Pupil Stories

Pupils who came to Oakham on a bursary share their experiences of being at the School.

An Oakhamian

Being at Oakham was a great experience. I started in Form 3 as a boarder, it was obviously very different from being at home, but it pushed me to be more independent and confident.

I have so many great memories from my time at Oakham; the community is incredible. I especially remember the house prefects being amazing when I started.

The opportunity opened so many doors for me. Before I went to Oakham, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do or what my career would be. Art was something I enjoyed from the beginning, and it has just gone up from there with the help of the facilities and the extra support I received.

Donating to the bursary fund is life-changing for children. Going to Oakham was one of the best things I did, and I’m incredibly grateful for my bursary.

One thing I would like to say to anyone who is thinking of donating to bursaries is that it really is a life-changing experience for the pupil who receives it; you will help change their lives.

An Oakhamian

I had many positive experiences at Oakham School. One of these was the sense of community that developed among us. Living together created relationships that will last me a lifetime. Oakham has a very tight-knit feel of community which encouraged me to partake in a massive range of activities. The community also allows a closer connection between the teachers and students in our smaller class sizes, which enabled me and others to excel in our academics of choice. The diversity helped me to learn different traditions and cultures from people around the world.

Oakham offered me a large variety of extracurricular activities, such as sports and Creative arts. Some of my favourites were the piano lessons which I had never dreamt of before I moved to Oakham. Without a bursary, I would have never been able to fully achieve my academic goals or find my passion in sports if it wasn’t for the opportunities at Oakham. The house pride is something I had never seen before, such as house competitions, where we all supported each other through the ups and downs and made sure everyone was included.

I think people should support bursaries as they allow people from less privileged backgrounds to receive a high level of education from schools such as Oakham which would let them excel in the future. It has personally helped me by providing me with opportunities and experiences that I could have only dreamed of, as well as exceptional support from teachers, house staff, and pastoral care such as counselling. The vast quantity of extra-curricular activities allowed me to focus on hobbies and interests while still having social time, like going into the town centre for a coffee and time to focus on academics. Also, I believe that the scheduling at Oakham allowed me to build time management skills which I have found helpful since finishing School.