King Edward VI School receives transformational gift for bursaries in memory of Ronald Avent

King Edward VI School is delighted to announce a transformational donation from the Avent family to fund bursaries. This generous gift will fund three full 7-year bursaries for pupils from underrepresented backgrounds over the next decade. 

Chris Avent and his sister Alison wished to donate in memory of their father Ronald Avent, who taught Geography at the School from 1950 until his retirement in 1976. Former teachers from this era recall Ronald’s empathy for pupils and colleagues alike, and his occasional tendency to branch off the core subject matter to share his many passions with his class. Ronald is remembered to this day through the ‘Aventry’ on the first floor, so named because that room became a store for his many papers, books and gowns.

Image: The teaching staff in May 1959, Ronald Avent top row, 7th from left.

Chris was a pupil himself at King Edward’s between 1963-70 and recently visited the School with Alison. Walking the corridors and meeting current pupils brought back many happy memories of foundational years spent at KES. For Chris and Alison, their motivation to give comes from a desire to create similar opportunities for today’s young people and enable them to achieve their full potential.

Chris says:

'When I studied at KES in the Grammar School days, the education was completely free. Looking back across my life and my career, I realise that my time at KES was very formative for me. As a family, we wanted to make a gift to the School that will help today’s pupils, especially those who are not able to afford the fees but who would hugely benefit from the quality education KES continues to provide'.

Neal Parker, Head comments:

‘We are hugely grateful to Chris and Alison for providing these Avent Family Bursaries. Since the very foundation of our school in 1553, a key part of our ethos has been to support the education of bright pupils who may not be able to afford it otherwise. I know that this gift will have a huge impact on three outstanding pupils here, and I cannot wait to see what they do with these opportunities.’

If you share this vision to create opportunities for bright young people and would like to discuss how to donate to the King Edward VI Foundation, please contact edwardians@kes.hants.sch.uk.

Image: Chris Avent with Neal Parker, Head, in our new Chapel