Three boys join our growing list of academic scholars as Ethan D succeeds in the Winchester Election and Joshua W and Joshua H are both successful in earning Academic Scholarships at Tonbridge School.
Ma’am Naidoo was incredibly proud of Ethan when he undertook the Winchester Election, the Academic Scholarship exam for Winchester College, which only particularly bright children are invited to take part in. When she found out he was successful, she was over the moon, and alongside Mr Banks, revelled in sharing the good news with Ethan. Ethan immediately told his friend Stanley and then his parents who all congratulated him on what is quite the achievement. While Ethan shared that some of the exams were quite challenging (especially the second Maths paper!), he said he felt the interview went really well, which left him feeling as confident as he could do given the circumstances. Ethan gives particular credit to two teachers for helping him through the process: Ma’am Naidoo for encouraging and motivating him and Mr Legge, for his teaching expertise. While he will miss his friends at Caldicott, Ethan is excited for the new opportunities Winchester will hold.
Joshua W was at Games when Mr Banks and Ma’am Naidoo called for him to come up so that they could share the news that he was successful in earning an Academic Scholarship for Tonbridge. Instead of naming the examination process itself, Joshua said that the hardest part of the process was watching the Common Entrance boys enjoying themselves whilst he went to third prep! Although, he admits that this hard work paid off and made the actual task of sitting the exams and interview, much more manageable. He was asked in his interview why he wanted to join Tonbridge, and he said that he was ready for the question: ‘It’s got a very diverse culture, and the academic standard is very high; I think it’s the perfect environment to push myself further’. While he is sad he’ll be saying goodbye to some friends, he is looking forward to trying new things as well as gaining a greater sense of independence as he moves on to Tonbridge. Joshua thanked Ma’am Naidoo for ‘everything!’, she helped him with work, and gave him some great tips along the way, he also thanked his parents for not putting pressure on him. Lastly, he thanked his friends and fellow scholars, ‘when things were tough, we helped each other’.
Joshua H also earnt himself an Academic Scholarship at Tonbridge, and immediately called his mum. Fortunately, his dad was there too and so he enjoyed a lovely moment in which he was able to tell both his parents that all of his hard work had paid off! He also found third prep the challenging part of the process, saying that alongside the many past papers, this preparation was crucial in ensuring he had the best chance of success. Joshua’s parents helped him tremendously as did Ma’am Naidoo, who earnt herself another shout out, with Joshua thanking her for helping him throughout his application and negotiating with Tonbridge to ensure he didn’t have to sit a French exam (as he hadn’t studied French in previous years). Joshua is very excited to join Tonbridge, with the opportunity to make new friends and make the most of the impressive facilities both compelling prospects.
