I taught two of Keir Starmer's Labour cabinet at Manchester high school - this is what they were really like

Wendy Breakell, 63, taught both 'formidable and fantastic' women history during their time at Parrs Wood High School in Didsbury. And she was delighted the Ms Powell and Ms Nandy were named amongst the record number of state-educated ministers in Keir Starmer's cabinet.

Wendy, now a business coach, said: "They will absolutely be a success. They are both very driven and both posses a strong moral compass and a strong mission. I'm sure they'll be fully committed to their own portfolios and what the Labour party needs to do in their first government in a very long time.

"They have that in their psyche, in their hearts. They are humble people, they will see this as really important and the fact there's been so much publicity, they'll want to do well even more.

"I've seen them on a number of occasions and have been in touch. I was delighted to see them in the cabinet. They are fantastic and formidable politicians."

Manchester Central MP Ms Powell attended the school, rated good by Ofsted, in the late 1980s and is now a parent of a pupil, while Wigan MP Ms Nandy was a pupil in the 1990s. They were this week appointed to Sir Keir's cabinet, which boasts several members from working-class backgrounds.

The new PM himself went to a state grammar, while sisters Rachel and Ellie Reeves, named chancellor and party chairwoman, attended Cator Park School for Girls in Beckenham, southeast London. None of the current cabinet attended the prestigious Eton College, which has produced 20 British Prime Ministers including David Cameron and Boris Johnson. And it is in stark contrast to Rishi Sunak's and Mr Johnson's Conservative cabinets, of which nearly two-thirds went to fee-paying schools.

Wendy, who taught at the school from 1983-1999, said: "It's a fantastic change. I know these girls and I still keep in touch with them, I know they're from Parrs Wood, which makes me terribly proud.

"We are very proud of that, but it's also great to see all the other cabinet members from a comprehensive background. We were becoming a bit trapped in the thought that certain careers were still the preserve of the public schools.

"I'm not knocking people who go through the public school system and I know there's a lot of people on scholarships or parents who scrimp and save. But there's a lot more diversity across the board in the comprehensive system, particularly socio-economic diversity. And if you're going to have a career it politics, you've got to have that lived experience from not only your own background, but from those people who come into contact with.

"I'm sure they didn't know they were going to go into politics, but having knowledge of the lives of all those different people can only have shaped them."

Wendy said she noticed striking similarities between the two top politicians during their school days and always believed they'd be a force for good in the world.

She added: "They were absolutely fantastic. They were incredible students. They were really hard-working and very passionate about their education. They took their education seriously, they were really committed to what they were doing at school and they thrived in intellectual challenges.

"They didn't just sit there wanting rote learning, they engaged with their subjects and were always inquisitive. They always wanted to get involved and and ask questions and they would debate anything. They came with a desire to engage.

"They were the sort of students who were always asking questions. I remember seeing Lisa's hand always going up. What you don't want as a teacher is a room full of children who sit their and are just told what to think.

"I was really blessed to have the opportunity to teach two wonderful young people, it was a privilege to be there. I'm incredibly proud of the way their careers have developed. I'm not surprised to see they've progressed their careers in politics and are at the forefront of pushing for change and policies to help people.

"I obviously had no idea which career path they would go down, but I always thought they'd go on to do something where they'd have a positive impact."

Parrs Wood High is a mixed-gender school of around 2,000 pupils was established in 1967. The original building was demolished in 2000 and rebuilt next to the former site. In 2007, the school was placed in special measures but three years later it was found to have improved sufficiently.

In 2016, the school was converted into an academy and it now belongs to the Greater Manchester Education Trust which runs four schools in the city. It was rated 'Good' at its last inspection by Ofsted in 2019, which praised its culturally diverse and caring community.