I&S Inspires - Brentford FC

Earlier this week, we were delighted to hold our first I&S Inspires event of the year, with footballers from Brentford FC coming in to school.

I&S Inspires is our regular series of inspirational talks featuring different motivational speakers from all walks of life. The series has peeled back the curtain behind some of the top career pathways, including BBC journalist Gabriel Gatehouse and, most recently, Status Quo bass player John “Rhino” Edwards. We believe it is very important to offer our students unique opportunities to hear a range of different voices.

This event was organised in conjunction with both Brentford FC and their community outreach team, the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust (CST). Three first-team Brentford footballers - Ellery Balcombe, Paris Maghoma and Hákon Valdimarsson - helped to delivered an engaging, face-to-face workshop to students as part of their ‘Our Changing Directions’ programme. This outreach programme focuses on enriching young people’s sense of community and safety when they travel across Hounslow. First, the CST delivered a short talk focusing on recognising signs of anti-social behaviour and how to support victims. It was a fascinating discussion with students given the chance to get involved. 

Then, the three footballers arrived in the hall to great excitement of the audience - made up of over 150 students who had signed up to attend the event. The Brentford fans in the crowd were particularly animated to see some of their idols in the flesh. The footballers were fantastic during a long question-and-answer sessions, and we were very impressed with our students' contribution. This was a fantastic event, as you can see from the collection of student feedback below:

• "It was really cool meeting and talking to pro players."
• "Inspirational."
• "Meeting the players was very inspiring and insightful. Would do again."
• "It was good because many people don't get this opportunity."

The CST were also full of praise, saying, "Great initiative by the school, keeping the boys engaged in an after-school session." We are hoping that this begins a great new partnership that should lead either to more I&S Inspires events or further work with our PSHE Education team. Our I&S Inspires programme, meanwhile, will continue throughout this academic year, with some exciting guests in the pipeline. Keep an eye on this website, our monthly newsletters, and our Instagram for more!