David Dein MBE inspires Crawley secondary school students with powerful assembly

David Dein MBE, a British businessman, is known for being a former co-owner and vice-chairman of Arsenal Football Club, and a former vice-chairman of the Football Association.

Mr Dein said “I visit hundreds of schools each year to talk to young people about celebrating our unique differences and believing in themselves, and it was a pleasure to meet the students of TBCC.

“I must say, they showed a huge amount of respect, consideration and thoughtfulness with their questions to me at the end of the assembly; they were wonderful!”.

Head of School Emer Lesoval said: “It was an exceptional assembly where our students had an opportunity to meet a man of David’s calibre. To hear him talk about his vast experience with such passion and to have the fantastic opportunity to hear him speak inspiring words, such as his motto of a turtle, ‘you don’t get anywhere unless you stick your neck out’, will stay with them for the rest of their lives”.

“At Thomas Bennett Community College we strive to instil a caring and inspiring culture, celebrating each of our students’ unique personality and character. One of the best ways to inspire them is to invite speakers to school that will support our ethos . Yesterday, we achieved just that!”

Thomas Bennett Community College is one of the largest secondary schools in Crawley, West Sussex, with a thriving Sixth Form. It has over 1,200 students on roll and boasts large, modern school buildings and grounds.