Held on 30 April, the Scholars’ Dinner offered an inspiring and polished celebration of academic excellence. Attended by nearly 100 guests, including Head, Dr Sarah Squire, staff, parents and guest speaker Dr Bo Kelestyn, the evening captured the intellectual ambition and curiosity central to the Scholars’ Programme.
At its heart was the Scholars’ Journal 2026, showcasing impressive breadth and depth across nineteen topics – from the history of comics to artificial intelligence in aviation. The work reflected academic rigour, originality and independence of thought, underpinned by research, critical thinking and Harvard-style writing. Under the leadership of Joint Heads of Scholars Iago Elkin-Jones and Ally Hutchinson, pupils are encouraged to ‘dare to be curious.’
Dr Kelestyn’s contribution provided a powerful close to the evening: “It was a pleasure to be part of such an enriching evening. The conversations with the Scholars, the Senior Leadership Team and parents were truly uplifting. This programme is hugely important not just for the School and individual students, but also for the greater good of this country and the world. Because if we don’t have education, we don’t have hope, and if we don’t have hope, what do we have?”
Johnny (Clarke Scholar) (First Form, Queen Anne) said, “The Scholars’ Dinner was an enlightening couple of hours for Cokethorpe’s Scholars to celebrate their achievements. One of the highlights of the evening was seeing in print the article I had worked so hard on in the Scholars’ Journal 2026. I look forward to reading the other Scholars’ essays and to next year’s event.”
