Why I have chosen to support the School in my Will

"As a child we moved from Somerset, where my father was Head Gardener on a country estate, to Hampshire and then onto Southampton, just before I sat my 11+. At this age, I was not really aware of the importance of passing the entrance exam and what this would mean to my future life. In those days, attending King Edward’s gave the possibility of education up to School Certificate at 16 and on to Higher School Certificate at 18. Beyond this, any course at any university in the UK was accessible, fees were paid by the state and local authority grants were offered to those in need. Without a place at grammar school, none of these opportunities existed and one’s fate was often to leave school at 14 and start work.

In my early years at KES, the school community was evacuated to Poole to keep us safe from the bomber raids on the city but later we returned to the Hill Lane site. In the Sixth Form I studied Biology, Physics and Chemistry and proceeded to King’s College in the Strand and King’s College Hospital Medical and Dental School to study Dentistry before a career in general dental practice.

I am fortunate to live close to the school and have been able to follow the changes as it has changed from a Southampton to a county wide school, welcomed girls and moved to independence. However, amongst all this change I observe that the ethos at KES has remained very much the same. I am convinced that there is something exceptional in the education provided by King Edwards that I would like to see shared more widely than is possible at this time. Having been privileged to be able to access a KES education at a time when the ability to pay the fees was not the key to access, I can but support the King Edward VI Foundation that opens the door for children who would not otherwise have the opportunities that I have enjoyed."