Students at Ellesmere College were treated to an Oscar winning performance as part of their leadership and 
entrepreneurship programme, which seeks to give students 'The Edge' by connecting them to the schools global network of Alumni.
Oscar winning film director and editor, Bryan Oates, a former Ellesmere student, visited the school to provide an insight into the world of theatre and Hollywood films.
'The Edge' lectures are a series of presentations from Old Ellesmerians, all of whom are at the top of their profession or on their way.
After leaving Ellesmere College, Bryan worked his way through the world of theatre and film earning an Emmy Citation for his work with Jane Goodall on her film 'The Baboons of Gombe' and won Oscars for 'The Killing Fields' and for 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'.
He was also nominated for 'The Mission' in 1986. Bryan, who was a student at Ellesmere from 1959 – 1963, has worked on many more films and productions, most notably 'Get Carter' and 'Bridge Too Far', where he has worked alongside many famous faces that include Steven Spielberg, Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Caine.
David Whitehouse left Ellesmere College to study Law at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar by Gray’s Inn, who practiced mainly in London. David was promoted to the rank of Queen’s Counsel in 1990 and specialised in criminal law, where he represented a number of high profile clients.
Nick Pettingale, Director of External Relations, commented, "At Ellesmere we don't see our students as 'batches' to put on an educational conveyor belt but rather believe in the individual. Therefore 'The Edge' lectures create a breadth of professional input and real life experience for our students to learn from.
The most exciting aspect from my perspective is the individual connections that are created with our Old Ellesmerians. Anyone in business today knows that success is based on relationships and our goal with 'The Edge' is to create those relationships before our students even leave the Sixth Form".