Award-winning students celebrate ISA Prizes with Lord Lexden at the House of Lords

On Monday 6 December 2022, the Independent Schools Association (ISA) presented the 2022 winners of our annual pupil awards, the Lexden and Whitbread Prizes, with their honours.

This celebration was kindly hosted by the Association’s President, Lord Lexden, at the House of Lords.

The Lexden Prize, named in honour of the ISA President, recognises achievement by Sixth Formers in the broadest sense, celebrating contributions to school and wider communities, not just academic.

ISA also stage the Whitbread Prize, recognising academic excellence in Year 11 exams, as well as service by pupils to those around them, such as their peers at school to those beyond the gates.

This year, Oluwatoni (Toni) was recognised with the Lexden Prize.

Toni beams with a passion for STEM, one that has been championed and supported with opportunities to flourish during her time with Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate in York.

She initially dismissed hopes of a career in STEM, owing to the lack of resources in this field that came with growing up in a developing country. However, this all changed when Toni had the opportunity to study abroad.

After completing her GCSEs in just one year, managing to earn 8’s and 9’s in all her subjects along the way, Toni chose to study Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Economics at A Level. She saw this selection of subjects as an opportunity to view science as intimately connected to society, culture and power, rather than in a vacuum.

As a self-described kinaesthetic learner, Toni wishes to be actively engaged in what she is studying, which is abundantly clear when her extra-curricular experiences are considered. She holds the responsibility of Head of Logistics for the STEM in Africa not-for-profit organisation, who are committed to extending education in STEM to underprivileged students across the continent – who would otherwise have little or no opportunity to explore such a key field. Toni’s role, a voluntary one that she’s managed throughout her course of studies which now see her learning Biomedical Sciences at Imperial College London, involves assisting in workshops and events for these young people.

Toni welcomes a position that allows her to impact her local community and crucially one that provides fellow students, who find themselves in a position she was once in, with opportunities to broaden their learning.

Seeing science through a perspective that shows it as ‘intimately connected to society’, rather than a ‘vacuum’ was also the outcome of Toni’s internship with Shell PLC, allowing her to experience a fusion of economic and STEM learning.

Also in 2022, Rose was honoured with the Whitbread Prize.

Rose, a student at King’s High School in Warwick, earned 10 GCSEs this summer – nine of which at grades 9 and 8. That is just the start of her achievements though: Rose also plays a pivotal role at the school as an anti-bullying ambassador, is a leading figure in championing underrepresented voices and continues to be involved in all of King’s High’s productions.

This summer’s results are testament to the time Rose has dedicated to her studies, but she has also spent a great deal of her years at King’s High supporting others and championing initiatives throughout the school that reflect what she is passionate about.

Rose’s position as an anti-bullying ambassador has led to some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, including meeting representatives from the Royal Family. This provided a platform to discuss issues facing young black people and youth in the UK. Her spoken word poem was used to open the whole event which is a truly remarkable achievement. Beyond that, Rose has continued to reiterate the importance of being an upstander against bullying through school assemblies and has appeared as an ambassador for the Diana Award during Anti-Bullying Week on Sky News and ITV.

Actively encouraging those around her to learn more about the communities that have contributed so much to Great Britain is clearly a cause that is close to Rose’s heart. She delivered an impassioned talk on some of the African and Asian voices of history that can be overlooked, exploring the history of Jamaica and the Windrush legacy in an assembly during Black History Month which also highlighted the importance of conserving the history of underrepresented groups.

To explore more about Rose’s journey, read this article.

Congratulations to all nominees for this year’s Lexden and Whitbread Prizes. Their outstanding achievements and active roles within their school and wider communities see them all celebrated on the respective Rolls of Honour for the Lexden and Whitbread accolades.

Thanks to the generosity of Lord Lexden these two young people were able to celebrate their achievements at a historic venue and amongst those who’ve helped shape their journeys.