WESTBOURNE School has announced a series of Headmaster’s Anniversary Scholarships in recognition of the outstanding contribution of its Headmaster, Mr Kenneth Underhill, to the school.

The forthcoming academic year will mark Mr Underhill’s 40 years of service to Westbourne as teacher and Head.

To commemorate this achievement the school will be awarding significant scholarships to outstanding academic high achievers with a maximum award of a free place.

Places will be offered in Years 7 and 8 as well as for places in the Sixth Form.

Commenting on the awards, Mr Underhill said: “Westbourne School has been a cornerstone of education in Penarth since 1896 and has continually been renowned for its academic success.

"We would like to recognise and reward potential local high flyers through these scholarships and give them the advantages of the excellent education we offer. By awarding significant scholarships to children in the local area we also hope to benefit those who would otherwise not be able to consider a Westbourne education.”

As well as his long service to the school, Mr Underhill has been a leading figure in Welsh independent education and has been the Chair of the Welsh Independent Schools Council since 2010. As a school inspector for Estyn and the Independent Schools Inspectorate and part of the recent British Council mission to China, he is at the forefront of current practice, locally, nationally and internationally and has developed this at Westbourne while remaining a firm believer in traditional educational values.

This approach has led to consistently excellent exam results at Westbourne with 55 per cent of students achieving five A*- A grades at GCSE over the last 10 years and 100 per cent of students going to universities of their first choice having gained the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma qualification at Sixth Form.

Applicants for the Headmaster’s Anniversary Scholarships should contact the Admissions’ Manager, Sophie James admissions@westbourneschool.com or telephone 02920 705705. Enquiries should be made by, May 30.