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My first exposure to KES was with the partnership programme that was running with my primary school. I came along with my class and took part in Science, Art and Philosophy sessions and my Head Teacher subsequently encouraged me to apply for a place.
The day I found out that I had passed the entrance exam and had been offered a full bursary place was a happy and emotional one for me and my family. We held a big party to celebrate and I was even prouder when I first started in Year 7 when the Head, Mr Thould, came up to me and told me, “Your paper is one of the best that I’ve read”.
In my final year of KES, I studied 4 A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Computing and Physics. I was delighted to achieve 4 A*s and am now studying Maths at Imperial College London. Beyond this, I am uncertain about the specific direction I want to take with my career. I am currently exploring more creative paths outside of pure STEM, an area that I really enjoyed lower down in the school, with hopes to incorporate these somehow into my career. I envisage myself somewhere in the likes of academia, AI, or entrepreneurship: all I can say is, watch this space!
Alongside working hard on my academics, I was heavily immersed in co-curriculars at KES, having attended somewhere in the region of 30 different clubs over my 7 years there. I found these to be a really valuable opportunity to delve into my interests outside of the curriculum, and to see practical applications of a lot of my classwork. Greenpower was a highlight for me, and we built and designed a kit car that we raced at Goodwood. I was also an active member of Lunar Society, delivering several maths-themed lectures, and I served as Head of Sustainability in my Upper Sixth year.
KES has been instrumental in helping me get to where I am today. Being surrounded by so many like-minded people within my peer group under the guidance and nurture of my teachers is, for me, my favourite part of KES and has provided me with the perfect forum to explore my passions and develop my intellectual curiosity. This spark is something that has somewhat contagiously caught on in my sisters and other family members too, with the effects of me going to a school like KES echoing well beyond my own individual growth.
I would encourage anyone thinking of applying for a bursary to attend KES to ‘Go for it’. Although it might all seem a little daunting, joining a brand new school, and leaving behind a lot of your friends, I’ve found that there have been so many benefits to coming here, some that I’m only realising now, and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.
I am truly grateful to all those who have supported the King Edward VI Foundation, and I want you to know that your generosity has reached far beyond a simple scholarship. A KES Bursary truly transforms lives: it fuels success stories, cultivates a community where diverse perspectives converge, and empowers all individuals to thrive.
