King's Ely TESTIMonial
Testimonial by King's Ely parents, Mr and Mrs Holland
September 17th, 2024
"Isobel started at King’s Ely Senior in Year 10, in September 2020.
"One of the main reasons for moving her from the school she had attended since Nursery in Dubai was to benefit from the amazing Music and Drama Departments, in addition to the strong academic side.
"Unfortunately, due to Covid, it took a while for her to be able to experience the full raft: her first show at King’s was the much-postponed production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which finally saw an audience at the very end of the school year, as part of a music, dance and drama festival, which blew us away with the variety and extent of the talent on show.
"Since then, so many performance opportunities, masterclasses, and workshops with industry professionals have been offered: highlights include the amazing choir trip to Sicily, singing regularly in Ely Cathedral, and backing David Gilmour on his new album on the music side, dancing with King’s Ely-te dance troupe, and on the drama side, musicals such as Legally Blonde and straight theatre productions including Pride and Prejudice and Wendy and Peter Pan. We have recently returned from Edinburgh where King’s Company staged a fantastic production of Radium Girls to pretty much sell-out Fringe audiences for six days, garnering terrific reviews – a wonderful way to top off Isobel’s school career.
"From the start, Isobel has received amazing support, both pastorally as a boarder, and academically. Despite the disruption caused by Covid, Isobel loved boarding from the start, and we have always felt she was cared for and looked after by her Housemistresses and associated staff. The boarding system at King’s is very well run, and we are so grateful for the care Isobel received, especially at stressful times, such as when she was ill, or had exams or performances.
"Despite being so far away, we were comforted to know Isobel had her school family around her, and the fact she was always excited to get back to school for a new term speaks volumes. We are also grateful to the fantastic Learning Support team for identifying her ADHD and supporting her before and after her diagnosis. Her teachers too went above and beyond to help her, resulting in excellent exam grades this summer, and the Music and Drama staff have encouraged and supported Isobel’s development in the Performing Arts, helping her to achieve her aspirations. She leaves knowing she has wonderful friends for life from her cohort and beyond.
"We are so grateful to King’s Ely: we could never have believed when we were making the leap of faith four years ago just how well the school would suit Isobel. She is taking up a place on a Musical Theatre Foundation Course in September, and we are excited to see what happens next on her journey, confident that she has had the best possible start!"
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