Ensuring that talented and academically gifted girls from all backgrounds have access to education at Notting Hill & Ealing High School is integral to the school’s vision and ethos. Our students, staff, current and former parents and alumnae represent all backgrounds and reflect the culture and community of our school. We know bursaries change lives and benefit the whole school community. At NHEHS, we have a long history of providing bursary awards and our bursary pupils have contributed hugely to the diversity and endeavour of the school.

However, each year we turn away many talented applicants, currently we have around 6% of our students on bursary awards but our ambition is to do much more.

In 2023/4 we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary, such an important milestone feels like the right time to extend our bursary programme to anyone with the ability and potential, regardless of background of wealth.

Over the summer we will be sharing some stories from our alumnae and their families showing what a difference a bursary can make. Hear from Madeleine, Class of 1948, about the life-changing impact of an NHEHS Bursary:

‘My father was killed in the war leaving my mother with three children and we were on the breadline. I could not get a scholarship because I was already at the school, so they gave me a bursary. If I didn’t get that I would have had to leave the school.

I recall Miss McCaig, whom we were all very frightened of; she was a Presbyterian with no sense of community, met with my mother and suggested going into law. I wanted to do a Physics degree, but in 1947 as a woman with a Physics degree you were unemployable. I could have done medicine at the Royal Free, but there was only a small chance I would have got in because my father was not a doctor.

I got into Law School, but in those days you couldn’t get a grant to go to Law School, so I had to get a job, which I did and read articles whilst working. Rather than finishing my degree I went out to Yale for a year, where my husband had a scholarship and I did legal research. When we came back the following year I qualified.

Once I had my children I started doing some legal work from home for two local banks and I was in practice for 25 years. In 1975 I was asked to become the Chairman of National Insurance Tribunals once a week. Eventually I took over an area from London Airport right up to the City. It was a fantastic job because it got me out of the house and the hours I worked were 10am to 4pm, so I could get the children to school and see them afterwards. After that I became President of the London Building Acts and was invited to become a Commissioner, which is now an upper tribunal judge. 

Staff at school were kind; they gave us a colossal amount of pastoral care; there were two members of staff that I kept in touch with for a long time. The school taught me certain standards, both academic and moral. The academic standards were incredibly high across all subjects, but we all accepted them as normal.

Donations towards bursaries give bright children an opportunity who would otherwise not have access to such a high standard of education.’

Madeleine Heggs, Class of 1948

If you would like to learn more about our Bursaries & Assistance Fund, read more on the GDST website. If you wish to donate, please click here. Thank you.