A Shropshire college is leading the race in providing golden opportunities for students to become future Olympians, according to a new national guide.
Ellesmere College has earned second place in The Top Five Best Schools for Future Olympians guide produced by Tatler Magazine.
It was the only school named in the top five to be located outside the south of the country. The Tatler guide focuses on the best schools which support, coach and guide talented hopefuls towards achieving an Olympic medal.
Ellesmere College came second to Somerset-based Millfield School and ahead of Benenden in Kent, Bryanston in Dorset and Putney High School in London. The college is also listed in the magazine’s top schools ranking in the North West.
Tori Cadogan, Tatler’s Education Editor, said: “This year, five Ellesmere College students represented the British Swimming Team at the European Junior Championships in Russia – the largest cohort from any one club in the UK, and 13 students have made qualifying times for Tokyo 2020.
“They follow in the footsteps of Old Ellesmerian Freya Anderson who took Gold in the Women’s 100m freestyle in 2017 and double gold in Helsinki in 2018.
“But it’s not just swimming that the selectors are looking at – overall 13 Ellesmere pupils qualified for the Rio Olympics in various sports and with a sparkling new indoor tennis centre and a Football Academy, it looks like Ellesmere pupils are set to shine in Tokyo.”
Brendan Wignall, Headmaster of the college, said: “To be ranked in second place in such a prestigious national guide is excellent news for the college and shows why ambitious, talented, young people choose Ellesmere College to further their sporting aspirations, and why we are accredited as a World Academy of Sport (WAoS) Athlete Friendly Education Centre (AFEC).
“We are proud of our record and I have no doubt that we have a number of students currently at the college who will be setting their sights on Olympic glory in Tokyo next year in sports such as shooting, tennis and swimming – and at the 2024 and 2028 games in Paris and Los Angeles.
“Ellesmere College is attracting the very best young sportsmen and women, with a range of sporting scholarships and Olympic-level, worldwide-rated coaches supporting our athletes to combine academic and sporting achievement, and attain national, European and Olympic levels of sporting success.”
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