scholarship opportunities ranging from academic to sport, music, art, drama and DT among others.
This year we had a bumper crop of scholarship candidates. I have always felt that for a boy even to be in the running for a scholarship is an achievement in itself. They have to show real dedication, make certain sacrifices and display a very high level of ability in their chosen field.
This year three boys attempted academic scholarships to Winchester and Eton. Six boys sat art scholarships and one was entered for a Design Technology scholarship.
To win an academic scholarship to a school like Winchester is a remarkably difficult thing to achieve. Boys need to be able to work hard but that on its own is not enough. They need to have an undefinable 'spark', something that sets them apart from the rest. They need to show academic curiosity, an ability to think outside the box and deal with things they may never have seen before. We are incredibly proud that the two boys who we entered for the Winchester Election we both successful. This is great credit not only to them, but also to the dedicated teachers who have led them on this path.
Two boys were awarded art scholarships. The quality of their work was exceptional and it is wonderful to see examples displayed in the front hall of the school. They had to spend hours in the art room building up their portfolios and produce still life drawings on the day.
As I said, though, we are proud of all of the boys who reached this level. In recognition of all of their efforts, the whole school was awarded a half day to celebrate their achievements. It is now up to those that follow after them to try to emulate their success.
