Have faith in yourself. Have faith in God. That was the message former Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, Elizabeth Kangethe, brought to William Ford this week, and it meant something coming from someone who has genuinely lived those words.

Elizabeth grew up in Kenya and moved to the United Kingdom, and despite the challenges that came with building a new life in a new country, she went on to make history. In 2010, she became the first British person of Kenyan descent to be elected as a councillor for the Parsloes ward, and in 2014 she was elected Mayor of Barking and Dagenham. She has since won her council seat four times.

She spoke honestly about the obstacles she faced along the way, including experiences of racism, and reminded our children that we are all made in the image of God: unique, equally loved and equally worthy of respect. It was a message that sat very naturally with who we are as a Church of England school.

She also brought the world of local democracy to life in a way our children could connect with. Who are their local representatives? How does democracy actually work? And if there is a problem in their community, how do they go about raising it with the people elected to serve them? The children engaged brilliantly and had several concerns of their own they were eager to discuss.

Elizabeth also introduced the Young Mayor role in Barking and Dagenham, something she counts among her proudest achievements. It was a fitting detail to share with a room full of children who may well be the next generation of people to step up and serve their community.

She was also interviewed on our school radio station and spoke warmly about what she saw at William Ford during her visit.

We are very grateful to Elizabeth for giving so generously of her time and for the honesty, warmth and wisdom she brought to our school.