Chigwell School student achievements

Chigwell School is very proud of the achievements and talents of their students.

One young achiever is 17-year-old sixth form student and drama scholar Siyani Shethhas, who has written, directed, and acted in her own play.

She shared: "I’ve written a play called ‘The Expulsion of Exulansis’ based on my struggles with mental illness from 15 years old. I wrote this play to raise awareness about things young people go through that aren’t necessarily visible, and to raise money for Young Minds.

"I wrote, casted, directed, and acted in this play. It was definitely a big task, with not a huge amount of time to pull it all together! I worked with a cast of 20 people who were all older than me, and so directing them all and making executive decisions was something I had to learn how to do.

"The play, before it even premiered, already raised more awareness than I could have hoped. I did lots of interviews and podcasts, but the one I’m most proud of is being on BBC London. Being able to spread the message and awareness about teenage mental health struggles on such a big scale was surreal, and I’m so honoured I was able to be the person to do it."

The play ran at the end of August 2023, with all proceeds going to charity.

Another success story comes from Chigwell alumnus and law student Thomas Ebden, who spent part of his summer holidays shadowing Jenni Dempster KC at the Central Criminal Court - otherwise famously known as the Old Bailey.

Thomas studied A-Levels in Economics, English Literature, and Biology at Chigwell School joining Exeter University to study law in 2021 where he scored highly in Exeter University Law Society’s internal negotiation competition held in November 2022.

During his time at Chigwell School, he was a Harsnett Praefect competing in the Schools Public Speaking competition as well as being a part of the debating society.

He said of the experience: "I connected back to Chigwell School during my holidays back in London and was able to access this amazing work experience opportunity through their networks. Work shadowing a Criminal Defence barrister provided me with hands-on experience, the ability to witness first-hand the work involved in preparing a case and witness superb advocacy all in the prestigious setting of the Old Bailey."