We were delighted to welcome back Old Stopfordian Gordon Marsden (OS 1972) to school in November.  Gordon delivered a talk to a full audience of pupils and staff on lifelong learning.

In 1997, Gordon became the Labour MP for Blackpool South. A lifelong campaigner for education, he served on the Labour front bench for 9 years and was shadow minister for Higher & Further Education and Skills. 

Since leaving Parliament in 2019, he has co-founded the Right to Learn campaign arguing that access to education through lifelong learning should be a fundamental right. He was the first in his family to go to university and studied History at Oxford University and at Harvard, is a former Open University lecturer and editor of History Today.

On Tuesday, Gordon was invited to speak at the Open University degree ceremony as guest of honour at the Bridgewater Hall where he received an honorary doctorate.

Throughout his talk at SGS Gordon spoke of his experiences thoughout his time at SGS in the 1960s and 70s and the significant changes in technology and career prospects over the decades meaning that a job is no longer for life. 

Gordon reinforces the need for pupils to seek options, additional skills and continue to learn in order to compete in a fast-paced, global world.  He explained: "At Right to Learn we're making sure people do have choices that make them well established as a human being.  I'm convinced we need to have the ability to establish ourselves in a global world."

Following the talk Gordon answered a variety of questions by pupils on his reasons for going into politics, how he acquired an honorary doctorate and his thoughts on differences in views and debates.