1908 - First Exhibition

The first Exhibitions were awarded to two girls in 1908, enabling them to attend Romford County Secondary School. At that time, the practice adopted was for boys to be given places at the Brentwood Grammar School and the girl’s places at Romford but after 1913, the girls generally went to the newly established County Secondary School for girls which became known as the Brentwood County High School. However, in 1935 the Trustees became aware that under the County Council’s arrangements greater educational opportunities were available to girls than boys. They therefore decided that in future all their scholarships would be awarded to boys.

In 1954, the awarding of Exhibitions came to an end when Brentwood School declined to accept any more Burstead Exhibitioners because of the pressure from local authorities in the area for the School to admit more boys from the Billericay district who had qualified through the County General Admission Examination. During the period the Foundation had been in existence to that time, some seventy seven Exhibitions had been awarded and a strong link between the Board School (now Quilters County Junior School) and the Foundation had been established.

It then became necessary for the Trustees to find another way to apply the funds at their disposal and in 1973 the Secretary of State for Education and Science gave approval to an amending scheme under which beneficiaries would be children and young persons under the age of 25 years living in or near Billericay.