Nourishing Ideas: The Green Business Breakfast

On Friday 6^th October, LP Partnerships hosted a very special Green Business Breakfast, welcoming Sir Alok Sharma, MP, and Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Reading. Additionally, the event was attended by 60 influential Business Leaders, alongside some of our Sixth Formers and students from Blessed Hugh Faringdon.

The morning commenced with a beautiful spread of breakfast delights, whilst the green business leaders could connect with their peers and discuss current challenges and ways of working. The networking breakfast was followed by speeches from guest speakers, where the students and business leaders heard from Head of Leighton Park School, Matthew Judd, Headteacher at Blessed Hugh Faringdon, Dr Simon Uttley and of course Sir Alok Sharma and Professor Van de Noort. Sir Alok Sharma used the opportunity to emphasize the climate crisis and the importance of acting now to make a difference to the generation of students in front of him.

The next phase of the morning involved a ‘Round Tables’ interactive session, where groups of students sat round the table and were joined by a carousel of different business leaders, with whom they could discuss a diverse range key topics facing businesses and hear different approaches, all of which proved to create a dynamic and engaging atmosphere.

Assistant Head: Partnerships, Tash Coccia, said “We know how partnership working and bringing people with expertise together can provide exceptional outcomes for young people. That is why the Green Business Breakfast was the right platform to give students the chance to gain insight into real world careers, network with industry professionals and challenge their own thinking about pathways and routes beyond sixth form.”

Reflecting on the Partnerships work, Tash Coccia added “As a Quaker school, we are committed to living out our values. This means building equity with state school partners. Our relationship with Blessed Hugh Faringdon is built on mutual respect and sharing great practice between both schools. It is a privilege to work with Dr. Uttley and the team, and we look forward to more collaborative, student focused projects in the future.”