Celebrity guest speaker inspires Year 7s with his experiences of thriving from change

More than 2,000 Year 7 students from secondary schools across Meridian Trust tuned in on 18th October to hear from actor, comedian, and television presenter, Ed Petrie.

In the virtual session, Ed talked to students about ‘Transition and Change’.

He shared his own experiences of school life, as well as giving valuable tips and advice. Topics he covered included how to be organised at secondary school, building confidence, and what to expect during the first few years of secondary school.

Martin Campbell, Executive Principal at Meridian Trust, said, “Ed’s talk was a huge success last year, so I’m delighted that we were able to bring him back to inspire another co-hort of year 7’s. The students asked him some fantastic questions and it was great to see so many taking part and getting value from the session.”

“Starting secondary school can be a nervous time for students, so we’re committed to delivery high quality learning environments that enable our young people to thrive. We do this by giving them the necessary skills to be resilient, confident and independent learners.”

Founded in 2010 by ITV’s Political Editor, Robert Peston, Speakers for Schools aims to end educational inequality by giving all young people access to the same networks.

The project has already reached over 1,000,000 students nationwide through school talks and work experience programmes.