Our Landor Community is warmly invited to join in our Warwick Independent Schools ‘Foundation Welcome Back Weekend’ from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 September.  During the weekend there will be a range of activities, events and refreshments for families and staff past and present, and Old Girls and friends to enjoy, including:

Campus Treasure Trail
Download the App (on the day) and go on a self-guided tour to explore the outside of the campus at your leisure.
Sat 25 Sept, 09:00-17:00.

Old Girls' Coffee Morning and Afternoon Bar
Sat 25 Sept, 10:00-12:00 Coffee Morning, 12:30-16:00 Afternoon Bar
The King's High Dining Room will be open as a base for Old Girls to meet. Enjoy a drink with friends and fellow Old Girls and explore the school at your leisure.

Complimentary BBQ Lunch
Sat 25 Sept, 12:30-14:00, available outside Warwick School Dining Hall for all.

Meet the authors of the King's High and Warwick Prep's latest book
Mrs Polly Beidas and Mrs Jennifer Edwards will give a talk based on the recently published history of King’s High and Warwick Prep School, Of Mulberries, Ilex and Acorns.
Sat 25 Sept, 15:00-15:45

Rounders tournament
OGA committee members Camilla Hatherly and Zoe Pearman (both KHS 2005 – 2012) will be organising an Old Girls’ rounders tournament at the sports field. So dust off your bat and sign up here if you’d like to play.  (By the way, you’re not too old! ‘Rounders England’ has players registered between the ages of 16 and 67, and probably older ones who aren't registered.) There is also touch rugby on the Warwick School 3G pitch (sign up on the day).
Sat 25 Sept, 14:00-16:00

Massive Messiah
Come and sing… or listen to a performance of selected choruses
Sun 26 Sept, Warwick Hall (see brochure for times)

PROGRAMME AND BOOKING
Download the full weekend programme bel
All events are free. Payments for drinks are card only.

If you would like to attend any of the events or activities, please sign-up at www.foundationwelcomeback.com.

Please note that the weekend is dependent on Covid mitigation strategies in place at the time and every activity is subject to change. 

Calling will take place between Monday 12 July and Sunday 25 July 2021. Everyone on the calling team is either a current pupil going into Upper Sixth or one of our recent leavers.

The campaign offers an exciting opportunity for our callers to make connections with our alumni as well as to fundraise for bursaries. The callers play a hugely important role in keeping Warwick and our Foundation schools connected with our global family of alumni. We always want to hear what you've gone on to do after leaving us.

We know you can keep in touch with school news via The Old Warwickian and social media but for us, it's also great to speak with you directly about everything that's happening here and find out your views on some of our latest developments. And of course, our callers love to hear interesting stories, insights and advice from generations who studied before them!

Meet our student callers
We spoke to some of this year’s callers to hear about what attracted them to the role.
This also gives you a chance to put a face to the name when they contact you in July.

Will

I grew up in Warwick and went to Warwick School from the age of 3-18. At school I played rugby and cricket as well as being president of the history society. I have a black belt in taekwondo and completed a gold level lifesaving course. I have just completed my second year studying history at the University of Birmingham. I play squash and dodgeball at university as well as edit the university’s sport’s newspaper, Redbrick. After university I am hoping to become a journalist, preferably working in sports.

I applied to be a caller to give back to the school that gave me so much and to earn some money for my future endeavours. I am looking forward to speaking to a multitude of people from different backgrounds and improving my communication skills. I would encourage our alumni to donate to bursaries in order to help the next generation with their studies and make Warwick School a more inclusive and diverse community, thus increasing the scope of the education that the school offers.

Annabel 

I have just finished studying my A-levels at King's High in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. I really enjoy playing classical music, having previously studied both the flute and the piano at the Royal Birmingham Junior Conservatoire.  I adore my three dogs (Pixel, Jar Jar and Sev) who are always up to trouble, and I love to keep fit by participating in dog agility and running long distances.

I am really looking forward to speaking with lots of alumni and learning about their lives through the calling campaign. I am also excited to discover the positive impact that alumni feel their experience within the Foundation has had, and how it has helped them to reach their full potential.

I would truly encourage our alumni to donate to the Foundation to enable other equally talented children to have the same life-changing experience of exceptional education that our alumni, and myself, have experienced.  Furthermore, the new facilities that have been built over recent years due to the generosity of alumni donations, including the Halse Pavilion and the music school, illustrate how new equipment and larger, more-specialised spaces can help more children to discover their passion and find a niche in which they really excel.  I can attest first-hand to the importance of these facilities, as I first discovered my passion for music at Warwick Prep School and I will always be grateful that I was given that opportunity, as I still love classical music and I can’t wait to play again in an Orchestra and Wind Orchestra when I continue my studies at university.

