Floyd Steadman Inspires at Prep

Our lucky Year 5 and 6 pupils were treated to an inspirational talk from Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall, Floyd Steadman OBE as a part of Black History Month.

Mr Steadman, who was also a Captain for Saracens Rugby Club, inspired thoughts on unconscious bias and racism. Talking of his own experiences of prejudice, Mr Steadman challenged pupils in Years 5 and 6 to “Look beyond what you see and hear and get to know people” before making judgements.

Mr Steadman has been Head Teacher of four London Prep Schools in addition to an illustrious sporting career that saw him named as the first black captain of a major rugby club aged just 23. In 2023, he was awarded an OBE and is awaiting a doctorate. His inspiring words told of his journey through hardship, spurred on by the belief that hard work and determination would change his life.

Mr Steadman hopes that his words will inspire the next generation to be kinder and make the world a better place through tolerance and acceptance. He left our pupils with challenges to:

• Overcome challenges
• Believe in yourself
• Reach for the stars
• Be positive
• Act with kindness and compassion
• And to remember that making good choices leads to success.

Our pupils were so enthralled by his story, that there were too many questions for him to answer and there was a queue to catch him after the assembly. We would like to express our gratitude to Mr Steadman for his time and inspiring and thought-provoking talk.