To Judge The Quality of a School, Look at its Alumni
Perhaps the best way to choose a school is to look at who it produces. Do the alumni of Hurtwood House reflect the idea that the school is ‘wonderfully creative and reassuringly academic’? A glance at Hurtwood’s Hall of Fame certainly seems to reflect the idea of a creative utopia with many Hollywood A Listers (Hans Zimmer, Emily Blunt, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Jack Huston) on the list. However, on closer inspection, it boasts a depth of talent which is truly extraordinary. Look no further than Harry Lawtey (‘Industry’, ‘Joker Folie à Deux’), Tom Mison (‘Sleepy Hollow’), Maxim Baldry (‘Lord of The Rings’), Joshua Sasse, (‘Galavant’, ‘Monarch’) and Viveik Kalra (‘Blinded by the Light’,‘Lift’) to see Hurtwood’s alumni making their mark.
It’s not just the boys though and looking at the careers of Emily Beecham (‘Cruella’ ‘1899’), Eline Powell (‘Sirens’), Olivia Morris (‘RRR’, ’Hotel Portofino’) Jess Madsen (‘Bridgerton’) Daisy Jelley, (‘How to Date Billy Walsh’ ‘Geek Girl’) and Amelia Curtis (‘Eastenders’, ‘Emmerdale’), it seems likely that the ‘wonderfully creative’ banner is more than justified. Add to the list Lizzie Davidson who this year was part of a BAFTA winning team for her role in the BBC comic hit, ‘Such Brave Girls’, and you really do begin to get the picture. As if that wasn’t enough, the West End’s top productions from ‘Grease’, ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Book of Mormon’, ‘Hairspray and ‘Mamma Mia’ have been littered with Hurtwood alumni. In addition, Hurtwood’s award winning film directors Rose Glass and Finn Bruce are taking the film world by storm behind the cameras. On the music front if you check out Towa Bird, Ward Thomas, composer Alex Baranowski or DJs Eli and Fur, the picture becomes complete.
So, with the creative box ticked, can Hurtwood justify its ‘reassuringly academic’ badge. In short, yes, as Hurtwood regularly produces barristers, financiers, doctors and even and Pulitzer Prize winning authors (Hisham Matar). Indeed, although a third of students will embark on creative courses at places such as Central St Martins, Guildhall, RADA or London College of Fashion, a larger cohort go on to rigorous academic courses at Russell Group universities such as Durham, Imperial and Exeter studying everything from Natural Sciences to Economics. What’s more Hurtwood’s ability to nurture entrepreneurial spirit can be seen from Ella Woodward, the founder of ‘Deliciously Ella’, Fabien Riggall, the mastermind behind ‘Secret Cinema’ and Abbas Dayekh the founder of the extraordinary ‘Oya Now’ in Nigeria.
