Though I am not yet a mother, I can already say that I would want my daughter to attend LEH. There are undoubtedly thousands of parents who feel the same way, many of whom would struggle to realise this dream without the help of the LEH Bursary fund.

I was lucky enough to be a recipient of an LEH Bursary throughout my school career, from the age of 11 to 18. There are no words to describe the impact that the school has had on me, so it must suffice to say that it made me who I am today. The outstanding teaching and pastoral support allowed me to triumph over personal difficulties, and fulfil my ambition of reading English Language and Literature at Oxford University. LEH prepared me for university by instilling a passion for learning which was impossible to shake off, and by giving me the confidence to believe in my own abilities.

The opportunities which I was offered during my time at LEH were staggering. I joined all of the sports clubs my timetable would allow, and became captain of the fencing team. I chaired an MUN assembly in which we hosted hundreds of students from across the country. I went on a school trip to China to help me with my History A-level, which undoubtedly accounted, at least in part, for my getting 100% UMS. The charity mentoring schemes which were set up to help disadvantaged children from the local community endowed me with empathy and passion to work with children in the future. This is just a tiny insight into the plethora of incredible opportunities which I was given during my time at LEH. My childhood and adolescent years were vivid and culturally rich, undoubtedly much more so than they would have been were it not for the Bursary fund.

I am now myself a teacher, which is a testament to how highly I regarded my own teachers. I respect the profession so highly that my career choice was based solely on how my teachers made me feel. If I can have half of the impact on my students that my teachers had on me then I have an incredibly fulfilling career in front of me. The only difference is that I am teaching in a far less privileged school than LEH. I made this decision because I am conscious that I was only able to attend such a fantastic school because of my bursary. There are many other pupils in this country who could be afforded the same success as me if only they had access to the same education.