The Syd Aldridge awards for 2026
By Will Durham
Each year late June marks the end of exam season, and for many pupils at William Ellis it also marks the end of their time with the school. The completion of GCSEs is an important moment in the lives of young people, and a time to be proud of achievements while looking forward to a long summer. Each year the school holds a presentation evening to celebrate the Year 11 class, and this year it was held on Thursday 25th June in the midst of the record breaking heatwave. It was wonderful to see so many pupils, parents and staff coming together in the sweltering sixth form centre to celebrate this milestone, and to say their thanks and farewells.
The evening also marked an opportunity to thank Head of Year Jeremy Pratt, who is retiring after 42 years of service to inner London schools, 26 of them dedicated to William Ellis. It is a remarkable period of service, and we know many alumni will be thankful for his contributions to their education and personal development while at the school. We wish him a long and happy retirement.
For the past few years, the William Ellis Trust has funded a number of awards at this evening to mark outstanding achievements by pupils in each year group. These are known as the Syd Aldridge Awards, named after an alumnus and great friend of the school and trust. Syd enjoyed a distinguished career in scientific industries after leaving the school in 1956, emigrating to Canada and working within the nuclear sector there. A few years ago he chose to provide a substantial gift to the school, which has funded the refurbishment of our science labs and much of our subsequent expansion. Everyone within the William Ellis Trust and school community was saddened to learn of Syd's passing earlier this year. He was a warm and generous friend to the school, and his impact and legacy will live on within our small corner of North West London through the ongoing work made possible by his gifts. You can learn more about Syd's story on our dedicated webpage.
As this year marks 70 years since Syd left the school, this year's awards feel particularly poignant. We hope the winners, and all other Year 11s, look back fondly on their time at William Ellis in the decades ahead as they carry what they've learned here out into the world.
This year's winners were recognised for the following achievements:
Syd Aldridge Awards for Science, Innovation and Creativity
James Hood. James has worked assiduously, cheerfully and uncomplainingly for five years to achieve his best despite some challenges he faces as a result of severe dyslexia. He has excelled in creative and performing arts, especially in drama, and received the award for creativity.
Jayden Oshodi. Jayden is an incredibly hard working student who has shown exceptional ability across all subject areas, especially art and design. He had an outstanding two weeks of work experience with a firm of architects, during which he conducted an energy efficiency survey of an old building and presented his report to the board. He received the award for creativity in Art and Design.
Augustine Hildrow. Augustine has made fabulous progress, especially in science and technology. In all three science subjects he is predicted to score the highest grades at GCSE, and he plans to continue his studies in that field at A level and beyond. He received the award for Science.
Humphrey Bertram. Humphrey achieved the highest level in Mathematics, including gaining a Silver Award in the UK Maths Trust Intermediate Maths Challenge, an exceptional achievement at this age. He received the award for Mathematics.
Luke Gil. Luke is a very high attainer who works hard and achieves at the highest levels across all subjects, in particular Humanities and English. He received the award for creative literacy, both in his short story writing and in his written response to Romeo and Juliet, which achieved a perfect score in his mock GCSE exam. Luke is also a brilliant basketball player who captained the team for two years
Other award winners on the evening were;
Vincent Boudens
Corey Burton-Green
William Gately
Leon George-Moore
Kurosh Gholizadeh
Callum Miller
Thomas Moloney
Eric Shrestha
D'Angelo Silva
Zayan Sultan
Outstanding Sportsman (funded by the Trust)
Noah Lynch
Outstanding Student of the Class of 2026 (funded by the Trust)
Jack Orbell
A warm congratulations to all pupils who won awards. We look forward to all that you will achieve in the next stages in your lives.