Good evening everyone…
Can I start by saying what an honour it is to be back at Swanlea.
Standing here tonight is a little surreal because, almost 20 years ago, I started this school, sitting exactly where many of you are now.
In fact, whenever I’m back in this area, I tell myself I’ve come to visit the school… but somehow I always end up in the fried chicken shop first. Some traditions are just too important to not let go!
Firstly, congratulations to every single student receiving an award this evening. You should be incredibly proud of yourselves. To your families, teachers and everyone who has supported you along the way…thank you. Success is rarely achieved alone.
My time at Swanlea was amazing. As I was parking my car today, I saw Mr Rawat who described me as a regular in his office! Take that as you will.
People often ask me what I do now. I’m currently an Assistant Headteacher at a secondary school around 30 minutes away called Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school. My main responsibility is safeguarding, making sure young people are safe and able to flourish. Alongside that I oversee a number of other areas such as PP, Ambition, Behaviour, and staff development, but at the heart of everything I do is working with young people.
If you told me when I was sitting in this hall that many years that I’d one day become an Assistant Headteacher, I honestly don’t think I would have believed you.
Because my journey after Swanlea wasn’t straightforward.
College wasn’t the success I’d hoped it would be. During that time, i faced a significant loss in my life. Suddenly life became much bigger than A Levels. Bigger than grades. Bigger than the conventional timeline that everyone tells you you’re supposed to follow.
I didn’t achieve the grades I knew I was capable of achieving.
At the time, it felt like the end of the world.
Looking back, I realise it wasn’t the end of anything. It was the beginning of the greatest period of growth in my life.
I had a choice.
I could allow my circumstances to define me.
Or I could allow them to develop me.
That isn’t to say it was easy. It wasn’t.
I needed time.
Time to grieve.
Time to be human.
Time to reflect.
Time to rebuild.
And perhaps most importantly, the perseverance to keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when I couldn’t see where the path was leading.
Sometimes resilience isn’t about making giant leaps.
Sometimes resilience is simply deciding not to stop.
During that period, I threw myself into community work. Some people might say I was avoiding reality. Maybe there was some truth in that. But in serving others, I slowly found myself again.
Working as a youth worker transformed my perspective. It showed me the incredible difference one caring adult can make to the life of a young person. It taught me that service isn’t just about helping people, it’s about believing in them before they believe in themselves.
Eventually I went to university, and honestly, it was a breath of fresh air.
I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Before anyone asks… no, I had absolutely no ambition to become a politician!
Although having studied politics, I can tell you something I’ve come to believe: the real movers of society aren’t always sitting in Parliament.
They’re sitting in classrooms.
They’re working in schools.
They’re our frontline workers.
And they’re sitting in this very hall tonight.
The current and future leaders of Swanlea.
University introduced me to people from every walk of life, different cultures, different experiences and different ways of thinking. It broadened my perspective and challenged me to grow, not just academically, but personally.
That’s when I knew education was where I belonged.
I started my career as a maths teacher, became a Head of Year, and three years ago became an Assistant Headteacher.
Now here’s the interesting part.
When I left Swanlea, I thought I’d taken away qualifications.
Maths.
English.
Science.
Business.
What I didn’t realise was that Swanlea had quietly been teaching me something much bigger.
It had been preparing me for life.
There are conversations I still remember.
Lessons that still stay with me.
Moments with teachers that continue to shape the way I lead today.
But perhaps the greatest lesson Swanlea taught me was about people.
It taught me how young people think.
How they grow.
How they struggle.
How they flourish.
Without realising it, this school gave me the foundations for the pastoral leader I would eventually become.
So these days, when students think they can pull the wool over my eyes…
They don’t know that I attended Swanlea.
I’ve heard every excuse in the book!
There are so many members of staff I could thank individually because every single one of them contributed to the person standing here today.
But there are two people I’d particularly like to mention.
The first is Mr Shindler, my drama teacher.
We’ve stayed in touch over the years.
When I was younger, he gave me something I didn’t even realise I needed…belief.
He saw potential in me before I fully saw it in myself.
He encouraged me to think bigger, dream bigger and believe there were no limits on what I could achieve.
Years later, I came across his work again and discovered he’d written a book about teaching. Reading it simply confirmed everything I’d already experienced as his student: grit, passion, hard work and service weren’t just things he taught…they were values he lived every day.
The second person is someone sitting here tonight.
My Head of Year.
Mr Rawat.
Now… after spending years reminding everyone that Arsenal would eventually win the league… I’m pleased to say he’s finally stopped saying, “Next year is our year.” Although, as an Arsenal fan, I suppose hope is still one of his strongest qualities!
But jokes aside…
Mr Rawat had an enormous influence on our life.
You were compassionate.
You were committed.
You understood the community you served.
You spoke to students with humanity.
You built relationships that didn’t end when students left school.
In fact, when I eventually became a Head of Year myself, my friends started calling me “Mr Rawat.”
Believe it or not, I took that as one of the greatest compliments I could receive.
Years later, family members of mine attended Swanlea, and he would still ask how I was doing.
That kind of care stays with people.
It’s the sort of impact schools rarely measure, but perhaps the one that matters most.
He is one of the biggest reasons I chose the pastoral route in education.
So tonight, I’d simply like to say…
Thank you. Thank you for all you do and how you serve our community
Finally, to every student receiving an award tonight and to every student sitting in this hall, whether your name is called or not I want you to remember one thing.
I was one of you.
There is nothing extraordinary about where I started.
The difference isn’t where you begin.
The difference is what you choose to do with the opportunities placed in front of you.
Swanlea will open doors.
Walk through them.
Take opportunities that scare you.
Don’t let your postcode determine your potential.
Don’t allow society to place limits on your ambition.
Break barriers.
Challenge expectations.
Become the very best version of yourself.
Because every single one of you matters.
Every single one of you has something meaningful to contribute to this world.
And one day, when someone asks you where your journey began, I hope you’ll proudly say,
“It started at Swanlea.”
Because this is more than a school.
It’s a community.
A place where young people are challenged, supported and inspired to become people of character, compassion and excellence.
Enjoy tonight.
Celebrate your success.
Thank the people who’ve helped you along the way.
Then keep going.
Because this award isn’t the destination.
It’s simply proof that you’re heading in the right direction.
Thank you, congratulations, and enjoy the rest of your evening.