Danes Educational Trust host first student Public Speaking Competition

On Thursday 15 June, the first ever Danes Educational Trust Public Speaking Competition took place at Croxley Danes School. Teams from Chancellor’s, Croxley Danes, Elstree Screen Arts Academy, Onslow St Audrey’s and St Clement Danes presented topics chosen by the team members themselves. Students competed across two age categories - Junior (years 7-9) and Senior (years 10-12), with 20 competitors in the Junior division and nine in the Senior, including reserves and speech writers who also attended in support of their fellow team members.

For many competitors, this event was their first experience of public speaking and the sense of achievement each and every individual felt from standing up and being heard radiated through the room. All students displayed great courage and confidence in their speeches and in representing their schools. The evening was a new opportunity for students and teachers to engage with people they otherwise wouldn’t have met.

The judging panel was composed of Anne Pickard, Fiona Shore and David Tobin; three individuals from a wide variety of career backgrounds, ranging from the BBC, to local councils, yet all starting their careers as secondary school teachers. Fiona Shore told the event organisers that she “found it inspiring to see the various teams trying so hard and supporting each other”. Anna Pickard similarly commented on the “very warm atmosphere… the students enjoyed the whole experience.” Nicola Spencer, Oracy Lead for Danes Educational Trust stated that “even though it was a competition there was a sense that everyone had gained something from it.”

In the junior category, the St Clement Danes team - Kristina McDougall, Nayna Pandya and Katherine Willis - placed first with their speech “Should we separate the art from the artist?”. The Chancellor’s team were the runners up for this category - Annabel Edwards, Emma Brazil and Reuben Smith - with their speech “should schools embrace AI as a valuable tool?”. The senior winners were the Croxley Danes team of Fin Casselton, Yousuf Sayed and Liam Bishop-Gregs, whose speech posed the question “Should we cancel ‘Cancel Culture’?”. All teams demonstrated a refined understanding of their topics, displaying gripping dialogues on increasingly relevant subject matters, and we would like to congratulate everybody who participated.
 

Elke Acornley
Year 12, St Clement Danes School