Thanks for coming over yesterday, the pupils really benefitted as you will see from their comments below:-
- If teachers were more like him I’d go to school at the weekend
- He’s the most honest and real person I’ve ever met.
- He was inspirational.
- His story is heart-breaking but I liked the fact he wanted to share it with us.It’s made me think of the effects going to prison would have on my family.
- He’s sic, a real geezer.
- He told us about the reality of prison life.I understood why he had come to see us and why I need to change my life.
The day was brilliant! The children (and staff) got a lot out of it, and we’ve been able to build on what they learned on that day. The children really enjoyed the whole day; they thought it was ‘cool’ and ‘really interesting’ and ‘it wasn’t like being in school’. Some of the children said they were shocked about certain things, like having to think about how their dress and image that portrays can get them into trouble if they’re not aware of it.The staff felt the experiences of someone who had been a gang member and been to prison talking to the class were really valuable, especially for one or two of the children we have in those classes at present!We would score the day as a 10/10!
The day was amazing, even the staff welled up at the depth of some of the stuff Matthew shared with us, it was very touching and very real, a real eye opener.The day was informative and very interactive which is great for the students and kept them fully engaged. The young people reported to have had one of their best days in school, have learnt loads and felt like they really needed to think about some of the things that they do and make some changes.It really was a success, thank you!
Excellent interaction with kidsPassionate and honestInteresting and engagingThoroughly engaging throughoutHard-hitting and truly an invaluable experience for all involvedThought-provokingWe will remember this for the rest of our lives