A Paralympic judo medallist returned to a school to inspire children and predicted "great things" to happen for them.

Retired judo star Ian Rose, who competed in five Paralympic Games and won a bronze and silver medal, visited Hackbridge Primary School yesterday to present medals to children who completed an Olympic-style programme.

The children had taken part in the be the Best You Can Be scheme, which was set up by Olympic gold medallist David Hemery to challenge children to set high targets for themselves.

Rose, who took part in the London 2012 opening ceremony, said: "When I came to Hackbrige in January I spoke to the children about setting themselves a goal and seeing it through.

"I can see that since my last visit a lot of time has been given by the children to thinking about what they want to achieve.

"This is the goal of our programme – Be The Best You Can Be. It aims to inspire youngsters to reach for the stars and break down barriers.

"Coming away from Hackbridge, I’ve got a good feeling that great things will happen for these children in their future fields."

Teacher Vici Williams said: "The children were really thrilled by Ian’s visit earlier in January and have worked really hard on the programme since.

"I think Ian was really impressed by what he saw today."