The Knights Templar School is a small comprehensive in a market town in North Hertfordshire, about 30 miles north of London. I spent 7 years at the school and believe that it definitely helped shape me into the person that I am today.

The academic side of The Knights Templar School was brilliant. There were so many teachers that went out of their way to make sure students achieved the best that they could. This is particularly true of the maths department. During my GCSE’s many extra revision classes were put on, helping us structure our revision and achieve the best grades. Where they really came into their own was during A-Levels. Extra classes were put on for students who wished to study AS level Further Maths in their free time. Teachers took time out of their own breaks to teach keen students. I always felt comfortable asking questions, either during class or afterwards.

Where I feel the Knights Templar School really excels is in offering their students a wide range extra-curricular opportunities, of which I took advantage of many during my 7 years at the school.

In the arts, I took part in the LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) exams from year 8 to year 11, finally achieving a distinction in my grade 8; a notable achievement that still remains on my CV. I also took part in 2 music tours organised by the school. The first was to The Netherlands, and the second to Italy. During the second tour I had the opportunity to sing in the choir in St Mark Basilica in Venice, something not a lot of people can say that they have done!

The school offered many trips, as part of subject courses or just for fun. I jumped off cliffs in Anglesey and saw seals in Norfolk. I even ended up paragliding in Chamonix on a GCSE geography trip (2 students were pulled out of a hat and I ended up being one of the lucky ones!) Flying over the glacial landscape was a great experience.

With the school I also went on a trek up the Engilchek Glacier in the Tien Shan Mountains in Northern Kyrgyzstan. This breathtaking experience included camping on a glacier, wading through melt water streams, a trip back down the glacier in a helicopter and of course, getting very very excited about glacial features that we could see when we were slap bang at the top.

I feel that one of the greatest and most long lasting things that the Knights Templar School offered me was taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh award. There is a strong and loyal team of teachers and local volunteers that help with the organisation of the Duke of Edinburgh award at the Knights Templar School, giving so many students the chance to take part. I achieved my Gold Award while at the Knights Templar School and had my trip to the Palace last February. This summer, my friends and I took part in the Diamond Duke of Edinburgh award. We got back in contact with the Duke of Edinburgh team at Knights Templar who willingly gave up the kit we needed to complete the challenge, despite the fact they thought they had seen the last of us the year before!

The staffs at the sixth form also try their best to help their students off when their time is coming to an end at the school. I was given so much support and help when I was applying to university. My personal tutor in the 6th form helped me write and rewrite my personal statement again and again. When I had interviews for university, mock interviews were arranged so that I had some experience.

The Knights Templar School helps develop well-rounded individuals who will be an asset in anything that they wish to go on to do and I enjoyed my time at the school. It definitely helped me realise my interest in glaciers!