QE pupil and Channel Four’s reigning Child Genius Rahul Doshi ‘blew away’ both children and staff when he spoke at a literacy festival run by two local primary schools.
In an inspirational message, Rahul, who won the most recent series of the TV competition in 2017, told boys and girls at Edgware’s The Orion and Goldbeaters primary schools that academic success was “something to be proud of”, urging them to work towards it.
Rachel Shear, Co-Headteacher of The Orion Primary School, paid tribute to Rahul when she wrote to QE to thank the School for allowing him to visit. “Rahul gave an absolutely wonderful talk at both of our schools and truly blew the children and staff away with his accomplishments.
“He is a true role model for hard work, commitment, diligence and the opportunities that being smart can bring you. He spoke flawlessly and with lots of humour in front of a group of 480 children at The Orion and about 30 staff, which is a remarkable achievement.”
In reply, QE Headmaster Neil Enright wrote back: “I am delighted that Rahul was so positively received and that the children benefited from the occasion. He is indeed an impressive young man.”
Mr Enright also said: “We are keen to further expand our outreach and partnership work with local schools, and I am delighted that Rahul served as a successful ambassador for both his own talents and the School on these visits.”
Orion and Goldbeaters, which are only half-a-mile apart, are part of the same federation and jointly hold an eight-week Word Up Festival. Rahul was invited by the schools after he was heard answering questions on Capital London’s breakfast show, where he has become a regular guest.
Rahul’s speech was primarily about Child Genius and the learning techniques he employs, such as memorisation through creating ‘memory palaces’ and building stories personal to you in which to place the information you need to remember, or by finding connections between what you are learning to make it more interesting.
In addition, he spoke about some of his key values, including always giving your best and being resilient.
Having had his confidence boosted by his involvement with Child Genius, Rahul said he no longer finds speaking in public to be a daunting prospect, even to such large audiences. He said afterwards that he would be keen to deliver this message similarly in other schools.
Rahul reflected on his appearance on a Child Genius Christmas special broadcast in December 2018 alongside comedians Jimmy Carr and Shazia Mirza, TV presenter Rick Edwards and newsreader Charlotte Hawkins. He commented that the celebrities were “quite clever” and that he was surprised by how much they knew.
Ms Shear has made a donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital in Rahul’s name as a gesture of thanks.