Giving a talk to State 6th Formers Next Month on Success

[motiv8ionalguru]

Fellow Mumsnetters,

I am to be the keynote speaker at South London state 6th form federation school next month. My speech, which will take approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour, will focus on high state school achievers in their 30's. The idea being that the students can visualise where they might be in 10 years from now. This institution has an unenviable reputation for drugs and crime, poor results and low aspiration. My address will (hopefully) illustrate what is possible 10 years from now. I am still penning the draft, though I have come up with the following individuals (from South London) who have achieved a lot in the 10 or so years since leaving their respective state schools. Could you help me identify any other pupils?

Euan Blair (London Oratory - now a high-flyer in the world of banking)
Paul Sackey (John Fisher School - England and Stade Francais rugby player)
Will Seaward (John Fisher - comedian and actor performing at Edin. Fringe)
Hayley Attwell (London Oratory - actress)
Johnny Lee Miller (Tiffin - actor)
Safety Fire (London Oratory - a band)
Oritse (London Oratory - JLS a rap group)
Rafe Spall (Haberdashery School - actor and son of Tim Spall)

Kind regards,

D.

Has the OP returned?
Didn't Duncan Bannatyne have an icecream van as his first business? Didn't Beyoncé start singing at church when she was a child? Didn't Taylor Swift start guitar lessons and writing songs as a 10 year old? If my examples are right then I think they explain a perseverance message really well.

Just in case OP is lurking- if someone who isn't a Londoner has heard of the school then it's probably not the school you are looking for. The schools you have mentioned are state but might as well be private because of the barriers to entry. There has never been more celebrity offspring with successful careers thanks to famous parents so avoid Euan Blair type examples.

lol at euan blair being state school success story

becoming a father limits boys choices too.
They can chose to walk away/be a feckless shit or they can try and be a good parent- which for most young people (except maybe for the middle class) will massively limit their choices.

And how old were you Janet when you had your first child...?

Not that I disagree with your basic premise!

I want the op to come back. I find the idea astounding. Starting with euan Blair? I just can't get my head around what the op is thinking.

Instead of quoting Beyoncé (who was managed by her father in Destiny's Child) and did not have particularly humble origins, I would look at what young people can achieve, from any background, by knowing about scholarships and contextual offers and how to get where you want to be. Sporting prowes and musical talent are great if you possess it, but if you don't, find another way to be successful. For most people it is getting the best exam results you can and getting on the career path you want. Success can also be measured in happiness, not just money or public recognition. Success might be being a nurse or a chef. It might be taking the plunge and being self employed by opening a shop or being a dog walker or a nanny. Anything is better than being a NEET.

Also, these days, it is often white boys who are the lower achievers - not the stereotypical black children!

Millymollymama

Always makes me laugh when people talk about Beyonce in this context, this is her childhood home: hERE

I hope to god this is a wind up.

If not OP, PLEASE tell the school you will have to pull out so they can find someone with a bit of common sense more suitable.

Maybe the school could book someone with more empathy and social skills than you have OP??

Someone like Katie Hopkins perhaps.

I brought up Beyoncé because she's not an X factor style overnight success.
I know her father and husband have helped her career immensely but my children are of the generation where fame and success seems to be possible thanks to being on a reality TV programme. One of my teens in particular gets good grades without trying very much and Id love to know how to motivate him into putting more effort in. I don't know if it's because I'm a single parent and he doesn't have extended family as role models but it's hard to instil a good work ethic.

Taylor Swift's father was a financial adviser, the descendant of three generations of bank presidents. Her parents could definitely afford singing lessons for her.

Now some-one like Cilla Black could definitely be considered a role model - very working class background, Secondary Modern education. As well as hard work, another thing I think she had was a secure, loving family background. But again, she's the wrong generation.

yes, Coloma Girls' Convent is the other Catholic school in Croydon that used to interview parents and the girls. Our local RC primary sent several girls there (long commutes but excellent services from most Sussex towns into Croydon, and then, I believe, a bus ride from there). Not too sure if they take girls from this way since they finished with their 'selection'. I know they do operate music scholarships, but surely these go to more deserving local children.

John Fisher (Purley, Croydon) was horrendous for operating what was effectively a private school's admissions policy for at least a decade. I was one of several local parents who wrote to the London Borough of Croydon MP at the time asking for clarification over the admissions policy.

The absolute worst thing I heard about John Fisher was that they were feeling they had the right to ask parents about their jobs and even how much money they made!?!?

But the parents who sent their children to JF were as much to blame, methinks they were well aware of exactly what JF were up to. How can you live in Deepest Surrey or Sussex and send your child to a supposed 'ordinary' state school 30-40 miles away.

London Oratory was employing similar tricks but don't know of anyone from round ere who sent there kids that far to school haha.

Does anyone else have any stories of long Catholic school commutes? You know, when schools like John Fishers and LO were selecting the children?

Forgot to mention that OP sent me a message slagging off the person making comments about Euan Blair - defo touched a nerve there.

Apparently her DS and DD are at private schools in the Croydon Foundation(?) but she has 20 years experience of motivational speaking in inner city schools as well as private schools all around the UK.

She earns 5 figures so she can't be that bad at what she does. Still not sure if a wind up though to be honest.

Lewes
So her DD is at Old Palace and her DS is at Whitgift and she's a fan of Blair.
I still stand by my point that she's the wrong person to speak to State school kids in Croydon.

And earning 5 figures just means she's on more than the National Minimum Wage (£10,001 is 5 figures after all)

Oh how we larfed!

Lewes

Hmm, Cherie Blair does motivational speaking

Lol at August..

Op may have 20 years of motivational speaking experience but I doubt she has 20 years of motivational speaking to kids in state schools about success.

With all that experience I wonder why they're posting for advice which they then ignore, not that they're real