In Year 7, I was a quiet, shy kid who had so much to say but mumbled and stuttered whenever he tried to say it but then I auditioned for the middle school play. That year it was the adapted-for-the-stage version of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Mr Benfield and Mr Payne cast me in the role of Maurice, a loud, brash and unapologetic character who loved nothing more than to be the centre of attention; this was about as far out of my comfort zone as possible. It brought my confidence on leaps and bounds, to the point where now I feel no problem in volunteering myself up for public speaking tasks, and in fact now readily enjoy any opportunity to perform, to entertain and be the centre of attention!

Attending WGS was monumental for my development as a person, it was only possible thanks to the bursary scheme at WGS. My time at WGS has given me the opportunity to focus on my academic life in a greater way than I ever could have done in any other school. I plan to use the education and skills acquired to pursue a degree apprenticeship in Technology so that I can gain experience within the technology industry, while earning a salary.

As an only child, attending WGS was the making of Callum, as I knew it would be… gently increasing his confidence through the secondary years and developing his potential in both the academic and sporting fields. The School’s small size and pastoral care gave him a wider sense of a supportive family that was crucial in his teenage years. The extra-curricular activities offered, including music, were also important for both his physical, mental and social development.

WGS enabled Callum to make friends for life before moving on to experience the wider world via Birmingham University where he gained a first class degree in Political Science, followed by a Masters in Strategic Management. This allowed him to move to London to work in his chosen field, widen his circle of friends, enabling him to have new experiences and fun, despite the pandemic, helped no doubt by the resilience and maturity of thought gained initially at WGS.

Our family were extremely proud and very grateful when my son was offered a bursary at Wolverhampton Grammar School. Like every other parent, I wanted the best education possible for him, but it was beyond my means financially for him to attend a fee paying school without the bursary.

Throughout his time at Wolverhampton Grammar School, he was never made to feel different from any other student and made friendships and connections for life. Nurtured by the Wolverhampton Grammar School team, my son’s GCSE and A level results easily secured him a place at a Russell Group University where he gained a first class honours degree in Physics.

WGS and its staff nurtured and instilled a love of learning which could easily have been lost had the bursary scheme not given me the opportunity to attend. I really enjoyed the time I spent at WGS and made lifelong friends.

I really believe if I hadn’t had the opportunity to attend on an assisted place I would have been ‘swallowed up’ in the local comprehensive. There were so many opportunities scholastically, sporting and ‘other’. I really got to dip my toe in the ocean, work out what I was interested in and what I was good at.

This hugely developed my confidence which has helped me throughout life, particularly when under the spotlight giving speeches to 200+ apprentices or rolling out a new project!

As a single parent of a very bright child I would not have been able to afford to send Robert to WGS under normal circumstances. Thankfully through the bursary scheme Robert was welcomed with open arms into this warm, caring, nurturing environment.

My son was afforded the same as everyone else attending Wolverhampton Grammar School.

When Robert first attended WGS he was a quiet, rather shy individual. Robert was able to flourish and come out a thoughtful inquisitive young man at the other end, which enabled him to further his studies at Cambridge.

Attending WGS was transformative. I am extremely grateful for the invaluable life skills I have gained. The driving force behind all of this was the opportunities that WGS gave me as an individual. Whether that was leading the Hockey team or being Head Boy, various roles of responsibility and leadership enhanced my interpersonal skills and elevated my public speaking. WGS provided a holistic educational experience, whilst also fostering my personal growth and building lasting connections that have already and will continue to benefit me in many aspects of my life.