EDGEBOROUGH School has won ’Rising Star’ at this year’s Independent Schools of the Year Awards.

This award honours the particular success of an individual, nominated by their school for outstanding, personal achievement.

Edgeborough’s Alfie Griffiths, a talented artist, has won ’Rising Star 2021’at the young age of 13.

Alfie is immensely passionate about art.

His achievements started aged nine, when he won an art competition at Farnham Maltings with large beetle collages.

Aged ten, Alfie was awarded an internal art scholarship at Edgeborough, which allowed him the flexibility and expertise to support his talent alongside his other sporting and academic interests.

Aged 11, Alfie had two artworks selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (1,000 artworks were chosen from 14,000 entries), and to date he is the youngest ever exhibitor at this show. He also had two pieces accepted for the first Young Royal Academy Summer Show. One was accepted in the online gallery and one in the exhibition at the Royal Academy.

This year Alfie entered a painting into the Jackson Painting Prize, making it to the 42-strong shortlist from more than 8,600 entries.

This award is the second year in a row that Edgeborough’s talent has been recognised under the ’Rising Star’ category.

In 2020, Cai Thomas, Edgeborough’s head chorister, was nominated as a finalist.

Dan Thornburn, Edgeborough’s headmaster, said: "It is absolutely wonderful news and very well deserved that Alfie has won this award.

"It was clear he would be a star and the whole Edgeborough community, particularly the head of art, Clare Lock, have been delighted to support him on his journey.

"One of the loveliest qualities about Alfie is that he is very humble about his talent - he would often turn up to school with a painting in the back of the car - pupils and staff would be speechless at the artwork he created.

"It has been such a pleasure to see Alfie grow at Edgeborough over the past six years. He starts this year with an art scholarship to Bryanston where I know they will continue to nurture his outstanding talent."