Plaque honour for school's golden girl Dame Jessica

Olympic champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill has returned to her former school in Sheffield for the unveiling of a plaque to celebrate the achievements of notable state-educated pupils.

King Ecgbert School in Dore was selected as one of the first schools in the country to receive a heritage plaque as part of the Made in State School campaign led by charity The 93% Club.

The London 2012 gold medallist attended the school from 1997 to 2004 and has a sports hall named after her on the campus.

Dame Jessica described it as a "special feeling" to be back at the school and a "huge honour" to be celebrated in this way.

The retired heptathlete said she was a "conscientious" pupil and "definitely a kind of pleaser" but also "proud" to have attended a state school.

She said: "My sister and I grew up in the centre of Sheffield when opportunities weren't great.

"Athletics was an opportunity for me to expand my horizons and do different things and coming to a school like King Ecgbert with the network here and the support that they give you allowed me to go on and achieve great things."

King Ecgbert, part of the Mercia Learning Trust, also boasts England cricket captain Joe Root among its notable alumni.

Head teacher Peter Haigh said Dame Jessica was the "perfect" role model for pupils.

He said: "I'll remind students that she stayed here, passed all her GCSEs, went to sixth form, passed all her A-levels and then went to university and got a degree in psychology here in Sheffield as well as going on into sporting excellence.

"What's telling is that most children go to state schools but maybe as a country we don't celebrate their achievements as much as an elite minority.

"Talent and ability, the quality of young people, that's the same throughout the country regardless of what kind of school you go to."

The 93% Club was formed at the University of Bristol in 2016.

Founder Sophie Pender started the group after feeling she did not fit in among her privately educated peers, despite 93% of the country attending state schools.

The charity hopes its Made in State School red plaques will become a nationally recognised symbol of state school success, and to provide state schools with their own piece of heritage and history.

Dame Jessica is one of the first recipients following a nationwide call for nominations asking the public who they thought should be recognised.

Other success stories selected as inaugural recipients include Sir David Attenborough, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Stormzy and Harry Kane.

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