Edge Grove School Alumni

John Walton 1925 - 2023
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing, this weekend, of our oldest alumni John Walton,aged 97.
John was an incredibly special gentleman who attended Edge Grove as a child in its very early years between 1937 and 1941, returning later as an adult to teach art. His sons, Roland and James and grandsons Philip and Theo followed in his footsteps, attending the school in later years.

John trained in art at the Slade School of Art, post war, earning a reputation as a skilled portrait artist and was commissioned to paint many eminent figures.

He was the Principle of Heatherley School of Fine Art since the 1970’s and continued to paint well into his 90’s.

Whilst teaching at Edge Grove he painted many backdrops for the theatre productions that were put on here and taught the boys a special technique to create incredibly detailed scenery. He also painted some of the headmaster portraits that used to adorn the stairs in the main reception.

In 2017 he returned to give a master class to our art scholars and shared some of his work he had created over the years.
His directness on telephone conversations, with a firm greeting ” Walton here!” will be a long lasting memory for me and it was a pleasure to spend time in his company listening to his detailed recollections and stories of each painting he created, right up until a few months before he died.

He leaves his wife, Alice, daughter Victoria and sons Roland and James to whom we send our sincere condolences. After a private family funeral, the family are planning to hold a memorial service in a couple of months.

A very special character that will be greatly missed. Thank you John for everything you gave to Edge Grove.

Old boy Jeremy Newsum (63-68) will be holding an exhibition of his art work with his siblings in October. Please do go and have a look if you are in London in October.

Good luck to our leavers of 2020 for their GCSE results this week.
We hope they take you on the journey you have planned.

Good luck to our alumni of 2018 who are awaiting A level results this morning.
We would love to hear how you got on so send in an update for your EG teachers.

Very proud of these Edge Grove old boys of 2018 who have finished their Alevels at Harrow and are awaiting results to see where they go next. What fantastic young men. From L-R (Harrow pic) Iyanu Ojomo, Tom Haworth, Bode Kolawole, Femi Adejolu, Dante Doros. Good luck !

Another fabulous Edge Grove Golf day was had today at Aldenham golf club. Thank you to parents past and present, alumni and governors for attending this annual event.

Good luck to all our alumni that are starting GCSE’s. Remember it’s a marathon not a sprint so pace yourselves and keep us posted as to how you got on.

We have some news!...we are delighted to announce that, following our recent compliance and educational quality inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), Edge Grove has been recognised as fully compliant AND 'Excellent' in all areas of provision - the highest possible outcome that any school can achieve!

The ISI’s detailed report insightfully defines what is unique and remarkable about an Edge Grove education:

- Our pupils’ pride in their community
- Their pastoral integrity
- Their academic and co-curricular independence
- Their inspiring pursuit of excellence across a variety of life skills

The report is testament to a great deal of hard work happening every day at School, and we will continue to build upon and sustain the strengths identified and to strive for excellence. Welcome to the Pride!

Click the link in our bio to read the full report.

If you are in the Cambridge area why not pop in to see an exhibition art by of Edge Grove old boy Jeremy Newsum in support of the Evlyn Trust.

This evening we welcomed back the leavers of 2020 who missed out on their year 8 celebration due to Covid. We were delighted that some familiar past teachers also returned to meet up with them, Mrs Oldfield, Mrs Thomas, Mrs Choi. A special video message from Mr Evans too brought lockdown flashbacks for them all.