"Reading the entries for the Inspire Competition is always one of the highlights of the year. During the six years since the competition was founded, the judging panel has been consistently wowed by the creativity and independence of thought on display. This year was no exception. We hope you enjoy reading the superb essays in this volume as much as we have.

The premise of the Inspire Essay Competition is simple: pupils are given six weeks to work independently on a topic of their choosing, leading to a piece of written research. We stipulate that we are looking for quality of research, depth of analysis, standard of essay composition, and the level of originality on display—but beyond this, it is up to our pupils to approach their essay in any way that they choose. It is remarkable and (fittingly enough) inspiring to see the topics that are chosen and the effort that pupils go to when conducting their research. If the individuals who wrote essays this year are in any way representative of Generation Z, the future is in safe hands.

There are many outstanding essays submitted this year for which we didn’t have space in this booklet, and the judging panel heartily congratulates all of our entrants.

We hope that everyone who reads this booklet, whether you are a visitor to the school or part of the King’s High family already, catches the vision of our essayists. If any of the pieces provoke thought, debate, or perhaps even unleash a new passion in one of our readers, then we have fulfilled our aims."

Dr Phil Seal, Deputy Head (Academic)