Prize Giving Guest Speaker Announced

We are delighted to announce that Dame Katherine Grainger DBE will be our guest speaker at this year’s Prize Giving ceremony. The unrivalled rower has graciously accepted the College’s invitation and will speak about her own journey to success and how our pupils can follow in her footsteps.

On Friday 29 June, Dame Katherine will stand before our pupils and undoubtedly inspire them with her countless accomplishments, both in sport and academia.

Dame Katherine holds a particularly varied and impressive CV. Having won a gold and four silver Olympic medals Dame Katherine is Britain’s most decorated female Olympic athlete of all time. Alongside rowing for Great Britain, Dame Katherine graduated in law from Edinburgh University, then went on to achieve an MPhil in Medical Law and Medical Ethics from Glasgow University and in May 2013 she completed a PhD in the sentencing of homicide at King’s College, University of London. Dame Katherine is also Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University and is currently the Chair of UKSport – having been appointed for a term of four years in April 2017 with the approval of the Prime Minister. Oh, and did we mention that she’s a six-time world rowing champion?

According to Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Katherine is, “an iconic figure in the world of rowing. Her continual success for more than a decade elevates Katherine into a class of her own. She exemplifies a rare combination of athletic ability and determination to succeed that can only be seen in great champions.”

Headmaster, Gregg Davies says: “We very much look forward to welcoming Dame Katherine to Shiplake this summer to mark the end of the academic year and celebrate both individual and whole-school achievements. I am sure that she will engage our pupils, parents and staff and be a role model for all.”