Grace

Hello, I’m Grace and I’ve just finished Sixth Form at King’s High. In my spare time, I enjoy playing First Team netball and particularly love umpiring netball. Travelling to different countries is also a passion of mine, as well as cooking and baking! I am most looking forward to communicating with people, building a rapport and also working as part of a team. I fully appreciate the many opportunities which King’s High has presented to me and the outstanding facilities which it provides. I would encourage others to donate to the school to help future students thrive and to give back to a community which offers so much. I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Daniel

My name is Dan and I left Warwick in 2020, in the midst of COVID. I am currently in my first year at Durham University studying Economics, with a view to heading into the world of finance or a business management position in the future. I am extremely interested in sport, playing rugby all through my time at school, alongside being an avid watcher and player of football.

I am thoroughly looking forward to having the unique chance to converse with former pupils of the school for a few reasons. I think it’ll be incredibly intriguing to be able to compare experiences with other alumni throughout the years. Moreover, it will be interesting to hear how their careers have been influenced and furthered by experiences at the school.

From my viewpoint, I can attest how amazing an experience Warwick provided to me and how much it did and continues to help me in my everyday life, both through lessons learnt (socially and educationally) and continued support from staff. I am a strong believer that it is important for this experience to be accessible to as many people as possible, so donating to the school, to enable bursaries for future students, is an incredibly important and respectable thing to do.

Maud

I am in Year 12 (Lower Sixth) at King’s High. I am currently studying History, Chemistry and German. Next year, I am hoping to study History at university and am currently in the process of attending virtual university open days. I am also considering studying abroad at Utrecht or Erasmus University in Holland.

Although I did not take politics A-level, I frequently attend Model United Nations where we look at both modern and historical crises from the perspective of a country. I have always been interested in China after I completed an EPQ (5000 word essay) earlier this year about Mao Zedong the communist dictator.

I love speaking to people about history which is one of the main reasons why I have chosen to do this campaign. Reconnecting with former pupils is always enlightening and it is wonderful to hear them reminiscing about their school days.

Throughout my six years at the school, I have always been offered the chance to do things I never thought I would. From setting up a debating society and competing in the regional finals of a prestigious debating competition to playing hockey in Holland and skiing in America. King’s High School continuously goes above and beyond to do the best for their students. There has never been a day where I haven’t felt supported or encouraged to be the best person I can be.

Gigi

My name is Gigi and I am in Year 12.  I am taking French, Spanish and History for A-Level and I am hoping to study modern languages at university. I am a Wellbeing Ambassador for the school and mentor younger pupils to help them feel more comfortable at school. I was also a member of the National Youth Board for the Diana Award. I am a keen cross country runner and really enjoy this as a sport, as well as cycling and swimming. I am half Australian and lived in Melbourne for four years, moving back to England in 2017, the middle of Year 8.

I applied for this job because I would love to develop my skills working online, as this is a skill that is becoming in greater demand due to the ever-changing world of work because of COVID-19.  As well as this, I am looking forward to 'meeting' some old pupils of the Foundation. 

I really hope that you can support the school so that people like me can continue to benefit from the amazing support that King’s gave me.  I, with no experience of the English secondary school system, would have struggled in any other environment but King’s gave me amazing support.  I have had so many opportunities from taking an amateur radio licence and speaking with the international space station to taking a business French qualification.  I wholeheartedly encourage you to support the school in the way that it supported me.

Izzy

​I’m Izzy and I’m a year 12 student studying Biology, Chemistry and Spanish. I am intending to study dentistry at university following a gap year during which I plan to travel, work and do some volunteer work!

I applied to the campaign as I was a new student in September and had already seen the amazing impact that King’s High can have on pupils and I wanted to be able to help the school continue to do this work. During the campaign I am looking forward to being able to speak to people who have a link with the school and develop my communication skills.

I have seen first-hand the impact that this sort of money can make and I would love to be able to be a part in helping the school be able to continue this, and other similar forms of help so others can continue to benefit from it.

Kiran

A main part of my life would be my ambition to study medicine at university which I am excitedly looking forward to doing next year. I have some hobbies and interests such as rock climbing and playing the cello which I enjoy and it allows me to have a healthy work-life balance. I applied for this role it would be a great opportunity for me to work in a team within a professional environment and gain experience in this type of job sector. I am looking forward to reaching out to alumni and talking about our shared experiences in being part of the King’s High and Warwick Foundation. I would encourage people to donate to the school as it supports students being able to learn in within the Foundation and have a bright future.

Our new online networking platform is called Warwick Foundation Connect and combines the communities of Landor Connect and Warwick School Connect.

With so much uncertainty in the world it has never been more important to support our former pupils and show them that they remain a lifelong part of our King’s High and Warwick School communities.

Our new Mentoring scheme has proved very popular with our recent leavers. It connects younger leavers, who are looking to gain more experience in work or study, with members of the wider Foundation community. This community includes parents and former pupils who are seasoned professionals, keen to provide opportunities for recent leavers to learn and develop skills. These skills can help them to embark on, or move forward in, their careers. Mentoring links are made over a wide range of careers, including Law, the Civil Service, the Armed Forces, Architecture, Engineering, and Medical Sciences.

