Students at a school in South West London were left “stunned” into “silence” when Croydon-born rapper, Stormzy showed up during their assembly.
The star arrived at the reception at Lowther Primary School in Barnes on Wednesday afternoon (September 9) to talk to the pupils about never giving up on their dreams.
Year Three teacher at the school, Lila Palmer, had met the artist at at barbecue during the summer break, and asked him to pay a visit to the kids after they had studied him as an inspirational role model.
The staff were just as delighted when the musician unexpectedly called to ask if you could drive down and make their day.
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Students at Lowther Primary School asked the rapper questions about his journey in music
(Image: Mark Tuffney)
Headteacher of the school, Mark Tuffney, kept the artist hidden as a surprise, till he walked down the stairs of their assembly hall to give the children a moment “they’ll never forget”.
Mark said: “We kept him hidden and got all the children in the hall, and then we said ‘we’ve got someone here today’.
“We brought him out as a surprise which was great, the looks on their faces was brilliant.
“The kids had absolutely no idea. Particularly the older children. Literally shocked faces”.
A video posted on the school’s Twitter page showed the moment the star arrived and shook hands with some of the students and told them how he “wasn’t very good” when he first started writing songs.
The star also told the children to keep pursuing their dreams even when they lose.
Stormzy said: “When I used to lose, I used to cry. I used to get really upset but as I grew older I realised that you need to lose to win.
“It sounds really silly when you’re young but as you get older, I promise you, every time you lose, you learn something and it’s going to help you win later”.
“So when you lose don’t cry like I did”, he laughed.
The headteacher said: “A lot of it was that shocked face of stunned silence, ‘is this for real?’.
Headteacher, Mark Tuffney, kept the rapper’s presence a secret till he revealed him during their assembly
(Image: Mark Tuffney)
“They asked really good questions. All sorts, ‘what was your first song?
“He was great, he gave all kinds of down to earth advice about not giving up and that he had to really work at rhyming.
“He had the kids in the palm of his hand. They were all loving it. It was cool”.
The rapper has been part of efforts to provide education for those from disadvantaged backgrounds by donating £500,000 to fund educational scholarships.
And although staff were stunned by his appearance at the school, the headteacher wasn’t completely surprised.
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Mark said: “Obviously he’s got strong views about education and opportunity for all.
“He’s been pretty proactive in supporting people or sharing his views on education I believe.
“He wasn’t giving scripted it was just a genuine interaction with young children. It was great”.
The headteacher believes that it was a moment the children will never forget and carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Mark said: “I always joke with the children.
“I like to think, you know, my maths lessons or my assemblies are good but they won’t remember that next week, they’ll remember Stormzy for the rest of their life”.
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https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/stormzy-makes-surprise-visit-west-21544677
