Olympic gold medallist and former King Ecgbert School pupil, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, returned to her former school on 22 October to unveil a red ‘Made in State School’ plaque.
The plaques are part of The 93% Club’s ‘Made in State School’ campaign, which aims to give state school students pride in their community and visible role models.
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill was chosen following a national call-out for nominations, with the UK public asked to nominate the state school alumni they thought would provide the strongest inspiration to the next generation.
Her plaque is the first to be unveiled nationally.
King Ecgbert School has a proud history of elite performance. Many of our pupils participate in sport at an elite level, representing county, national and international teams in football, cricket, athletics, diving, sailing and climbing. Many of these elite performers receive bespoke support to maintain their studies while pursuing their interests outside school.
The new plaque campaign is being run by The 93% Club, the UK’s members’ club for state-educated people. The club aims to address the under-representation of state school alumni in the UK’s top jobs by providing the same alumni networks and insider knowledge that private schools take for granted.
Fourteen initial names were chosen by the public and The 93% Club, with Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill among the most nominated from thousands of submissions. Dame Jessica joins a line-up of icons selected by the public for the first cohort of plaques, which also includes Sir David Attenborough, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Stormzy and Harry Kane.
Paul Haigh, Headteacher at King Ecgbert School, said:
“We are hugely proud that Jessica is one of our own, and honoured that the public chose her as one of the first state school icons to be recognised in this way. Her achievements inspire people right across Sheffield, but for our pupils they carry a special meaning: she sat in the same classrooms and walked through the same gates as they do every day.
“This plaque will be a lasting reminder to every young person at King Ecgbert that they can achieve whatever they set their sights on.”