Private School News

Zi-Yuan Qu, in his final year at Windlesham House School in Washington, West Sussex, has been named as Hobsons International Boarder of the Year.

BBC personality Libby Purves OBE announced Zi-Yuan as the winner at a ceremony at The Globe Theatre in London on Tuesday, May 13th.

“I’m very happy to have received this honour and I know that my family, friends and school teachers will be proud of me as well,” said a beaming Zi-Yuan.

“These have been remarkable years for me, a Chinese student privileged to be boarding in England, experiencing the culture of East and West. If I was still at school in Beijing, I would be happy, but coming to Windlesham, has changed life for me and made me happier still. The school has offered me a lot of new activities – things like rugby, playing the organ and English food,” explains Zi.

Richard Foster, Headmaster at Windlesham said: “It is a great honour for all of us at Windlesham to have a pupil who has been recognized in this way.

“Zi is already a superb ambassador for the school and has been a real success story, given all he has achieved whilst being with us. His conscientious and mature approach to all spheres of school life is admirable.”

Zi, who will be 13 years old in June, was born in Beijing, China and has been a boarder at Windlesham since the autumn of 2005.

For more information or to arrange an interview and photo opportunity with
Zi-Yuan, please call Chris Fletcher on 01903-874819.

The International Boarder of the Year award is in its fourth year and was designed to celebrate diversity in the UK boarding sector and highlight the contribution international boarders make to UK education.

Organised by Metropolis Business Publishing, which publishes The Hobsons UK Boarding Schools Guide, some 100 students submitted entries representing nearly 40 different nationalities.

The awards were started in 2005 to raise the profile of International Boarders in the UK and are an important event in recognising their all-round contribution to the UK education system. For more information please visit UK Boarding Schools Guide.