Academic scholarships

Our approach

A love of scholarship sits at the heart of Kimbolton, but our Academic Scholars are expected to relish intellectual engagement beyond the curriculum as part of who they are.

Scholars are ambassadors for learning, living out our values of endeavour, curiosity and courage, and inspiring others through their intellectual ambition, independence and generosity of thought.

Central to our Academic Scholarship provision is The Ideas Lab — a structured, term-long enrichment programme that develops how scholars think, question and communicate. Through a carefully designed blend of teacher-led seminars and personal academic challenges, scholars are stretched to engage deeply with ideas, evidence and debate, and to reflect critically on their own thinking.

Academic Scholars are encouraged to read widely, watch, listen and think beyond their subjects, to participate in internal and external academic challenges and competitions, and to contribute meaningfully to pupil voice and intellectual life across the school.

At the top of the school, Academic Scholars take on leadership roles within societies and initiatives, and are supported to aspire confidently towards Oxbridge applications, other leading universities and ambitious post-18 pathways.

Staff lead: Mrs Latham

The Ideas Lab: Academic Scholarship Programme

The Ideas Lab is the core academic enrichment programme for Kimbolton Academic Scholars. Running across the Spring Term, it provides scholars with a clear intellectual journey — from questioning and evidence-testing, through collaboration and debate, to confident presentation and defence of ideas.

Across the programme, scholars develop skills in:

• Asking sharper, more rigorous questions
• Evaluating evidence and recognising bias
• Reasoning carefully under challenge
• Collaborating productively with peers
• Presenting and defending ideas with clarity and confidence

Sessions include themed seminars such as Thinking Like a Detective, Evidence Under Pressure, Misinformation & Spin and Ideas in Action: Present, Defend, Refine. Between sessions, scholars complete personal challenges that encourage independent application, reflection and intellectual risk-taking.

The programme culminates in the Academic Showcase, where scholars synthesise and present their strongest thinking, demonstrating not just what they know, but how they think.

Rooted in the pursuit of arête — excellence in thought and character — The Ideas Lab supports scholars to grow as reflective, confident and intellectually ambitious learners.