Festival of Inspiration 2023

On Thursday 22 June we held our annual Festival of Inspiration, an exciting careers-oriented event designed to open pupils' eyes to the world of opportunities that awaits them beyond school. We hosted over 27 speakers and 14 stalls, with hands-on workshops from a wide variety of professionals.

At the 'Media Training Taster' with Ian Gleeson (Director of Communications, Europe McKinsey) and alumnus Tim Danaher (Partner, Brunswick & Tulley's 1994), our pupils took on the role of British Prime Minister as they learned how to respond to challenging media questions about intelligence breaches and government policy around free school lunch provisions during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown period.

Oscar-winning visual effects designer Paul Franklin spoke to a packed audience of pupils in the MCT. With over 30 years of experience in film and television, awe struck by his creative work, Paul gave our pupils a behind-the-scenes look at how art and science work hand-in-hand to create some of the most spectacular scenes in the world’s biggest blockbuster films, including Inception and Interstellar.

The 'How to build big brands' workshop with James Clarke (Founding Partner, Big Tent Strategy) and Olivia Askew (Strategist, Big Tent Strategy) provided an engaging interactive deep dive into the world of branding for products, organisations and high profile individuals. We are proud of our pupils for asking such a wide range of questions, as they were invited to look at the brands that they engage with, use and see everyday in new ways.

Other workshops explored virtual reality, social media storytelling, building a table, and the ins and outs of product and fashion design – there were a huge variety of different talks and activities to pique interest.

Special shoutout to our very own alumni who came along to share their experiences and offer their advice:

• Philip Johnson (Cribb's 1981) who ran a Product Design Workshop
• Tim Danaher (Tulley's 1994) who gave a Media Training Taster
• Nigel Godfrey (Spurgeon's 1982) who ran a workshop about A Career in the Media
• Aisha Bywaters (Brown’s 2002) who gave advice and guidance, sharing her experience as a Casting Director.

We also hosted our pupils from Trinity Academy Brixton, it was fantastic to share the day with them and meet some new faces. The school was positively buzzing with excitement, curiosity, and the spirit of enterprise, with wonderful feedback from students who attended.

“Nothing could have made the festival more memorable than the sheer variety of activities provided - there's nothing quite like receiving a sitcom-writing workshop straight after some carpentry, with a terrarium-making session in the afternoon!

Combined with an amazing guest speaker and the opportunity to speak with driven and inspired professionals during lunch, the whole day made for an excellent showcase of the diversity and room for individuality in the working world."

Theo, Year 12

"The Festival of Inspiration never failed to show that the possibilities are truly endless, whilst making the world of work so accessible to students. It was an amazing opportunity to practice skills we have learnt, as well as ask questions and gain invaluable advice from prominent figures in so many different sectors."

Hailey, Year 12

Head of Careers, Gina Visram, who championed and co-organised the festival was thrilled with how the day went and looks forward to building on it in the future.

“Curiosity and discovery are fundamental parts of a happy careers journey and more confident decision-making in the future. During the Festival this spirit was alive and well as students embraced activities which matched their interests and those which were entirely foreign to them.

This is the second year we have held the Festival of Inspiration and we are so grateful for the community of Alleyn’s parents, alumni and local businesses that came together to deliver something very special for the Alleyn’s School and Trinity Academy students. Special thanks to co-creators Aidan Sproat-Clements and Dorcas Maxwell who were instrumental in making it happen... as well as Susan Latham, Darcey Wynter, Matilda Smith, Lucy Osborne, Rahima Begum and a small but mighty team of Year 12 student organisers.”

Theo, Year 12

“Nothing could have made the festival more memorable than the sheer variety of activities provided - there's nothing quite like receiving a sitcom-writing workshop straight after some carpentry, with a terrarium-making session in the afternoon!
Combined with an amazing guest speaker and the opportunity to speak with driven and inspired professionals during lunch, the whole day made for an excellent showcase of the diversity and room for individuality in the working world.”

If you would like to contribute to the Festival or other future-focused events at Alleyn’s, please contacts us on [email protected] or [email protected] as relevant.

Thanks to Head of Careers Gina Visram for her vision and organisational expertise. Director of Studies Aidan J Sproat-Clements and Head of the Alleyn’s Learners Programme Dorcas E Maxwell for their skilled event delivery, the wider team of Alleyn's staff and fantastic Y12 Organisers.