In the meantime, we are delighted to announce, following discussions with King’s High librarian Mrs Caron Burman, that the inaugural book to be read by the book clubs is ‘A History of Bees’ by Maja Lunde. Lunde is a Norwegian author, but if your Norwegian is lacking, please be assured that the novel has been translated into English. Although she has written extensively for children and young adults, this is her first novel for an adult readership. In spite of the title, we are reliably informed that it is a novel, and not a history of bees per se!   Mrs Burman has already recommended this on her staff reading list and thoroughly endorses this title.

These and other questions were answered at a fabulous virtual legal masterclass on Thursday 18^th March, when seven female legal experts from the Landor community gave short keynote speeches about various aspects of the law.

Dr Burley welcomed us to the virtual event which, with Mrs Didlick as our MC, and legally-minded sixth formers Anushka and Imogen introducing each speaker with a short potted biography.

First up was Law Lecturer Josie Kemeys, who has been able to combine legal work with academia. Old Girl Marcella King followed, explaining how twenty years as a solicitor led to her present career as a legal writer and publisher. Puneet Rai (KHS 1991 – 1998) told us how a Modern Languages degree need not be a barrier to having a successful and fascinating career as a barrister. Old Girl Sarah Schutte’s law degree enabled her to set up her own legal and training consultancy. Intellectual Property lawyer and Brexit specialist Sally Shorthose (KHS 1974 – 1981) showed how it was possible to have a career encompassing several types of legal work. Her Honour Justice Elizabeth Walker (KHS 1983 – 1990)  told us about the hard slog involved in reaching her position as a Circuit Judge, the role she was born to attain, and our final speaker, Old Girl Sara Chambers, spoke of her stellar legal career which culminated in her becoming a legal director.   

We are very grateful to our galaxy of legal stars for speaking to tomorrow’s would-be lawyers, and to John Richards who provided the technical expertise to stage the event. If you were unable to join us on 18^th, please click on the link below to see the evening’s speeches.

Please click here to join.

New Head Master Dr Burley welcomed the audience, and sporting sixth former Ruby introduced Felicity as the embodiment of King’s High’s motto ‘Aspire, Achieve, Enjoy’.  She aspires to be a doctor and an Olympian, she enjoys both her studies and her training, and she is on the verge of graduating in medicine from Cardiff University, and competing for her country at the Winter Olympics.

Felicity began by saying she viewed life as a book, and although she was only 23, some of her chapters had already been written. She believed she had certainly crammed a lot onto every page so far.  She urged everyone to embrace life and accept every challenge that comes. In your book of life, she says ‘You have to be the main character, not the backing singer, and not the second lobster in the Nativity’. It’s advice she has indeed followed, by not only reaching the dizzy heights in music, all types of sport, and getting into one of the top twenty medical schools in the UK. Felicity feels great joy in having said yes all the time. ‘I love the fact that I do everything’ she says. 

Of course, Felicity was very lucky in having an amazing support network of family, friends and teachers. She left King’s High in 2016 on a sports scholarship to Cardiff University. But she has also ploughed her own furrow (or should that be ‘cut her own path through the ice’?). Once at university, she was recommended to use a sports coach who was located fifty odd miles away in Swansea. Without a car, it was her firm commitment and resolve that enabled her to get up on a Saturday morning, just as her partying student housemates were coming in from their nights out, to take a bus and train journey to arrive in Swansea for 9.00 a.m.

Having embraced the social side of student life along with the training in Swansea and studying, Felicity did find it took a toll on her health, so she decided to take herself in hand for the rest of her degree course, choosing to live with a group of medics who shared her dedication and vision, and finding sports coaching nearby. She was even able to combine her sporting life with a medical placement for homeless people, prisoners and asylum seekers.

Bobsleigh training sounded very strange, comprising such joys as a feeling akin to ‘fifty seconds of being thrown off a cliff in a wheely bin’! Yet selection in British bobsleigh left her ‘addicted to the adrenalin rush’ that the sport gave her, and for Felicity ‘the buzz of putting on a GB suit never diminishes’.

We were delighted that Felicity took time to answer the questions that we had sent in. Dr Cheetham and Ms Bradbury were two of the people at King’s High who had most inspired her to achieve. For those considering the study of medicine but lacked staying power, Felicity urged people to ask where they would like medicine to take them, for the possibilities are legion, and to ask themselves what really makes them tick. As a people person, it is that side of medicine which drives Felicity on. She takes her energy from other people, so would always choose, for example,  hairdressing over biochemistry for its exposure to people!

The honorific role of President is tenable for an academic year and is a position offered to a notable individual who has deep roots with King’s High and/or Warwick Preparatory School, and whose experience thus resonates with the aims of the Association. The role of the President is to represent the interests of the Association, and promote its aims both formally and informally. We are delighted to announce that Clare Sawdon has accepted this position. Read more about Clare here.

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of outstanding service to members of the entire Landor Association community. We know that the chosen Fellows will support the Association as much as possible, promoting its aims, in particular in strengthening the King’s High and Warwick Preparatory School community. We are pleased to announce our Fellows for 2020 below;

Jennifer Edwards, Jill Fraser, David and Sonia Guest, Sue Lampitt, Jill Lillyman, Jane Marshall, and Richard and Veronica Phillips.

You can find out more about our Fellows here.