Gabriella, who is currently in Year 11 and attends Cowes Enterprise College in the Isle of Wight, has won our scholarship for a Sixth Form place from September 2021. Here, she will experience independent school life, benefitting from a multitude of enrichment activities, a wide range of sport and the Dyson Building, the new centre for STEAM education, opening in 2021. The building, which incorporates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths education, will be a particular benefit to Gabriella who aims to study a range of Sciences and Maths at A level.

After completing her A levels, Gabriella would like to spend some time in Spain to immerse herself in the culture and improve her Spanish language. Following this, she hopes to study Astrophysics at university. Upon receiving her place, Gabriella said “I feel absolutely privileged and proud at both receiving the OAT scholarship and also pushing myself to strive for the scholarship in the first instance. I am thrilled at the prospect of attending such a prestigious school with an abundance of opportunities, facilities and support. I am very much looking forward to boarding at the school, as it is such a wonderful opportunity to meet new people”.

Gabriella was awarded the place from a field of 25 pupils, following an application process and a series of interviews. Mr Hipperson, Deputy Head (Academic) commented “We will be delighted to welcome Gabriella to Gresham’s this September. During the application process, she proved herself to be a capable and thoughtful student, in particular in her discussion of her interests in Astrophysics and Cosmology. We wish her every success at Gresham’s and in the future”.

For many years, we have partnered with Ormiston Venture Academy, based in Great Yarmouth, annually offering boarding places to aspiring students. The 2021 place for this will be allocated following an application process later in the year. The OAT scholarship is awarded to a pupil who attends one of the senior schools within the Ormiston Academy Trust, in partnership with other independent schools. This is the third time we have provided the place.

The last time Gresham’s awarded an OAT scholarship, it was won by local student, Shahd, who joined from Ormiston Victory Academy, Norwich in 2019. Shahd has fully immersed herself into life here and has just received an offer to read Medicine at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge. Another of our pupils, Amy, has also received an offer to the University of Cambridge, she will read Geography at Fitzwilliam College following a gap year.