Alumni Visit from James Harriman

For Sheldon student, James Harriman, visited our Year 13 assembly last week to speak to students about preparing for A Level exams and university. James attended Sheldon School and Sixth Form from 2016-2023. While at Sheldon he was Head Boy, excelled academically and was a keen Sheldon musician. James earned A*s and As in biology, physics, maths and his EPQ. He is now studying biology at the University of Oxford. As Mr Spiers reminded students, his success didn't come by chance, but was down to exceptionally hard work!

James spoke about the importance of setting up good revision practices and encouraged students to continue to be involved in the extracurricular activities that make their time at Sheldon special. He advised students to make sure they choose a university based on how well it suits their particular interests. They should consider the course content, location, facilities and accommodation when looking at universities.

As an ambassador for Zero Gravity, James spoke to our Year 13 students about how the organisation can help them discover their path to uni, build community connections and secure a top offer. He explained that the organisation was pivotal in helping him secure a place at Oxford. As a member of Zero Gravity, he was awarded a £3k scholarship that allowed him to pursue field work in Croatia. He encouraged students to look into the scholarship, as it can be used towards anything that will help them achieve their academic goals in university.

Mr Spiers noted that Zero Gravity is very useful for Year 12 students in beginning their application process and that Year 13 students can find plenty of support as they prepare for university and beyond. He encouraged all students to become a member and check their eligibility for scholarships.

Thank you to James for taking the time to speak to our students. We are very proud of all he has accomplished both in Sheldon and at Oxford and look forward to hearing more about his adventures in years to come! James is the first person to be featured in our new alumni wall that we will be adding to throughout the year. As students make their way to the library, they will be able to view the accomplishments of former Sheldon students, to inspire them on their own academic journey.

If you attended Sheldon and would like share what you are doing now, please join our alumni community. We love having former students visit to share insight into life after secondary school.